Skip to main content

Steven Spielberg Shares Stage With John Williams Conducting Detroit Symphony Orchestra

john williams

Saturday gone people of Detroit had a double treat as John Williams conducted the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at the Orchestra Hall.  Joining them on stage was long time friend, Steven Spielberg.

Projected on the large screen above them were clips from some of Spielberg's and Williams' classic such as Close Encounters and Raiders of the Lost Ark.  Accompanying the clips the DSO played signature tunes from each movie shown.

“If a movie can strike like lightning, then the score can be like thunder,” said Spielberg.  “I can direct bicycles to fly over the moon, but the music makes them fly.”
Spielberg and Williams were here as the star attractions of the DSO’s annual “Heroes Gala,” a sold-out black tie celebration that raised a whopping $1.25 million for the orchestra on Saturday. The 2014 honorees were Detroit businessmen Dan Gilbert and Matt Cullen, who played a key role in helping to mediate a settlement to the musicians’ strike three years ago and have spearheaded fund-raising efforts like the infamous Kid Rock-DSO collaboration from two years ago.
At one point during the evening a clip was shown of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade with no music from John Williams.  “Let me show you how boring I can be without Johnny Williams,” said Spielberg.  Then the same clip was replayed with the famous John Williams soundtrack.  As Mark Stryker from Freep.com said:
from the scurrying winds and strings to underscore the chase to a witty percussive rattle giving life to a surprise cameo by a snake – added the coursing blood of emotion to the veins of the film.
Yet this scene also showed the brilliance of Spielberg’s filmmaking even without the music – his savvy pacing, the pinpoint timing of the jokes, the clever cuts and the subtle revelations of character. The scene was a unified whole without the score – as all movies must be – but it was so much richer and more magical with Williams’ music so perfectly attuned to the filmmaker’s aesthetic.
 University of Michigan composer Michael Daugherty also commented on the talent of John Williams
“John Williams is the last great film composer standing,  he’s really the only one left who truly knows how to write for orchestra, who knows counterpoint and the old Hollywood style – that sense of how to underscore a drama, which has been abandoned by younger composers.”
Read more and see more at Freep.com 

THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK
THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER
THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+
THE BEARDED TRIO ON PINTEREST

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Did Paul Freeman Accidentally Eat A Fly In Raiders of the Lost Ark?

The Famous Indiana Jones Fly In Belloq's Mouth Scene.  Did It Really Happen? I've always wondered if Paul Freeman unintentionally consumed a fly in this scene in  Raiders of the Lost Ark ?  It's the scene where Indiana Jones shouts down to Bellosh...I mean Belloq and threatens to blow up the ark.  Did a fly go in his mouth? I remember watching this scene back in the early eighties and my ten year old mind thought he definitely had a snack while filming.  I recall talking about 'flygate' in my school playground at the time and the general consensus with my friends was that Freeman definitely had a sneaky snack. Paul Freeman talks about the famous 'fly' scene in an interview with TheIndyExperience.com  and settled 'flygate:' This is a bit of a dicey question so don’t get too upset. (Laughs) A movie’s always got bloopers in it, some have a lot, and some only have three or four. And the most remarkable blooper was right before the opening of th

Star Wars VII Movie Poster - Every End Is A New Beginning

Star Wars VII Movie Poster Just saw this Star Wars VII movie poster on Kyle Newman's Facebook fee d.  The poster is by  Lyndon Berresford and Paul Bateman.  I am loving this.  Who do you think the two characters are?  Lando and Leia?  Han and Leia's children? Have you seen other Star Wars VII movie posters?  Let me know. Rob Wainfur @welshslider

Pinewood Studios To Expand To The Usa

BBC News have reported that Pinewood Studios are to expand to the USA.  This is great news for the famous studio that is rich in movie history. UK film studio Pinewood Shepperton has announced plans to build its first sound stages in the United States. The Pinewood Atlanta complex will be built on 288 acres of land south of Atlanta, Georgia, as a joint venture with a US investment company. Georgia has been among the US states drawing film-making away from Hollywood with tax incentives in recent years. The deal is the latest sign of expansion at Pinewood, the home of the James Bond franchise. Earlier this month it announced a joint venture with a Chinese media group, potentially giving it access to the fast-growing Chinese market. Read the full article here. THE BEARDED TRIO ON FACEBOOK THE BEARDED TRIO ON TWITTER THE BEARDED TRIO ON GOOGLE+