John Williams is by far the most successful film composer of all time, if not the greatest. I have avoided all-John-Williams concerts: a little of his music goes a long way. But there's no denying the talent and hard work. Maybe for some of us we grew up with his music. On TV he wrote a lot of scores for Irwin Allen such as Time Tunnel, Lost in Space and Land of the Giants. Then he went on to The Poseiden Adventure and Jaws - that music was part of our youth. Then on to Star Wars and so on.
I don't find his later work nearly as compelling or as much fun as the earlier work. The suite from Close Encounters (as recorded by Mehta) is wonderful, awe inspiring. Dracula, Superman, Empire of the Sun...so many great scores there. Schindler's List is quite a change from the blockbuster films, and very poignant. But like it or not, John Williams real bid to immortality is...Star Wars. The basic suite from the first film will eventually take its place alongside other suites like Peer Gynt, Nutcracker, and Grand Canyon.
I don't find his later work nearly as compelling or as much fun as the earlier work. The suite from Close Encounters (as recorded by Mehta) is wonderful, awe inspiring. Dracula, Superman, Empire of the Sun...so many great scores there. Schindler's List is quite a change from the blockbuster films, and very poignant. But like it or not, John Williams real bid to immortality is...Star Wars. The basic suite from the first film will eventually take its place alongside other suites like Peer Gynt, Nutcracker, and Grand Canyon.
