John WILLIAMS (b. 1932)
A John Williams Celebration
Olympic Fanfare and Theme (1984) [5.18]
Soundings (2003) [15.27]
Schindlers List* (1993): Remembrances [6.04]; Jewish Town: Krakow
Ghetto 1941 [4.17]; Theme [3.47]
Fiddler on the Roof* (1971) - Cadenza and Variations [5.13]
Catch Me If You Can (2002) Escapades: Closing In [3.01];
Reflections [7.26]; Joy ride [8.20]
Star Wars (1977) Throne Room and Finale [10.23]
and encores:
Amistad (1997) Dry Your Tears, Africa [4.39]
Jaws (1975) excerpt [2.44]
The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Imperial March [3.06]
Bonuses: Interviews with John Williams and Gustavo Dudamel [13.45] and
Itzhak Perlman [3.44]
Itzhak Perlman* (violin)
Los Angeles Philharmonic/Gustavo Dudamel
rec. live, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, 30 September 2014
High Definition; NTSC 19.9; PCM stereo DTS 5.1; Region Code 0
worldwide
C MAJOR DVD 730308 [103:00]
This DVD gives a representation of John Williams' diverse compositions. It
is also artfully charming in so many of its visuals. My big reservation is
that it too often treads a too familiar path - it would have been nice to
see another side of his talents, including his music for
The Accidental
Tourist, for instance.
The
Olympic Fanfare and Theme provided a spectacular opening to
the concert with seven U.S. Army Herald Trumpeters, in dress uniform, adding
their glory.
Soundings is an intriguing composition commissioned
for the opening of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2003. Williams wanted the
music to be "a dialogue between the orchestra and the hall". The music is
modern in style - but accessible - as befits the hall's spectacular, skyward
thrusting architecture. The movements evoke the hall's awakening, its
glistening (with intriguing shimmering effects and percussion), response,
singing and rejoicing. In parts I was reminded of Williams' music for
Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
Itzhak Perlman gave intense heart-felt renderings of the
Schindler's
List music - dramatic and tenderly nostalgic; plus John Williams's
additional original music for
Fiddler on the Roof.
One of the most interesting inclusions was the three jazzy excerpts from
the
Catch Me If You Can score. Williams was probably
recalling his younger self as a jazz pianist? 'Closing In' is a humorous
fast-moving little piece underlining the episodes relating to the Tom Hanks
character's in-vain detective work and chasing. The quieter, more
introspective 'Reflections' music is for Abagnale's (Leonardo DiCaprio)
discordant family relationships. The 'Joy Ride' music is for Abagnale's
world-wide escapades before he was caught.
The
Star Wars finale music needs no introduction and was given
the full noble, heroic treatment.
There followed a series of brief encores - all a visual treat with much
humour.
Amistad's 'Dry Your Tears, Africa' was sung affectingly by
a choir of school children. They remained on-stage to be scared stiff by the
music from
Jaws. To great applause John Williams, himself came on
stage to conduct his
Imperial March from
The Empire Strikes
Back. Behind him, to the delight of the audience, strode on-stage Darth
Vader and a line of his robot-like storm troopers.
The bonus interviews were interesting with Williams turning Dudamel's
sometimes none-too-clear questions into informative answers. I was
particularly impressed with the composer's description of how he
started in the film scoring business working for such composers as Bernard
Herrmann and Alfred Newman and getting his break by orchestrating a little
of Dimitri Tiomkin's music for
The Guns of Navarone.
An entertaining concert showing so many sides of John Williams' great
talent.
Ian Lace
