February 8, 2022 is the 90th birthday of John Williams, a famous contemporary film music composer, conductor and pianist. As an old friend of the master, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra celebrated the master's birthday with two concerts on 12 and 13 March. Another old friend of the master, the famous violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, performed as a concert violin soloist. The concert was conducted by the aging John Williams himself, and the repertoire includes many classic music works from films such as Spider-Man, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. At the same time, in order to celebrate the birthday of the master, several theaters in Germany screened a live film of the musical works concert recorded in 2020 by Johann Williams, Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at the Musikverein in Vienna.
The name John Williams is worth spending a special issue of the magazine to elaborate on. As one of the most famous, award-winning and commercially successful composers in American history, John Williams has 52 Academy Nominations, 5 Academy Awards for Best Score, 4 Grammy Award nominations, 4 Golden Globe Awards, 7 British Academy Awards, and at other countries and various prestigious awards ceremonies, he has won countless laurels and written an insurmountable chapter in the history of film scoring. In John Williams' decades of creative career, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Jaws, Schindler's List, Superman, Little Devil is his masterpiece, and his flexible, vivid and charming music has long become the "collective memory" of generations, and whenever these beautiful melodies sound, they can always evoke those long-dormant good memories in people's hearts. As a composer, in addition to being a well-known master of scoring, John Williams has also composed several classical symphonies, concertos and other classic pieces with deep appreciation value, and as a conductor, he also has excellent skills. The emergence of such a musician who spans the diverse fields of classical, film soundtrack, pop and so on, and stands out for his unique creative inspiration, is undoubtedly a blessing in the era in which we live!
90 years of style and splendor, although the master has grown old, but the music created by him full of surprises and emotions will undoubtedly be alive and lasting forever.
The dazzling artist who depicts the soul of the film
The essence of recordings that cannot be missed
It is not easy to make the best recommendation among the many recordings and recordings of John Williams' works. Many of his film music has been released as separate records, and there are many best-selling examples, such as the Star Wars soundtrack that has sold more than 4 million copies. Leaving aside the contemporary music master's hundreds of film scores, his creative field has gone far beyond the mere film soundtrack. For example, he also composed the required soundtrack for NBC Television, including the theme song "Mission"; "The Horn of Freedom" for the statue of Liberty: "We Look Good!" for the Paralympic Games. He also wrote theme music and served as music director for four Olympic Games (Los Angeles in 1984, Seoul in 1988, Atlanta in 1996 and Salt Lake City in 2002). In July 1986, New York celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty in New York for a four-day celebration, which was attended by then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan, and John Williams was also the music director of the event. His concert work Seven Good Luck is a 7-chapter loop based on a poem by former American poet laureate Rita Dover, premiered at the 1998 festival by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and soprano singer Leasia Hemmont. Celebrating 2000 is an orchestral piece commemorating the new millennium, premiering in 200 Chinese New Year's Eve 0 at the "American Millennium" concert in Washington, D.C., along with Spielberg's retrospective film Unfinished Journey. In addition, he composed the soundtrack for the TV series Lost in Space and Giant's Home.
John Williams also composed several classical symphonies/concertos, and in January 1980 he was invited to serve as the 19th Principal Conductor of the then 85-year-old Boston Popular Orchestra, which he did not leave until December 1993, where he remains conductor today. Since 1980, he has collaborated with the Boston Popular Symphony Orchestra to release a series of music albums that have been well received. So far they have recorded more than 20 successful records. Williams toured the United States three times with the Boston Popular Symphony Orchestra in 1985, 1989 and 1992. He also toured Japan twice in 1990 and 1993 with the Boston Popular Symphony Orchestra. In addition to conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra at symphony hall and tanglewood festivals, Williams has performed as guest conductor with many major orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Crifran Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra, with whom he has performed several times at the Hollywood Bowl.
■ One of two series of Serenades in collaboration with John Williams and violinist Perlman
■ John Williams and violinist Perlman co-recorded the second of two series of "Cinema Serenades"
John Williams and violinist Perlman's two volrenades (also known as Perlman's Film Vocals) are audiophile discs worth collecting. The first series was the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and the second series was the Boston Popular Orchestra, both of which were the old team members of John Williams' usual collaboration. The violin interpretation of the film's theme song is a pleasing idea in itself, not to mention the blessing of John Williams and Perlman, these two records are difficult to sell. After all, there is a difference between the adapted film music and the original version, the latter winning with originality and moving, and the former with affinity and freshness. The first series of "Film Serenade" selected tracks, respectively, from "Woman Fragrance", "Out of Africa", "Schindler's List", "Postman", "Age of Innocence", "Autumn Water Yiren", "New Paradise Paradise", etc., the melody has long been familiar to fans, after the adaptation of John Williams, it is extremely suitable for the use of solo violin to perform, in addition to the beautiful sound, the charm of the original work can be retained as much as possible. Perlman's piano sound is like the tranquil scenery of a log chair under a tree on a record cover, and the viewer is suitable for making a cup of coffee and perching in the shade of the trees to savor these beautiful melodies. The second series of "Cinema Serenade" selected tracks, respectively, from "Henry V", "Soul Returning to the Soul", "Uninvited Guest", "Wishful Thinking", "Modern Age", "Gone with the Wind", "North African Spy" and other works, subtitled "Golden Age", refers to these films from Betty Davis, Jane Huiman, Susan Haihua, Vivien Leigh and other superstars such as comedy titan Chaplin, irreplaceable Shakespeare male protagonist Lawrence Oliver and a generation of screen swordsman Ello Flynn and other superstars shine. Perlman's performance seems to be more abundant than the emotion injected in the previous series, and under the background of the Boston Popular Orchestra conducted by John Williams, he completely restores the unique sound and color texture of the old film, so that our memories attached to the timeless film pictures are clear again.
