It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s John Williams Nirvana!
My copy of La-La Land Records’ 40th anniversary edition of Williams’ classic score for “Superman” (1978) arrived the other day. The 3-CD set is remastered from the newly-discovered original elements. A previous release of the complete score on Rhino Entertainment sounded disappointingly flat; a redo was available only as part of an 8-disc box set devoted to music from all the Christopher Reeve Superman films, on Film Score Monthly. Williams scored only the first film, which is all I’m interested in, so as far as I’m concerned, this should be the definitive “Superman” release.
The set includes not only the complete score as heard in the film, but also the original soundtrack release, alternate and/or additional bonus cues, and a 44-page booklet with extensive liner notes.
I am looking forward to being 12 again for a few hours, as soon as I remove the shrinkwrap. The set is limited to 5000 copies. You can find out more about it here:
To get you in the mood for my final André Previn tribute, devoted to his concert works, on tonight’s edition of “The Lost Chord,” here are a couple of worthwhile interviews with the conductor-composer-pianist:
“André Previn says he keeps telling John Williams, ‘John, stop it with the ‘Star Wars’”
Join me for Previn’s Cello Sonata (with Yo-Yo Ma) and “Diversions” (with the Vienna Philharmonic), on “André the Pliant,” this Sunday night at 10:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.
Saturday is a day of rest between my two André Previn salutes on WWFM – The Classical Network. Yesterday’s “Picture Perfect” was devoted to Previn’s film scores, and “The Lost Chord” (tomorrow night at 10:00 EDT) will focus on his concert works. If you miss them, both shows will be archived as webcasts at wwfm.org.
By coincidence, earlier this week, The Criterion Collection held a flash sale on its extensive catalogue of DVDs and BluRays, and that put me in mind of another Andre – Andre Gregory, the batshit crazy theatre director, who plays “himself” in Louis Malle’s divisive cult classic, “My Dinner with Andre” (1981).
This is my stepfather’s most hated film. The way he still rants about it, you would think it was the longest 111 minutes of his life. I happen to think it’s brilliant, and often hilarious. Then again, I know people who remind me a lot of Andre. Some of them follow this very page! Throwing a “beehive” has become part of my active lexicon.
Wallace Shawn, again as himself, is put in the position of straight man. In contrast to Andre’s manic intensity as he relates his increasingly outlandish adventures (which include at one point being buried alive), Wally prefers the quiet enjoyment of ordinary pleasures, like drinking a cup of coffee or reading Charlton Heston’s autobiography.
Virtually the entire film, with the exception of the epilogue (memorably underscored by Erik Satie’s “Gymnopédie No. 1”), unfolds in an actual restaurant, as the two old pals meet for a dinner, which is consumed in real time. It is one grand bull session – granted perhaps not for everyone – but I find it an enjoyable time capsule of New York in the late ‘70s and an accurate portrayal of the artist as self-absorbed, delusional, garrulous madman, who, in spite of himself, occasionally hits on something visionary.
Also by coincidence, in searching for material to post for Handel’s birthday two weeks ago, I stumbled across this interview with conductor Sir Thomas Beecham, and it struck me how much at times it reminded me of Andre Gregory expounding to poor Wallace Shawn, complete with Shawn-like reaction shots of interviewer Peter Brook, Beecham’s captive audience.
Though the entire video is certainly worthwhile, the actual interview takes place from 8:38 to 15:46.
Perhaps you heard something of Jacques Loussier’s death earlier in the week. Loussier’s demise was being lamented all across the internet, and obituaries began to sprout up from major media outlets. But is Loussier really dead?
Even as the wildfire of mourning continued to blaze across Facebook, conflicting reports began to circulate that Loussier’s “death” was in fact a hoax, and that the famed jazz pianist is, if not exactly kicking it, still drawing breath at the age of 84.
Loussier, who is widely celebrated for his jazz improvisations on music of Johann Sebastian Bach, suffered a stroke, which led to his retirement from performance in 2011.
His Wikipedia entry now sports a death date. His Facebook page has been frustratingly mum.
Forget Jacques Brel. Is Jacques Loussier indeed alive and well and living in Lyon?
Loussier performs Bach in Bach’s own church, the Thomaskirche Leipzig, for his 70th birthday:
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