The Hollywood Bowl’s annual celebration of “America’s Sweetheart” composer John Williams continues the tradition with Maestro of the Movies.
While Williams himself generally conducts a good portion of these yearly treats, this year, he is recovering from an illness and wasn’t able to attend. (Get well, John!) But that didn’t take away hearing the majesty of not only selections from his oeuvre but from other iconic composers as well.
The evening opened with a fantastic tribute to classic cinema set to the music of Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Overture to “The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex.” Featuring clips from “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” “Funny Face,” and at least fifty other beloved films starring legendary stars, this was the perfect way to open the night.
Joyfully conducted by composer David Newman (“Heathers,” “Ice Age”), the night continued with two selections from Alex North’s score for “Spartacus.”
See Also: Concert Review: John Williams Celebrates his 90th With a World Premiere!
The first Williams piece was a deep dive into some of his lesser-known work, this time with the Theme from “Seven Years in Tibet.” The second piece was the delightful romp “The Duel” from frequent collaborator Steven Spielberg’s “The Adventures of Tintin.”
The first act also included a tribute to Henry Mancini with selections and clips from “The Pink Panther,” “The Great Waldo Pepper, and the essential “Moon River” from “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
Before intermission, the enormous Bowl audience swooned to the Suite from “On the Waterfront.”
With the second act, Williams was brought to the forefront with his March from “Superman (1978),” clips and selections from his work with NBC Sports, including the Olympic Fanfare, the Theme from “Meet the Press, the NBC Nightly News Theme, and more.
After a brief but lovely dip into the past with David Raskin’s “Theme from Laura,” the LA Philharmonic treated the crowd to what they were clearly waiting to hear: selections from “Star Wars.”
With lightsabers glowing and swaying throughout the 17,000 seats, the crowd cheered and saber-pumped their way through “March of the Resistance” from “The Force Awakens,” “Luke and Leia” from “Return of the Jedi,” and “Throne Room and Finale” from “A New Hope.”
But of course, we were left wanting more, and Newman didn’t let us down. He came back out for “Flying” from “E.T.” and, of course, “The Imperial March” from “The Empire Strikes Back,” leaving the entire Bowl on a joyous high.
The celebration of Williams is one of the best nights at the Bowl all summer, and the melting pot mix of the audience proves his enduring ability to bring back memories, inspire new generations, and bring everyone together into one collective love of music.
Highlights Coming Up:
- Disney ‘80s-‘90s Celebration in Concert 7/19-7/20
- Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit 7/21
- Chaka Khan with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra 7/26
- Barbie The Movie: In Concert 7/27
- The Music of Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, and More: Boublil and Schonberg’s “Do You Hea the People Sing?” 7/28
For Information and tickets, visit www.hollywoodbowl.com
