‘I don’t want to be seen as a categorical elimination of any activity,’ commented the host
After more than six decades of flying bicycles, sending panicked swimmers out of the water, and other fascinating close encounters, John Williams is writing the final notes on what could be his final soundtrack.
“I’m currently working on it Indiana Jones 5that Harrison Ford, who is a little younger than me, has announced it will be his last film, “says Williams.” So I thought, if Harrison can do it, maybe I can too. “
Ford, for the record, hasn’t said this publicly. And even Williams, who turned 90 in February, isn’t sure he’s ready to say that.
“I don’t want to be seen as a flat-out of any business,” Williams says with a laugh, speaking on the phone from his Los Angeles home. “I can’t play tennis, but I like being able to believe that maybe one day I will.”
Right now, though, there are other ways Williams wants to spend his time. a movie like Star Wars it takes six months of work, which, he notes, “at this point in life is a long commitment for me”. Instead, Williams is devoting himself to composing concert music, including a piano concerto he is writing for Emanuel Ax.
This spring, Williams and cellist Yo-Yo Ma released the album A meeting of friends, recorded with the New York Philharmonic, Pablo Sáinz-Villegas and Jessica Zhou. It is a radiant collection of cello concertos and new arrangements of the scores of Schindler’s List, Lincoln And Monkincluding the sublime A prayer for peace.
Turning 90 – an event the Kennedy Center and Tanglewood celebrate this summer with anniversary shows – sees Williams reflect on his accomplishments, his remaining ambitions and what a life of music has meant to him.
“It has given me the ability to breathe, the ability to live and to understand that there is more to the life of the body,” says Williams. “Without being religious, which I am not particularly, there is a spiritual life, an artistic life, a realm that is above the everyday worldly realities. Music can elevate one’s thinking to the level of poetry. It was necessary for I always like to assume that music is older than language, that we were probably playing drums and listening to the sound of bamboos before we could speak, so it’s an essential part of our humanity.
“He gave me life.”
And in turn, Williams has provided the soundtrack to the lives of countless others through more than 100 film soundtracks, including Star Wars, Dinosaur park, Shark, Close encounters of the third degree, et, Indiana Jones, Superman, Schindler’s List and Harry Potter.
“He lived for most of a century and his music encompasses all the events and changes of those times,” says Ma, a longtime friend. “She is one of the great American voices”.
It is a difficult result to measure. Five Oscars and 52 Oscar nominations, a number surpassed only by Walt Disney, is a measure. But not even that indicates the cultural power of his music. A billion people might be able to instantly hum Williams’ stubborn two notes Shark or The imperial march in Star Wars.
“I’ve been told that music is played all over the world. What could be more satisfying than that?” Williams says. “But I have to say it seems unreal. I can only see what’s in front of me at the piano right now and make the best of it.”
Williams is warm, humble and courteous despite his stature. He started an interview by offering, “Let me see if I can give you something that might be useful.” All these indelible and perfectly constructed themes, according to him, are less the product of divine inspiration than of daily hard work. Williams does most of his work sitting for hours at his Steinway, composing in pencil.
“It’s like cutting a stone on the table,” he says. “My younger colleagues are much faster than me because they have electronic equipment, computers, synthesizers and so on.”
When Williams started (his first soundtrack for a feature film was for Dad-O, 1958), the cinematic tradition of great orchestral soundtracks was beginning to be lost in favor of pop soundtracks. Now, many are gravitating towards synthesized music for movies. Williams increasingly has the aura of a revered old master who combines distant eras of film and music.
“When recording with the New York Philharmonic, the whole orchestra was struck by this 90-year-old, unfailingly generous, kind, polite listener. People just wanted to play for him,” says Ma. “They were struck by the musicality of this. ‘man”.
This final chapter of Williams’ career is, in a sense, an opportunity to place his gigantic legacy not only in connection with cinema, but among classic legends. Williams, who led the Boston Pops from 1980 to 1993, directed the Berlin, Vienna and New York Philharmonic, among others. In the elite orchestras of the world, Williams’ compositions have become canonical.
“A purist might say that film music isn’t absolute music. Well, that might be true,” says Williams. “But some of the best music ever written has been fiction. Certainly in opera. Cinema offers this opportunity, not often, but occasionally. And in a musically rewarding way. Occasionally, we’re lucky and we find something like this.”
Williams’ lifelong partnership with Steven Spielberg, of course, helped the songwriter’s chances. Spielberg, who first sought lunch with Williams in 1972 after being fascinated by her tracks the rebelscalled him “the most significant contributor to my success as a director”.
“Without John Williams, bikes don’t really fly,” Spielberg said when AFI honored Williams in 2016.
They remain irrevocably linked. Their offices in the Universal lot are within walking distance of each other. With Indiana Jones, Williams recently set to music Spielberg’s upcoming semi-autobiographical drama about growing up in Arizona, “The Fabelmans.” The two films complete 30 films together for Spielberg and Williams.
“It’s been 50 years. Maybe we’ll start the next 50,” Williams says with a laugh. “Whatever our connection is, whether it’s music or working with him or just being with him, I think we will always be together. We are great friends who have shared many years together. It’s the kind of relationship none of us have. two would make the other say no. “
In the films of Spielberg and others, Williams carved perfectly condensed melodies to rival the Beatles. Spielberg once described his five-note “communication theme” Immediate contacts like “bell”.
“Simple little themes that speak clearly and without obfuscation are very difficult to find and very difficult to do,” says Williams. “They really are the result of a lot of work. It’s almost like sculpting. Moving a note, changing the rhythmic emphasis or direction of an interval, etc. discovered something that wanted to be revealed. “
One thing you won’t hear from Williams is a big statement about his own legacy. He is much more comfortable speaking like a technician working until a sparkling gem appears.
“My personality is such that I look back on what I’ve done – I’m quite happy and proud of it – but like most of us, we always wish we had done better,” he says. “We live with examples like Beethoven and Bach before us, monumental achievements that people have achieved in music and we can feel very small. But I also feel very happy. I have had wonderful opportunities, especially in film, where a composer can have an audience. not millions of people, but billions of people “.
Williams is planning a series of concerts for the rest of the year, including performances in Los Angeles, Singapore and Lisbon. But while Williams may walk away from the cinema, he is mesmerized by it and the skill of sound and image that, when combined, can take off.
“I’d like to be in about 100 years to see what people do with films, sounds and spatial, auditory and visual effects. It has an amazing future, I think,” says Williams. “I can feel a great possibility and a great future in the atmosphere of the whole experience. I would love to go back and see and hear it all.” / TRANSLATION LÍVIA BUELONI GONÇALVES
Source: Terra
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
