Happy Birthday to a Living Legend of our times. I feel so lucky to have witnessed his work in my lifetime. I have always regarded him as the reincarnation of Wolfgang A Mozart. Happy Birthday John Williams. He is 92 today - 8 February and still going strong. Born 08 February 1932 (USA)
What I mean by strong? Just look at this list of 7 decades of quality work and creativity. The greatest composer Hollywood and the World ever got. Just to name a few (We have all been mesmerised by his creation at one point or the other, but many will actually know today who the composer was) Goodbye Mr. Chips, Jane Eyre, Fiddler on the Roof, Tom Sawyer, Jaws (All Parts), Star Wars (All Parts), Superman (All Parts), Indiana Jones (All Parts), ET, Home Alone (All Parts), Hook, JFK, Jurassic Park (3 Parts), Schindler’s List, Seven Years in Tibet, Saving Private Ryan, Stepmom, The Patriot, Harry Potter (First three parts), Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, Memoirs of Geisha, Munich, The Adventures of TinTin, Lincoln, 4 Olympics... 54 Oscar Nominations, 5 Oscars, 4 Golden Globes, 26 Grammy, 7 BAFTA. The list just goes on and on. What a great life!
Conducting his famous Boston Pops Orchestra as its Principal Conductor 1980 -1993
At 92, John Williams still works for 6 days a week, creating music on his Piano and writing it down on a yellow notepad with a pencil! No hi fi things here - all real and pure hard work resulting in the genius!
John Williams during the recording session of one of his classics
A Musical Tribute - Some of my absolute favourites
His best work – Jurassic Park Part 1 in 1993. The sci fi film by Steven Spielberg. What a creation and teamwork for something which actually cannot be seen and only be imagined! I still get shivers down the spine just as I was mesmerised for the first time I saw and heard this film and music on the huge Cinema Screen. It was an out of the world experience. Fasten your seatbelts! The Legend conducting here in person with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in Vienna (Austria) January 2020. Look at his zeal and passion a few days before his 88th Birthday. Also see the expressions of the musicians...all charged up...They all can’t believe what they are hearing. The grand old man too chuckles now and then – He still enjoys every bit of his work. The last – Bravo is epic!
When the Composer can’t believe that he has written this epic music piece. In 2016, John Williams was honoured with a Life time Achievement Award by AFI - American Film Institute. He was the first Music Composer to be honoured by AFI. His most famous music was played in his honour. The piece called Theme from the epic film on life of a German Businessman and the holocaust – Oskar Schindler called Schindler’s List created by Steven Spielberg in 1993.
The piece aptly capturing the plight of the victims was originally played for the film by Legendary Violinist Itzhak Perlman and played here by Simone Porter along with the American Youth Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.
Look at the expressions of John Williams from 0.30min and then the expressions of Steven Spielberg and his wife. The Ahaa by Williams at the end and a total disbelief that he actually wrote this masterpiece is priceless.
Happy Birthday Sir!
- Dr. Salil Latay
Pune, India
08 February 2024, Thursday
First published in 2022...now a re run.
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Unbelievable, unforgettable and awesomely mesmerising| Thanks for introducing this genius with such aplomb|
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