In part four of Cinematic Sound’s five-part radio series celebrating John Williams’ 80th birthday we will be looking back the years spanning 1985-1996. You will hear music from such films as SPACECAMP, THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK, EMPIRE OF THE SUN, BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, STANLEY AND IRIS, HOOK, FAR AND AWAY, SCHINDLER’S LIST, SLEEPERS and many more. You will also hear selections from some mid-80’s Williams TV themes including AMAZING STORIES, THE MISSION THEME and MEET THE PRESS. Plus, you will hear an obscure fanfare written by Williams for the 1989 ALPINE SKI CHAMPIONSHIP.
Part V will be on-line tomorrow.
PLAY IN POP-UP ▶ JOHN WILLIAMS 80th BIRTHDAY SPECIAL PART IV
[jwplayer config=”Audio Only” file=”https://www.cinematicsound.net/theshow/jw_partiv.mp3″ html5_file=”https://www.cinematicsound.net/theshow/jw_partiv.mp3″] NOW PLAYING: JOHN WILLIAMS 80th BIRTHDAY SPECIAL | PART IV
PLAYLIST • INTRO/AMAZING STORIES (0:00) • THE MISSION THEME (2:53) • MEET THE PRESS (5:21) • SPACECAMP (6:58) • THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK (11:49) • EMPIRE OF THE SUN (33:17) • BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (34:05) • WINTER GAMES FANFARE (41:13) • CELEBRATE DISCOVERY (48:44) • STANLEY AND IRIS (57:48) • HOOK (1:07:26) • FAR AND AWAY (1:09:35) • HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK (1:12:00) • SCHINDLER’S LIST (1:15:48) • NIXON (1:22:33) • SLEEPERS (1:28:25)
Another enjoyable episode. It’s a shame so little of what passes for “news” on the major networks today (here in the US, at least) is worthy of so grandiose a theme as Williams’ NBC music, but I digress… The “Meet the Press” theme, on the other hand, strikes me as all out of proportion to the show (even at its best). It’s a nice piece of music, but not in that context.
This was the era where, to many casual classical music fans, it seemed like Williams had essentially turned the Boston Pops into a vehicle solely for his own music; so, interesting that you would play the “Eastwick” suite from that particular recording. Probably an unfair charge if the statistics were added up, but I can clearly remember my folks lamenting it at the time – and they had nothing against Williams per se. (They had, of course, been big Arthur Fiedler fans, and their record library was full of Fiedler-at-the-baton recordings!) I do like that “Devil’s Dance” though – liberal use of the Dies Irae!
I do love Williams’ 84 Olympics fanfare and march, although I resent the way NBC has “meshed” Buglers’ Dream with it. Both pieces work much better independently. Oh, well – grump, grump!
By the way, I love “Exulte Justi.” In addition to the Gloria from “Monsignor,” has Williams composed any other sacred music, to your knowledge?
I never knew that NFL theme was Williams – should’ve guessed!