Damn what a show. But let's start from the beginning - in hindsight the meeting @ HMV went quite smoothly (apart from the fact Dan missed us), yet I wonder what we must look like on those security tapes - a rag-tag band of tourists warily eyeing each other up over the bargain bins
Fortunately, the arrival of Timmer (sans spider, but with Marian in tow) and the ensuing mutual recognition fest (courtesy of those dodgy member profile pics) broke the ice and before you could pronounce Miklós Rósza correctly we were all engaged in anoraky chat.

Then we went off to the pre-concert talk. What a reception the pony-tailed one got - clearly a lot of people in the audience who regularly attend his Barbican concerts. Unfortunately there was only time to do a short interview and take three questions from the floor - yet somehow Timmer found the opportunity to pick a fight with the great man over the year in which he scored The First Great Train Robbery . And then the band started playing...

Wow. The LSO, under the assured baton of JG, COMPLETELY blew us away from the first bars of Star Wars to the last flourish of Rudy. For me, one of the highlights of the show was the appearance of guilty '80s pleasure Supergirl. JG made little effort to hide his contempt for the movie, but his pleasure in recreating the magic of that wonderful opening march for us was evident. We were also treated to virtuoso renderings of Blue Max(that wind machine!) and Planet of the Apes (see the thread "25+ hours to go" for the full playlist). By the end the whole foot-stomping, clapping, yelling and whistling Royal Albert Hall was on its feat, calling the maestro back two times for encores of Star Wars and Supergirl. Sadly the evening ended with a minor disappointment: having regained our composure, we rushed out to get JG's autograph and treat him to a barrage of tricky questions, only to be told that he had already been whisked away for a private dinner

<bold> errrr..... You r faking an orgasm! *grin* But yes...... IT WAS SO ****ING GOOD!
For me it was a at times during the suites a very emotional concert. </bold>

<italic>missed us), yet I wonder what we must look like on those security tapes - a rag-tag band of tourists warily eyeing each other up over the bargain bins </italic>

<bold> actually.... MI6 was closely monitoring our actions whilst in the HMV on Oxford Street.

True..... JG did try to hide his contempt for that 80's gem "Supergirl" but failed miserably. *grin* I think it is safe to say that "Supergirl" is not only a guilty pleasure to both the fans but to it's creator as well......

The encore with STAR WARS was phenomenal. I really liked the way it sounded more and more like STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT.

Shrubber.... I AM THERE May 2, 2002/ See ya then!</bold>

For the record, that "fight" with Timmer probably went unnoticed by the Ponytailed One. Goldsmith said Great Train Robbery was filmed in 1979, but Timmer shouted 1978. I'm quite sure it was 1978 as well, and the back of the DVD also states that year. Anyway, I agree with Goldsmith that it's a great film, one of my favourites (score too).

Here's my review of the concert:

1. Star Trek: First Contact

A bit disappointing. It was just a slight bit too fast for my taste, missing some emotion that way. Also, I now understand the complaints about that "volume" effect I read in reviews of the Detroit concert. I like it on the Insurrection CD, but in the life performance, the effect was so strong you hardly could here the first note of that phrase.

2. Suite from The Blue Max
Overture / The Bridge / The Attack / Finale

WOW.

I liked Blue Max since I first heard the suite on the Silva compilation (nearly a year ago now), and recently got the original recording. I never was quite as enthusiastic about it as some others, though. The live performance literally blew me away though. The Attack nearly made me lose the fight against my tears, while at the same time being so dramatic that I was totally shattered. That piece is a real tour de force and was brilliantly played the the magnificient London Symphony Orchestra - there aren't many ensembles who could pull it off so well in a live concert, and I don't think they had too much time for rehearsals, either.

3. Planet of the Apes
The Search Continues / The Clothes Snatchers / The Hunt

I was really curious to find out how this sounds with decent acoustics, and I wasn't disappointed. The realistic acoustics added quite a lot to the work, and once again the performance was brilliant. Great to see all that percussion in action as well, certainly no easy job for the whole orchestra.

POTA is certainly one of the coldest, un-emotional film scores of all time, yet after Blue Max, I was still fighting the tears.

4. The First Great Train Robbery

One of my favourite Goldsmith pieces, I'm pretty sure this was exactly the same suite version as on the Silva compilation, basically combining the main and end titles, though with a better ending. The interpretation was a bit slower and broader than on the OST, but that just made the music shine even more.

*Interval*

5. Supergirl

Before starting the second half of the concert, Goldsmith turned to the audience and explained how he came to include Supergirl in the programme: During his Japan concerts, he found that many people were asking him why he didn't play that piece. After wondering why there were so many requests, he found out that the main theme was used as the title music for a Japanese TV series. He tried it in one of the next concerts, and found out that it was "a lot of fun".

The piece was performed without synths, using acoustic instruments to imitate their effect - and as only the theme was performed, you could hardly notice the difference. Goldsmith was right: It was great fun, particularly with the glorious sound of the LSO in the Royal Albert Hall.

6. Medley of Television Themes
The Man from UNCLE / Dr. Kildare / Room 222 / Star Trek: Voyager / The Waltons / Barnaby Jones

The only piece from that suite I knew before was Voyager, which, like the First Contact piece, was just a little bit too fast for my taste.

The other pieces (except Barnaby Jones) were quite goofy but fun, though Voyager felt a bit out-of-place in that context. Barnaby Jones was a rousing conclusion to the suite and a very pleasant surprise. As I said, I had never heard it before, but I doubt any recording can get close to the way it sounded live. I have to get that Goldsmith Telarc disc now, as it supposedly includes that piece.

7. Suite from Rudy (world premiere)
Theme / Back on the Field / Tryouts / To Notre Dame / Final Game

I had never heard Rudy before, though Jeron recommended it to me several months ago. Now I know why he did! A wonderful work, and the suite was very lengthy, probably 25 minutes or more. Another CD I have to get now.

Encores

After thundering applause and standing ovations, Goldsmith came back and explained that they hadn't had the time to practice any additional pieces for the encores (didn't I read he said the same at Detroit?) and that we had the choice between Star Trek and Supergirl. After only a couple of people raised their hands for Supergirl, Goldsmith said "The Trekkies win" (he obviously didn't remember Howards lesson ) - unfortunately, he ignored Foobsie's request for Alien. This time, I even found the performance slightly better than at the beginning of the concert. Of course, we didn't let him go before Supergirl was performed a second time as well, which made for a great conclusion of the concert.

The Royal Albert Hall has great sound, but what impressed me even more is how amazing it looks. In comparison, the Vienna Musikverein looks like a shabby log cabin. What I also found interesting was the "setup" of the LSO, with the 6 horn players sitting to the very left, while the rest of the brass section had the usual places at the right of the stage. I don't know if this setup is a usual speciality of the LSO, or if it was just for that evening, but it made the structure and counterpoints of Goldsmith's music even more apparent. And without a doubt the LSO are one of the world's finest orchestras. I've been to enough concerts to know that few ensembles could have played those pieces so brilliantly and nearly completely without mistakes (aside from a couple of really minor difficulties by the brass).

I think I have to start saving for the next year already...