Deutsche Grammophon: 125 years Special Gala Concert (2023)

DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON: 125 YEARS SPECIAL GALA CONCERT (A.K.A. “JOHN WILLIAMS IN TOKYO”)
Music composed and conducted by John Williams
1st half conducted by Stephane Deneve
Performed by the Saito Kinen Orchestra
September 5, 2023
Suntory Hall
Tokyo, Japan

PART 1: CONCERT REPORT

Having been extremely fortunate to see John Williams conduct live in concert three times in the last year (once in Los Angeles, once in Milan, and now in Tokyo), l’d have to say that last night’s concert was my favorite.

As this was JW’s first visit to Japan in 30 years, excitement levels and expectations were understandably high. This was evident as soon as I arrived at Suntory Hall on a brutally humid Tuesday evening in Tokyo. You could feel the anticipation in the air, and you could see, in each and everyone’s faces, that they knew they were here to experience something special and truly historic. People certainly dressed up for the occasion (myself included!), so it wasn’t unusual to see people in kimonos and tuxedos despite the blistering hot summer weather.

As the auditorium lights dimmed to signify the beginning of the concert, the conductor for the first half, Stephane Deneve, walked out onto the stage to rapturous applause. He started off with an amusing joke – his interpreter (who was a cellist in the orchestra), opened in English with “Ladies and Gentlemen,” to which Deneve translated into Japanese! After the laughter died down, Deneve switched to English and explained the program for the night as well as some brief thoughts on Seiji Ozawa and John Williams.

“Sound the Bells!” kicked off the concert with its rousing array of brass melodies and sounds. From where I was sitting behind the orchestra, I could clearly see the tubular chimes which sounded crystal clear. I honestly never warmed up to this piece until I heard it live last night.

This was followed by “Tributes! (for Seiji),” a piece written by Williams for Ozawa. This was a long and less melodic piece than JW’s more popular works, but it was great hearing this rare piece live. It’s unfortunate that Ozawa was not on stage to enjoy the music.

A suite from “Far and Away” came next with its jaunty Irish sounds and spirit. It was an excellent performance that was well received by the audience.

Then came “ET,” the music many people had been waiting for. Starting with the piccolo solo in “Three million light years from home,” the audience was immediately spellbound by this masterwork of composition. It was then that I heard a familiar but unexpected sound… the pipe organ! I then turned to the huge pipe organ not far from me and I saw a young organist play the mysterious opening lines to this incredible piece. I most definitely had the feels and was left fixed on the pipe organ parts for the remainder of the piece.

Stunning is the only word that can be used to describe the night’s performance of “Stargazers.” What an incredibly moving, incredibly perfect piece. The delicate harp, the sweet caress of the strings, the yearning flute… it was gorgeously dream-like. The audience was dead quiet during the entire piece – in fact, it felt like we were all holding our breath, hanging on to every phrase and every gesture from the orchestra, not wanting to spoil the mood, the magic. When the final notes played in to silence, the audience remained quiet for what seemed like minutes, but was in reality only a few seconds. We then collectively wiped a tear (or two), cleared our throats, and got ready for the next assault on our emotions.

The “Flying theme” is probably, next to the Star Wars theme, one of the most well-known JW pieces among Japanese fans. And boy, did it not disappoint under the commanding baton of Deneve! This piece just soared under the Saito Kinen Orchestra and had the audience in raptures during the finale. And that ended the sensational first half of the concert.

The feeling of anticipation had by now reached fever point with the knowledge JW would soon be gracing the stage.

As the lights once again dimmed and the audience quietened down, the volume immediately jumped to 11 as John Williams, the undisputed GOAT of film music, stepped onto the stage to the adulation and applause of over 2,000 star-truck fans. We were all on our feet cheering, professing our love for the man and his music, and hungry to hear his first piece at the podium. Before that, JW quickly talked about how honoured he was to be there, how Japan had changed in the last 30 years, and how much love and respect he had for his dear friend, Seiji Ozawa. He then explained that the Japanese translation of the word “Superman” was “Seiji Ozawa,” which drew thunderous approval from the audience.

