JOHN WILLIAMS IN TOKYO DIGITAL AND VISUAL ALBUM OUT NOW
DIGITAL & VISUAL ALBUM RELEASED TODAY
FULL AUDIO-VISUAL PRODUCT SUITE ANNOUNCED
NEW MUSIC VIDEO “THRONE ROOM & FINALE” FROM “STARS WARS: A NEW HOPE” TO PREMIERE ON YOUTUBE ON “STAR WARS DAY” (“MAY THE FOURTH”) – WATCH HERE ( LIVE AT 8AM JST / 1AM CEST)
DIGITAL & VISUAL ALBUM RELEASED 3 TODAY
ALL PHYSICAL FORMATS INCLUDING VINYL & LIMITED DELUXE CD & BLURAY
TO BE RELEASED ON 12 JULY 2024
LISTEN TO THE ALBUM HERE | ALBUM TRAILER VIDEO HERE
3 MAY 2024 (TORONTO, ON) — Deutsche Grammophon has revealed the full audio and visual product suite for John Williams in Tokyo, the new live album from award-winning composer John Williams – recorded at his first concert in Tokyo in 30 years. Captured live on record at Suntory Hall last year, all digital formats of the album are released today, the day before so-called Star Wars Day (‘May the Fourth’), while all physical formats will be made available on 12 July, including standard CD, Blu-Ray, 2LP Vinyl as well as a limited deluxe edition featuring the full concert on 2CDs and Blu-Ray. Tomorrow, to celebrate the release and mark Star Wars Day, a new music video from the concert ““Throne Room & Finale” from “Stars Wars: A New Hope” is released on DG’s Youtube channel (watch here).
Last September, John Williams came to Japan at the invitation of his longtime friend and world-renowned conductor, the late great Seiji Ozawa. He performed at the ‘Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival’ in Matsumoto (where Ozawa served as general director) and gave a special performance in Tokyo to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Deutsche Grammophon. This was the first time John Williams had performed with the Saito Kinen Orchestra, Ozawa’s “musical family”, and tickets for both performances were sold out on in minutes.
The long-awaited collaboration consisted of an all-Williams programme, including ‘Superman March’, ‘Theme from Schindler’s List’ and ‘Throne Room and End Finale’ from Star Wars. For both concerts, John Williams shared the podium with acclaimed conductor and friend, Stéphane Denève – Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Artistic Director of the New World Symphony, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic.
Captured live at the concert in Tokyo, the release of this musical celebration of friendship will soon be available in both digital and physical formats. While the digital release of the album has already been announced, the physical release has been revealed to come in four formats: standard CD, LP, standalone Blu-ray, and a Deluxe Edition (hybrid CD and Blu-ray).
The standard CD and 2 LP will include a total of 12 tracks, with 11 pieces conducted by Williams, and ‘Tributes! (for Seiji)’ conducted by Denève – a piece released for the first time worldwide. The standalone Blu-ray captures the full concert video, with both performances by Williams and Denève, as well as Williams’ speech given to the audience on stage. The Deluxe Edition includes 17 tracks from the full concert in 2 disc CD Hybrid format derived from DSD masters, bundled with a full concert Blu-ray, plus individual exclusive interview videos of Williams and Denève.
Later in the year, Deutsche Grammophon will continue to celebrate the art of John Williams with the release of John Williams in Concert, a deluxe and very limited 7LP vinyl box set featuring his latest DG recordings alongside exclusive fan content. The release will include his historic Vienna, Berlin and Boston concerts as well as the newest addition, John Williams in Tokyo. Parallel to this release, a week-long John Williams celebration will take over STAGE+ featuring selected concerts, both new and from the archive.
For more than half a century, John Williams has shaped the history and sound of film music, his instantly memorable themes and consummate orchestrations gracing some of the finest movies of modern times. His extensive catalogue also includes other symphonic and chamber works, as well as innovative adaptations of his own cinematic themes.