“Dun dun… dun dun…. dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnn!”
Chances are you could name that tune after two notes, being that it’s most likely the most famous movie music ever recorded. While that instant recognition is true for “Jaws,” it is also true for every entry in the “Star Wars” oeuvre. Equally well known are the often eerie and evocative scores for the Harry Potter films, the haunting strains of “Amistad,” the enticing music from “Far and Away,” and the anguish in “Angela’s Ashes.”
All in all, John Williams has scored over 75 films, nearly 30 of those for Steven Spielberg. The Oscar nominations began in 1968 with “The Valley of the Dolls” and garnered Williams five Academy Awards, seven BAFTAs, 25 Grammys Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, and nine Saturn Awards. For all intents and purposes, Williams has scored the background to our lives and earned 52 Academy Award nominations for his efforts. No other living person has received as many Oscar nominations, but Williams has written so much more.
After graduating from UCLA and Juilliard and completing a stint in the Air Force, Williams began working for movie studios in the late 1950s as a piano player before he began arranging and composing. His roots may be deep in that industry, but his other contributions to music should not be overlooked. Williams served as the principal conductor of the Boston Pops for 13 years, penned the theme music for NBC Sunday Night Football, and many compositions for concert halls, such as “The Five Sacred Trees,” written for the New York Philharmonic to celebrate the orchestra’s 150th anniversary in 1995 and based on the work of British poet and novelist Robert Graves.
One can frequently hear William’s work at Tanglewood, which, more often than not, are his musical scores. By switching things up for Tanglewood’s 90th Birthday Celebration for Williams on August 20, we will have a chance to hear some of his other compositions. These include “Tributes (For Seiji),” “Highwood’s Ghost,” written for the BSO cellist, Yo-Yo Ma, and the BSO’s principal harpist, Jessica Zhou, to commemorate Leonard Bernstein’s centenary in 2018. Also included is “Just Down West Street…on the Left,” a humorous nod to Tanglewood directions from Lenox. The evening begins with “Sound the Bells!,” and later includes “Pickin’, from Three Pieces for Solo Cello,” and “To Lenny! To Lenny! (For New York).” The latter premiered on the last day of Leonard Bernstein’s 70th birthday gala at Tanglewood in 1988.
James Taylor will be on hand to sing “Getting to Know You,” from “The King and I” by Rogers and Hammerstein and “Sweet Baby James,” which he will be performing with Yo-Yo Ma on cello. Ken-David Masur is conducting for the evening and other special guests include J. William Hudgins on vibraphone, Branford Marsalis on saxophone, Eric Revis on bass, and Jessica Zhou on the harp.
Don’t worry, film fans, because “Escapades,” from “Catch Me If You Can” will include three parts: the lighter and humorous “Closing In;” “Reflections,” which deals with the fragility of relationships; and the imaginative “Joy Ride.” This section will be followed by the finale from “Star Wars: A New Hope.”
Williams has announced that his score for the yet unnamed fifth installment in the “Indiana Jones” franchise will probably be his last musical score. Worry not. The nonagenarian said he is simply turning his attention to writing for the concert hall. What is probably his final score for Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical film, “The Fabelmans,” is expected to debut on November 23, 2022.
