Philly to play Fiddler on the Roof in John Williams score

Philly to play Fiddler on the Roof in John Williams score

News

norman lebrecht

February 17, 2022

The Philadelphia Orchestra will present three performances of Fiddler on the Roof next month at the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts.

The difference? Orchestrations by John Williams, made in 1971 for the movie version of Fiddler and never heard before in live concert.

That score won Williams his very first Oscar (he looks surprised). He came to it after doing two other Broadway adaptations – Valley of the Dolls (1967, with songs by Andre and Dory Previn), and Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969, with music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse).

The semi-staged Philly premiere is a co-pro with the University Musical Society at the University of Michigan.

Comments

  • Gustavo says:

    DG should make a recording from the profit coming off the record breaking record release “The Berlin Concert”.

  • X says:

    Already bald in 1971? That’s over 50 years of baldness. Oh well, I guess all the fame and stardom makes up for it.

    • NotToneDeaf says:

      Better than whatever number of years you’ve had of being a idiot.

    • Gustavo says:

      That is a very unfair comment.

      Baldness at early age is mostly caused by a genetic disposition like gender, skin colour, body size etc.

      John Williams’ genius has got nothing to do with his external appearance.

      But he was certainly raised in a favourable environment.

      • Benjamin Bittern says:

        Does he have genius? I never thought so. For me, he is very much a second-rate film composer. Technically adept, no doubt, but weird, and not one to write idiomatically for instruments. Any number of the studio composers were superior to him. Even Andre Previn.

    • Y says:

      Wow, touchy crowd! For the record, I am a bald man. I was merely commiserating with Mr. John Williams over our shared affliction. But I forgot, we live in the 2020’s, when people can’t take a joke.

  • William Vits says:

    The Grand Rapids Symphony is playing it in Ann Arbor this weekend. Marking the vamps for my percussive colleagues.

  • Eugene says:

    This is not the business of the Philadelphia Orchestra.

  • Christina Fong says:

    The Grand Rapids Symphony is premiering this at University of Michigan this weekend.

  • Anthony Sayer says:

    Sorry, but genius or no genius, he looked scary in 1971.

  • music lover says:

    Isaac Stern playing the solos on the soundtrack….The late Emanuel Borok also did a fabulous job with the Boston Pops before hae became concertmaster in Dallas.

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