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John Williams, Guitar
March 29, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Location: University Auditorium
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Prices: $35, Orchestra Rows A-P and Mezzanine; $30, Orchestra Rows Q-CC; $25, Balcony.
To hear audio clips of John Williams, click here.
PROGRAM
Concerto in D Major, Op. 3, No. 9 (L’estro armonico) - Vivaldi/Bach*
Two Sonatas - D. Scarlatti
Valses poeticos, H. 147 - E. Granados*
Torre Bermeja (Serenata) from 12 Piezas caracteristicas, Op. 92, No. 12 I. - Albéniz*
Notes in the Margin - John Williams
La Catedral - Agustín Barrios Mangoré
Djilile - Peter Sculthorpe
Theme from Schindler’s List - John T. Williams*
Theme from Cinema Paradiso - Ennio Morricone*
Cavatina from The Deer Hunter - Stanley Myers*
Prelude to a Song - John Williams
Open End - John Williams
Song without Words - John Williams
Hello Francis - John Williams
Carolan’s Concerto and Irish Tunes - Traditional*
*Arr. John Williams
About John Williams
Born in Melbourne, Australia, John Williams can be regarded as a foremost ambassador of the guitar. He was taught by his father, afterwards attending summer courses with Segovia at the Academia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy, and studying music at the Royal College of Music in London. By the early 1960s he had performed in London, Paris, Madrid, Japan, Russia, and the United States. He has since toured the world playing both solo and with orchestra, and regularly on radio and television. John Williams records for SONY BMG
Amongst his collaborations with other musicians, those with Julian Bream, Itzhak Perlman, Andre Previn, Cleo Laine and John Dankworth are particularly important. His other musical activities have included the groups SKY, John Williams and Friends, Attacca, The National Youth Jazz Orchestra with Paul Hart, Paco Pena, the Chilean group Inti-Illimani, and various collaborations with Richard Harvey.
John Williams maintains a wide-ranging interest in contemporary music. Examples include his recording of music by the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu with the London Sinfonietta, an album featuring the music of Peter Sculthorpe and Nigel Westlake called From Australia and his CD of music by the Cuban composer Leo Brouwer called The Black Decameron, which includes Brouwer’s Fourth Concerto. His many other recordings include several of Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, concertos by Richard Harvey and Steve Gray, Vivaldi Concertos, The Great Paraguayan, John Williams Plays the Movies, The Guitarist (which includes his own Aeolian Suite with string orchestra), the Arpeggione sonata by Schubert, and Concerto, Op. 30 by Giuliani with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, in which he plays an 1814 Guadagnini guitar. The highly successful Profile and The Seville Concert, both directed by David Thomas for London Weekend Television’s South Bank Show, are particular examples of John Williams’ enthusiasm for communicating music via television.
In 2001 Sony Classical released his CD titled The Magic Box in which his group, John Williams and Friends, presented adaptations of African music. This includes music from Senegal, Cameroon, Zaire, South Africa, Madagascar and Cape Verde. Since its release they have toured the U.K., United States, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, Spain and Italy. Recently, Sony Classical released his solo CD titled El Diablo Suelto. This is a collection of Venezuelan music by composers including Figueredo, Sojo, Lauro, Fernandez and Gutierrez. John Williams has toured the U.K. and abroad with this repertoire. His latest CD compilation, The Ultimate Guitar Collection, was released by Sony.
In addition to his concert tours and recording projects, John Williams plays often for films, such as The Deerhunter (Cavatina) and A Fish Called Wanda. He also plays tennis (badly), badminton (average), chess (quite good), table tennis (better) and likes talking (about anything). He lives in London. In 2007 John Williams was the recipient of the Edison Award.
Comments?
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Questions about tickets or seat availability should be directed to the Box Office.
July 27th, 2008 at 8:14 pm
This concert/recital is a must. You will remember for the rest of your life. John W. is simply the BEST.
October 12th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I saw John Williams a few years ago. Whilst technically brilliant, I was left wanting as Williams focused on modern compositions many of which were atonal, had little symmetry and were difficult to digest.
Williams finished the concert with a duet from the classical period which many were hoping to hear throughout the evening rather than just the finale.
It’s worth checking the playlist before booking.
February 21st, 2009 at 12:20 pm
I’m a UFL alumni. It’s such a great pity that I already left there and miss the chance of going to his concert…I suggest anybody who loves music to go to John Williams concert.
March 24th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
We just had the pleasure of seeing John Williams in concert on 3/22/09 in San Juan Puerto Rico. He is simply remarkable, brilliant!!! You must go if you get the chance!!!
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:02 am
The performance was absolutely fantastic !! It was strange at first as to why would such a legendary classical guitarist would come to a small town but he was touring a few US campuses and did not seem to take this lightly. I was completely satisfied with his selection of repertoire as well. I generally prefer listening to the music I like and know, but his own music, composed by him, was excellent to my surprise.
I am grateful for his great performance and attitude. After all, everybody got his sign and took as many pictures of him although he does not pose for the pictures.
As a final note, the University Auditorium was a very good choice for the concert as the Phillips Center would not have had such great sound quality for a single instrument. Also, I want to thank UF performing arts for doing such a fantastic job of bringing him to this place.
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:19 am
Because we were out of town, we gave out tickets to a good friend, who, with her Mother, told us that they thoroughly enjoyed the concert. She spoke, in detail, about the performance. As a musician (and former member of the Gator marching band) she truly appreciated the performance.
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:35 am
George and I were delighted about the concert. what a virtuoso.
We have recordings of John Williams from way back, but had never heard him in a concert before. The University Auditorium is a perfect setting for this type of concert. Bring on more of those musicians.
April 2nd, 2009 at 1:31 pm
I was not familiar with John Williams. The pre-concert discussion by Karl Weismantel quickly brought me up to speed. I was enchanted and blown away with John William’s artistic ability and charm! Sunday afternoons in the University Auditorium never disappoint me. Chalk up another winner!
April 4th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
The classic guitar is rarely heard. My wife and I were amazed at the sound and the effortless technique. The last time I went to a concert of classic guitar was several decades ago, and then it was to see and hear Segovia, so I was delighted to learn that Mr. Williams had studied with him.
May 19th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
I’ve been a fan of John Williams for several years, he is an outstanding guitarist. The repertoire chosen for this concert was excellent and his compositions are amazing.