■ 2019 john williams and violinist Anne Sophie Mutter's "Crossing the Stars"
If you like the instrumental version of the film's musical adaptation above, then 2019's "Crossing the Stars" co-recorded by John Williams and violinist Anne Sophie Mutter is also worth noting. "Crossing the Stars" was originally a love-themed piece written by Williams for Star Wars Prequel II: Attack on the Clones, and it was a soft slow board. The love between Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidara travels between the stars, and their love has become eternal in the Star Wars story. The melody of "Crossing the Starry Sky" is melodious and sad, filled with a faint sadness. Titled after this song, the album actually contains many of Williams' classic film and television soundtracks, including "Schindler's List", "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", "Earth Ambition", "Dragon and Phoenix", "The Adventures of Tintin" and "Star Wars Series", etc., plus the violin goddess Mutt as the lead, becoming a heavyweight adaptation album. The soundtrack of the Star Wars series is Williams' ace, and while composing the soundtrack for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, he was also busy selecting symbolic themes from the film music he had created over the past 40 years and completely rearranging them. He used the violin as the main performance instrument, so that the music presented a completely different experience from the original film soundtrack, and invited violinist Mutter to record together. "John Williams is unique." Mutter said. Whenever she enjoys a movie and hears a violin or cello solo in John Williams' music, she feels the urge to perform. Now, she finally has the opportunity to reinterpret these soundtracks, which have become classics, and believes that all the conditions of this album are the best she has ever had since working with Karajan. It turns out that this blockbuster recording lived up to expectations and was a well-executed record.
■ 2002 recording by John Williams and cellist Yo-Yo Ma on "Yo-Yo Ma Playing Williams' Music"
In 2002, John Williams and cellist Yo-Yo Ma recorded "Yo-Yo Ma Plays Williams' Music", which shows the composer's creative achievements in the serious music genre. This album is the second collaboration between the two music superstars after "Seven Years of Love in Tibet". The album features Williams' new cello concerto created specifically for Yo-Yo Ma in 2002, providing an alternative appreciation experience to his concerto compositions compared to the many film soundtracks he is known to the world. In this new work of four movements, Williams named the titles "Theme and Color", "Blues", "Witty Song" and "Song Tone", which are different from the traditional concerto forms, although full of many variations and contrasts of modern music, But Yo-Yo Ma can always interpret each note appropriately, and the pairing with the concerto's Los Angeles Recording Art Orchestra is in perfect harmony, which shows the excellent tacit understanding between the lead and conductor. The album also includes Williams' Lamentations for cello and orchestra, three solo cello pieces, plus a cello and orchestra piece "Tree Heart". Although the content of this album is a contemporary orchestral work, the composer's grasp of the affinity of the music is just right, so it is not difficult to enjoy, and the perfect recording by sony engineers adds a lot to the disc.
■ Night and Day: A Tribute to Sinatra
■ "Unforgettable"
During his time at the helm of the Boston Popular Orchestra, John Williams spared no effort to promote contemporary American music, recording a number of excellent works, including Night and Day: A Tribute to Sinatra and Unforgettable. Night and Day: A Tribute to Sinatra is, as the name suggests, an adaptation of a famous song by Frank Sinatra, the legendary jazz singer of the twentieth century. Unforgettable is a collection of classics by Broadway composers such as Gershwin, Cole Porter, Richard Rogers, and Jerome Keane. It can be said that the salon-style swing music represented by Frank Sinatra, and the American Broadway constructed by Gershwin and others, are the most core cultural symbols of Twentieth-century American music, and this kind of work is a popular theme in the history of recording and recording, but it is strange that this kind of work is usually played by American conductors and American orchestras. Night and Day: A Tribute to Sinatra and Unforgettable are two of these albums that are enough to make people listen to themselves and swing with the music, John Williams and the Boston Popular Orchestra are undoubtedly the best choice for interpreting this kind of American music with a little jazz element, their performance, the excellent arrangement of the music is fully presented, the metallic copper pipe and the string like smeared with honey, conveying the essence of American pop culture of the last century, beautiful.
■ Voice of Hollywood, published by Sony in 1997
■ DECCA launched the Celebration double disc in 2012
For fans who want to try out the art of John Williams film music and experience his conducting skills, sony published Hollywood Voice in 1997, which recorded 16 of the most box office appealing Hollywood blockbuster soundtracks, performed and recorded by Williams by the London Symphony Orchestra. If you are a little too thin, then DECA's "Celebration" double disc launched in 2012 is a good choice for selling a lot. This is a specially planned set album by DECA to celebrate the eightieth birthday of the Master, which reviews the excellent works recorded by John Williams and the Boston Popular Orchestra over the years under the Umbrella of Universal. Among them, CD 1 contains all classical film music, with 15 segments, in addition to Williams' popular Star Wars, ET, Superman, Third Type Contact, Gone with the Wind and other soundtrack sections, but also includes "Chariot of Fire", "Pink Panther", "Kaleidoscope Spring" and other film music that fans are also familiar with, wonderful and dizzying; CD2 covers American classical music (such as Bernstein's works), Broadway and musical theater masterpieces (such as "Joker" and "Memories"),, Works from the Grand Orchestra era (such as Grimm Miller's "In the Mood" and Duke Ellington's "Silk Doll") are diverse, showing the Boston Popular Orchestra's extensive travascular space and high-quality ensemble effects. The length of time that the two CDs can accommodate is almost at its limit, which can be described as full of sincerity. In the same year, SONY also launched the "Eightieth Birthday Celebration" album for Williams, the content of this record is all the best film music essence of the contemporary master in the past years, which can make fans who are new to the master's works listen to a comfortable time, which can be said to be an indispensable supplement to the above two discs.