review - THE MUSIC OF JOHN WILLIAMS - Phoenix Symphony Orchestra

by Gil Benbrook

Since the advent of the cinema, and the addition of musical soundtracks to motion pictures, there have been thousands of composers who have provided their creative talents to add musical themes and motifs to movies. Yet, perhaps none is as famous or as highly respected as John Williams. With hundreds of film scores and a record breaking 51 Academy Award nominations for Best Score, Williams is truly not only one of the most prolific film composers but also one of the most well regarded. While Williams' highest number of contributions are to the Star Wars films, with scores for eight of the films in the series and a planned score for the upcoming Episode IX film next year, he's also written wide ranging scores that feature jazz, pop and classical musical styles.

Last week the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra presented a series of concerts that celebrated Williams' film contributions. The timing of the concerts was interesting in that they happened to not only coincide with the Phoenix Comic Fest, where dozens of individuals were dressed up as Star Wars characters, but also with the release of Solo, the latest film in the Star Wars franchise that features a few of Williams' classic themes, and they happened over Memorial Day weekend, which tied into a few of the various films Williams scored which were heard in the concert that feature historic events of the American armed services.

Guest conductor Richard Kaufman, who was a studio violinist for many years in Los Angeles and played on several John Williams soundtrack recordings, provided a playful yet assured control of the Phoenix Symphony throughout the concert as well as added personal antidotes, stories and quotes from Williams about many of the pieces. The soundtrack selections included in the concert were varied and featured several of Williams' most famous pieces along with a few rarely heard works. As usual, the Phoenix Symphony showed once again how efficient and expert their playing is and Williams' compositions featured plenty of chances for every section of the orchestra to be highlighted along with featuring many solo moments in some of his most famous themes

Three films that tied into the Memorial Day weekend setting started the concert off including "Hymn to the Fallen" from Saving Private Ryan, which is a somber piece with a beautiful trumpet solo, and this section also included two selections from Midway, one of the scores which Kaufman played on, including the bright and jaunty "The Men of Yorktown" and the forceful and powerful "Midway March." Also, while the film 1941 doesn't exactly feature any historic American military event, it does have ties to Pearl Harbor and the constantly driving "March" from the film is intriguing in how it starts slow with just a few instruments, builds to an all out full piece that features the entire orchestra yet also returns a few times to its softer and quieter beginning.

Besides Star Wars, there are four other blockbuster film series which Williams composed their instantly recognizable themes and which all were heard in this concert. These included the "Shark Theme" from Jaws, which beautifully shows how Williams was able to use specific instruments to portray the menace and often unseen terror just off screen in this film, and the majestic theme from Jurassic Park. Superman, which Williams said was like revisiting his childhood when he wrote its score received two contributions, including the "Love Theme' from  the film which features a beautiful flute solo and the driving, and soaring "Superman March." While the "March" from Raiders of Lost Ark wasn't a selection for the night, it is interesting to see how Williams incorporates the themes heard in that piece throughout his scores for those films, including how it breaks up the gentle and romantic moments in "Marion’s Theme" from The Adventures of Indiana Jones films as well as how it is used sporadically in "Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra" from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

The concert also included two rarely heard Williams' compositions, including "If We Were In Love" from Yes, Giorgio, a sweeping and romantic piece which was Williams' only contribution to the score for this film and which was used in a sequence featuring the lead couple, one of which was Luciano Pavarotti, as they rode in a hot air balloon over the wine country of California. The first film that Williams scored for Steven Spielberg, and which is rarely heard in concert due to the requirement of a skilled harmonica player, was Sugarland Express which featured an impressive, bluesy harmonica contribution from Bernie Fields. Also, the powerful "The Devil’s Dance" from The Witches of Eastwick was an added treat since Kaufman worked on the film and spoke about how he prepared both Susan Sarandon and Jack Nicholson so they could portray musicians in the movie realistically. He also let us in on a little secret; the close-ups in the film of Nicholson's character's hands playing the piano are actually Kaufman's.

The evening ended with four pieces from Williams' Star Wars scores, including "The Forest Battle," which includes many playful moments among the rousing and driving composition, and a new arrangement of "Han And The Princess" from The Empire Strikes Back, which Williams himself recently debuted and which features a lovely flute solo. "The Rebellion Is Reborn" from The Last Jedi is a stirring and stunning piece from the score which garnered Williams his 51st Oscar nomination, and the concert ended with the "Main Title" from Star Wars, which is arguably his most famous piece of work and a fitting end to a beautiful evening.

I'm constantly impressed with not only the level of expert musicianship that the Phoenix Symphony brings to every concert I've attended but also in the wide range of music they play across hundreds of concerts each season. From classical music to popular works, including the excellent selections heard in this evening of John Williams compositions, there truly is something for every music lover in their season. Also, for next season, the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra promises a series of concerts that promises to be truly special when they provide Williams' full, live orchestral soundtrack to Star Wars: A New Hope as the entire film plays on a large screen above the orchestra.