# John Williams



## KenOC

No John Williams entry in the guestbooks? Passing strange, that is.

Here's something a bit unusual. John Williams, Suite from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Well worth a listen, with the volume turned up a bit. Zubin Mehta and the LP Phil, on YouTube.


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## SalieriIsInnocent

I don't get why John Williams gets cast a side as a cheap novelty act by many. It's like because his scores are incidental music for films, they can't be considered great.


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## dgee

KenOC said:


> No John Williams entry in the guestbooks? Passing strange, that is.
> 
> Here's something a bit unusual. John Williams, Suite from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Well worth a listen, with the volume turned up a bit. Zubin Mehta and the LP Phil, on YouTube.


I got to play a lot of John Williams recently and I really quite enjoyed this one and Jaws - a bit racier and more interesting than the slick Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park (and even Star Wars)


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## QuietGuy

There's nothing wrong with John Williams' music. I especially enjoy listening to _The Cowboys Overture_, _The Reivers_, the violin theme from Schindler's List and the concert suite from E.T. called _Adventure on Earth._ Great stuff.


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## TwoPhotons

John Williams has produced a healthy array of concert works in addition to his film scores. I particularly like his violin concerti:











The first concerto is dedicated to Williams' first wife, Barbara Ruick, who passed away in 1974, a year before the concerto was completed. The second concerto, completed in 2000, is less late-romantic and more impressionistic.

I also enjoy listening to his Bassoon Concerto "The Five Sacred Trees":






His early Flute Concerto is great too, a recent performance of which can be viewed here:

http://site-323590.bcvp0rtal.com/de...1/john-williams-flute-concerto?autoStart=true

Williams has also written a great deal of fanfares and celebratory pieces. For instance, he wrote the music to the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, which quite aptly took inspiration from Rozsa's circus score to Ben Hur:






I'll finish off by posting a Spotify link to, in my opinion, Williams' most energetic underscore, the *Mine Car Chase *from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: https://play.spotify.com/track/1tunmsbxu3Uy1NzB93ETGy


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## Bulldog

More John Williams? I suppose his movie scores are okay, but I don't remember any of the music from the films I've seen.


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## Klassic

It seems to me that Williams stands above other scores because he has a better mastery of counterpoint.


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## DeepR

E.T. theme is probably my favorite. I've never watched the movie.


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## bharbeke

ET the movie is fantastic, and so is the score.

John Williams wrote an amazing Olympic Fanfare for the 1984 LA Olympics, one which is still being used on NBC. It will be heavily featured in the Rio TV coverage this year.


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## pianozach

*John Williams* composed music for various television programs in the 1960s: the pilot episode of *Gilligan's Island*, *Bachelor Father* (1959-60), the *Kraft Suspense Theatre, Lost in Space* (1965-68), *The Time Tunnel* (1966-67), and *Land of the Giants* (the last three created by the prolific TV producer Irwin Allen).


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