John Williams' scores have changed the way we experience movies. His music reflects a movie's mood better than any other composer. After all, as compelling as a character Darth Vader is, he wouldn't be nearly reviled and hated if it weren't for the Imperial March accompanying him every time he appears on screen.
War
of the Worlds
From Amazon...
"John Williams continues his longtime collaboration with Steven Spielberg in
this adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel of the same name (previously filmed in
1953). Considering that the movie depicts a gigantic Martian invasion, you'd
think Williams would have fully gone into his familiar bombastic mode, but he's
refrained from doing so. While the composer makes full use of the outsize orchestra
at his disposal, he prefers juxtaposing layers and building atmosphere rather
than hitting you over the head with dramatic arias."
Star
Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
Thankfully, George Lucas produced a fitting end to the prequel trilogy. This somewhat dark finale had some dramatic moments, and Williams captured the moods in those scenes perfectly. He brought back themes from previous installments (A New Hope) and introduced new themes where the bass trombone has prominent role (General Grievous). Battle of the Heroes and Anakin's Betrayal are highlights for me.
Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Unlike the score for Chamber of Secrets, Williams introduces much new material for the third installment of Harry Potter. Memorable tracks include Double Trouble, The Knight Bus, and Buckbeaks Flight.
The
Patriot
From Amazon...
"Largely eschewing typical bombastic epic fodder for a mostly understated score
rich in his distinctive writing for brass and strings, Williams's music seeks
out the story's emotional underpinnings as much as its battle-scarred action
sequences. The haunting main theme here begins as a Celtic-flavored reel for
guitar and violin, then wells into strings, martial drumbeats, and full-bodied
brass. Much as he did for the Oscar-nominated Saving Private Ryan, Williams paints
a mature, alternately abstract and pastoral portrait of armed conflict, often
as not reinventing the genre's heroic traditions as he goes."
Catch
Me If You Can
From Amazon...
"Williams's return to the jazz idiom of his youth yields a smart, nervous score
that evokes more than mere nostalgia. But with Dan Higgins's moody sax often
leading the way, the veteran composer's work here seems more evocative reinvention
than revisitation, yet another tribute to his uncanny ability to make any idiom
his own."
Schindler's
List
From Amazon...
"When Steven Spielberg gratifyingly used the clout of his enormous commercial
success to produce and direct this brave Holocaust drama, his longtime musical
collaborator used the opportunity to display both the depth and maturity of his
musical gifts and training, producing a score with sad, evocative melodies frequently
carried by the violin of the great Itzhak Perlman. Rich with ethnic nuance and
showcasing the composer's masterful orchestral/choral subtlety, Williams's emotionally
compelling score for Schindler's List also won the Academy Award for Best Dramatic
Score."
Summon
the Heroes
I know this isn't a movie score, but it's a great disc. Apart from the title track, this CD features mostly older music, including Arnaud's Bugler's Dream, Orff's Carmina Burana, and Shostakovich's Festive Overture. Summon the Heroes features typical Williams heroic themes, as well as plenty of great bass trombone playing.
Star
Wars Episode IV - A New Hope
While Star Wars wasn't Williams' first success, it definitely added
to his already growing reputation as one of the best modern film
composers. The music on this album is as recognizable as any symphonic
music ever written.
1977 Oscar Winner - Best Original Score.
Star
Wars Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
From Amazon...
"Williams's masterful score to the first Star Wars sequel (and the chapter many
sci-fi fans cite as the series' most dark, emotionally complex, and satisfying)
fleshes out his original character themes with some new ones while painting compelling
musical portraits of alien worlds."
Star
Wars Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Return of the Jedi is usually the forgotten member of the original trilogy, but not because of the music. Williams' score once again lives up to expectations.
Star
Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace
From Amazon...
"Phantom Menace returns to the saga's roots. Thus, all Williams had to do was
essentially reinvent the world's most popular wheel. The film-scoring legend
has admirably risen to that daunting challenge, delivering an inventive score
whose dynamics should surprise and delight even the most ardent SW fanatic."
Star
Wars Episode II - Attack of the Clones
From Amazon...
"While Attack of the Clones again achieves the high standards of its predecessors,
it also succeeds by both forging some rewarding new musical themes at the same
time it begins to bring the galactic fable full circle."
Raiders
of the Lost Ark
From Amazon...
"Raiders wears its retro-symphonic sensibilities like a badge of honor and indeed,
DGG's expanded deluxe release plays like a more economic Mahler opus. A true
film music classic, even if its sensibilities are 40 years misplaced."
Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
From Amazon...
"Williams typically avoids the source material for the films he scores, but
he reportedly derived great pleasure and inspiration from Rowling's first Harry
Potter adventure, and created a perfect motif (fully expressed in "Hedwig's Theme")
to dominate his score."
Harry
Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
From Amazon...
"The veteran composer's mastery of orchestral color--and no small amount of
stylistic reinvention--infuses the proceedings with a sense of wholeness and
a surprising maturity that's a key element in conjuring up the film's crucial
suspension of disbelief."
Hook
Although it's not one of his most famous scores, Hook is certainly one of his best. The originality of Hook once again proves that Williams is one of the most diverse and creative movie score composers ever.
Saving
Private Ryan
From Amazon...
"Composed by Spielberg's long-time musical companion, John Williams, Ryan denies
the pair's penchant for ebullience in favor of funereal grace. Rather than mirror
the visual kinetics, Williams lends the gunfire a tone-poem aura."
Superman
I bought this soundtrack for one reason only - Planet Krypton. What the track lacks in quantity it more than makes up in quality. I would bet that Williams was hearing Strauss when he composed this score.
Jurassic
Park
Jurassic Park is yet another in the long line of successful Steven Spielberg/John Williams collaborations. This soundtrack has many emotional highs and lows to match the wild ride of the movie.
E.T.
The Extra-Terrestrial
From Amazon...
"While Williams has often suffered odd accusations of emotional manipulation--which
is, after all, precisely the job of a film composer--his E.T. music is still
some of his most compelling."
Far
and Away
Far and Away is sometimes the forgotten Williams score. Blending Americana and Irish music (with help from the Chieftans), this score's triumph is the "Land Race".
Jaws
From Amazon...
"Since so much of Williams's score--at the time, his second for Spielberg, among
others--depends on the nearly silent tension buttressed by deep, probing notes,
this wide-screen audio mapping only heightens the drama."
1975 Oscar Winner - Best Original Score.
Close
Encounters of the Third Kind
From Amazon...
"Composer John Williams, fresh from the Wagnerian success of Star Wars, was
allowed the unusual luxury of composing much of the Close Encounters score before
principal photography began. Thus Spielberg was able to stage much of his action
to the Williams music playing on the set in a rare way. The entire special-effects
finale was in fact edited to match the composer's rhythms."
By
Request: The Best Of John Williams And The Boston Pops
If you don't want to spend money on all the albums listed above, then this is the CD for you. The Boston Pops' performance is spectacular.
Recent additions to my portfolio include OSU Trombones, ITF2007, and the Getzen Gazette.