And thus began the second half with the iconic march from “Superman.” Expertly performed with passion, it set the tone for the rest of the night.

The “Harry Potter” suite came next, and I suspect many had come to hear this with JW at the podium. The suite was beautifully performed and didn’t sound too different from previous concert performances.

Without any introductory words from JW, the familiar strains of “Schindler’s List” began to fill the auditorium and we were treated to a precise and impassioned violin solo. From where I was sitting behind the orchestra, it was somewhat difficult to absorb the full sound and feel of the solo, but luckily it was well-captured in DGs video recording on Stage+.

It was now time for select pieces from “Star Wars” to shine. I honestly would have preferred “March of the Resistance” or “The Asteroid Field,” but we were treated to a fine performance of “The Rebellion is Reborn.” This was followed by “Princess Leia’s Theme” which was one of the highlights of the evening for me. The flautist absolutely nailed his solos which were gorgeously complimented by the French horn parts. I get goosebumps just thinking about it!

The final piece for the main program was the “Finale & Throne Room,” which was performed with great gusto, passion, and drive.

This was followed by JW’s second standing ovation for the night before he signaled “one more” to the audience for his first encore, which was “Yoda’s theme.” The “Raider’s March” came next with the night ending with “The Imperial March.” Except JW didn’t call it that – he just turned to the audience and said, “Darth Vadar,” to which the audience went nuts!

As soon as that ended, everyone in the audience got on their feet and gave JW the most enthusiastic standing ovation that I have ever seen… and I’ve been to a lot of film music concerts! Surely, we were clapping away for close to 10 minutes – first for Williams, then the Saito Kinen Orchestra. What was clearly apparent was the audience’s mutual love for John Williams and his music, and our deep appreciation to the Saito Kinen Orchestra for bringing his timeless music to life. My hands were truly numb by the end of night, but I just didn’t want it to end…

Going home that night and processing what I had just seen, heard, and experienced, only solidified my belief that John Williams is the GOAT of film music – I doubt anybody could argue with that.

PART 2: CONCERT MERCH

In addition to a complimentary one-sheet program list, the following merch was on offer:

The Special Gala Concert booklet, which is in Japanese, contains short bio information about Williams, Deneve, and the Saito Kinen Orchestra. It also includes program notes by prolific Japanese liner note writer, Hidekuni Maejima. The concert booklet was sold for a very limited time on Japan’s Universal Music Store, but alas is no longer available.

Also on sale at the concert were the latest JW releases (and re-releases) from Deutsche Grammophon/Universal Music.

If you purchased the recently released “John Williams: Live in Vienna SPECIAL EDITION” at the concert, you would have also received a complimentary postcard with JW’s “printed” signature – i.e. not the real thing (unfortunately!). As of time of writing (Feb. 23, 2024), this can still be purchased online at Japan’s Universal Music Store here.

PART 3: VIP PACKAGE

For those lucky enough to get a VIP ticket (i.e not me!), you were able to attend the rehearsals with Deneve the day before the concert. You also received special VIP merch when you arrived at the concert which included a special VIP Guest card (with “printed” JW signature), a special DG tote bag, and the Special Gala Concert booklet described above. I managed to score a special VIP merch pack at an online auction shortly after the concert – needless to say, it is now a prized possession!

PART 4: POSTSCRIPT

It is now February, 2024 and it has just been announced that this historic concert will be released on both digital and physical platforms:

30年ぶりの来日公演でサイトウ・キネン・オーケストラを指揮したライヴ・アルバムがリリース決定！ – ジョン・ウィリアムズ (universal-music.co.jp)

A trailer for “John Williams in Tokyo” has also been released by Deutsche Grammophon:

I for one cannot wait to relive this concert and share it with others!

PART 5: OVER TO YOU

Did you also go to this concert? How did you like it?

And what did you think of my report? Feel free to comment below or reach out to me directly in the “Contact Me” section.