![]() ![]() The soundtrack world is packed with great composers and memorable themes: the aforementioned Bernstein ( West Side Story), Bernard Herrmann ( Citizen Kane, North By Northwest, Psycho), Maurice Jarre ( Doctor Zhivago), Ennio Morricone ( The Dollars Trilogy, Once Upon A Time In The West, Once Upon A Time In America), and Vangelis ( Blade Runner, Chariots of Fire). American Journey (1999) is another triumph, commissioned by then-President Bill Clinton for the United States’ official millennium celebrations. To pick at random – and his discography is truly vast – his tribute to Leonard Bernstein, “For New York,” which aired in 1988, saw him conduct the Boston Symphony Orchestra. His recording career goes back to the 50s and encompasses concertos, orchestral and chamber works, and gospel music. In a specialist field, his albums have sold in the multi-millions. Williams has won multiple Academy Awards, Golden Globes, British Academy of Film and Television Awards, and Grammys. He remains an extraordinary force of nature in his field: his long-standing relationship with Stephen Spielberg is a given, ditto his work for George Lucas and, more recently, the ever-so-slightly popular Harry Potter movies. He is also a creator of contemporary classical music with a post-romantic style, and a grand conductor, pianist, and jazz buff who used to play piano for Mahalia Jackson. John Williams isn’t just a soundtrack composer, he is the undisputed master of the film score. The term “genius” is far too often, bandied about – alongside its catchall companion, “icon.” But in the case of John Williams both words apply, while barely doing justice to the magnitude of his talent. ![]()
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