ping
Does anybody else find his music boringly repetitive and overbearing and just not that good?
I don’t have anything against Williams, but in the ranks of film composers, IMO, his work pales in comparison to that of John Barry:
Out of Africa
Dances with Wolves
The Black Hole(don’t be fooled by the movie not being very good, the soundtrack is brilliant)
Somewhere in Time
From Russia with Love
Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
The Lion in Winter
Midnight Cowboy
Diamonds are Forever
King Kong(1976)
Moonraker
View to a Kill
Cotton Club
Body Heat
Jagged Edge
Just to name a few.
Related to Brian? Could BE Brian.
When I think of John Williams I think of 1953 when he played the piano with the Stan Getz Quintet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJIXH0Mi5cE
I do like much of Mr Williams’ work, especially “Summon the Heroes’ (Olympic Fanfare) as well as they lyric portions of Superman I.
He is not the best but far, far from the worst of the film & TV composers of this time.
As for one of the best, consider Elmer Bernstein and his immortal score for the “Magnificent Seven”, I only have to mention it and it plays in your mind instantly!
They could have turned the project over to any damn hack and told him: We want powerful, heralding horns but NOT the old theme. All Williams did is fool around with various sorts of bleats until he had the something vaguely acceptable.
If they really wanted to update things they would have gone with heavy guitars and or synths which had long since replaced horns in pop culture. They hated the old show but in aping the shows POWERFUL heralding horns they pretty much admitted they had no BETTER idea. And nobody COULD have a better idea than the old theme...NOT with horns they couldn't.
Happy Birthday. You are talented and prodigious but your scores put me right to sleep every time. I know, some are grand, and your melodies are strong. I can’t explain it. I heard them all at the Hollywood Bowl and I was still bored to death. Sorry. Enjoy your day.
There is no doubt that Williams is gifted. And I like his very recognizable score.
My two favorites aren’t Williams.
Rosenthal (Requiem For a Heavyweight)
Jones/Edelman (Last of the Mohicans)
What can I say...I like BIG music. That maybe why Williams loses me sometimes.
Indiana Jones Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pNlMgH2p-Y
This is a compilation of the 3 movies (Crystal Skull does not count!)
Born the same year as I was.
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Movie music is by its nature episodic and repetitive, so we shouldn't expect deep and intricate composition - but for the kind of sweeping melodies and emotional punctuation movie music can deliver, Williams is one of the best, like his Fawkes the Phoenix from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets......
By coincidence just today I received the ‘15-’16 season program for the Philadelphia Orchestra, which will feature Principal Guest Conductor Stephane Deneve in “a two-week John Williams celebration”, including Yo Yo Ma playing Williams’ Cello Concerto and a performance the following week of his Violin Concerto with James Ehnes. The same week on May 6 2016 Williams himself will conduct an evening of selections from his motion picture scores. I predict that the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall will be filled to capacity and beyond, as was the Mann Center one summer evening a few years back when I was lucky enough to attend a similar concert of his music conducted by Williams - how bad could he be????......