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Among the many recordings that celebrated the music of John Williams over the last few years, one in particular has been perhaps the most surprising and unexpected: conceived and produced by Robert Townson, John Williams Reimagined is a sprawling collection of the Maestro’s music transcribed for the unusual chamber trio of flute, cello and piano, performed by three world-class soloists: flutist Sara Andon, cellist Cécilia Tsan, pianist Simone Pedroni.
When the majority thinks of John Williams’ music, one of the first things that pop in the mind is the luxuriant symphonic vest that characterizes many of his compositions for films. It’s certainly true that one of Williams’ most characteristic traits is his incomparable talent for writing for large orchestras in the footsteps of the great classical symphonic tradition, as many of his popular blockbuster scores such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial clearly demonstrate. Therefore the choice of transcribing Williams’ music down to just three instruments may sound puzzling or even pretentious at a first glance, but behind an apparent limitation there lies an opportunity to revisit some of the composer’s repertoire in a new and truly fresh way, offering the chance to discover different nuances and casting a new light on the pure harmonic and melodic qualities of Williams’ timeless compositions. This was the concept that film music producer/impresario Robert Townson envisioned when he entrusted Simone Pedroni to prepare a series of transcriptions of a few pieces by John Williams for flute, cello and piano as a first pass to create the recording project that would later be named John Williams Reimagined.
Pedroni (winner of the Van Cliburn Gold Medal in 1993) showed already a considerable skill in transcribing John Williams’ music for solo piano, as demonstrated in his album John Williams: Themes and Transcriptions for Piano (2017, Varèse Sarabande, produced by Robert Townson). That recording was a clear statement that it was possible to interpret this repertoire as a solo recital in a very respectful and artistic manner. Pedroni’s methodology falls into a well established tradition of the classical repertoire, in which symphonic compositions have often been transcribed for solo piano (Franz Liszt’s piano transcriptions of Beethoven’s symphonies are probably the most well-known). The pianist showed a particular affinity toward the music of the American composer, playing it with the same level of reverence and respect usually reserved for the established titans of classical music. After his John Williams solo piano album, Pedroni reunited with producer Robert Townson to work on a new recording dedicated to another film music legend: Cinema Morricone – An Intimate Celebration (2019, Sony Music Masterworks) is a collection of transcriptions for flute and piano from film scores by Ennio Morricone, performed with great sensitivity by Pedroni and American flutist Sara Andon.
Those two projects were the foundation stones on which the even more ambitious project John Williams Reimagined was built. Pedroni prepared transcriptions for a trio of flute, cello and piano of pieces from two lesser-known John Williams’ scores: the Emmy-winning television adaptation of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre (1970) and the psychological thriller directed by Robert Altman Images (1972). Townson then gathered the three soloists and recorded the excerpts as a sort of “demo reel” to present to John Williams himself: in the producer’s mind, it was absolutely essential to have the approval of the composer before venturing into such a risky project, so it was also important to pick the best musical examples to show him the potential of this approach.
Williams was impressed by the result and gave his blessing to the project, which in addition to the authorization of the recording also included an exclusive permission for the three soloists to perform a series of live performances of this repertoire around the world. Townson’s plan was nothing short of ambitious from the get-go: he planned a 2-CD set album featuring more than 150 minutes of music, featuring selections from a wide variety of John Williams’ film scores and including some real “deep cuts” from the composer’s repertoire such as The River and Images. Under the producer’s attentive guide, Pedroni, Andon and Tsan went into the recording studio for an intense round of sessions to capture the most sensitive and perfect performances of these transcriptions (balanced by engineer Gabe Burch), which included selections from Hook, Jurassic Park, Far And Away, The Witches of Eastwick, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, War Horse, Jane Eyre, Images and The River; the Star Wars series is featured with transcriptions of “Princess Leia’s Theme” and “Han Solo and the Princess.” There are also transcriptions for cello and piano (including Williams’ own “Three Pieces” from Memoirs of a Geisha, the Theme from Schindler’s List and the heart-wrenching concert piece Elegy for Cello and Piano) and for flute and piano (Dracula, The Sugarland Express, The Patriot, Sabrina, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban). Two piano solo excerpts from The Accidental Tourist and The Fabelmans are also included. Some of the pieces are grouped into long-form “suites” such as the 16-minute selections from The River or the 11-minute excerpts from The Witches of Eastwick, making the listening experience very rewarding also for the true connoisseur. As presented on two discs, it’s a long and exciting ride that spans more than 50 years of John Williams’ career and a radiant example of the composer’s uncanny knack for melodies that stick in your ears and your heart.
The three soloists presented the world-premiere live performance of some of the selections at the Rome Film Festival in Italy in April 2024, which were greeted with great acclaim and then performed another recital at the Film Music Festival in Krakow, Poland, a month later; a series of digital singles (including “Princess Leia’s Theme” from Star Wars and “Over The Moon” from E.T.) were released throughout summer of 2024, with the full album finally dropping on CD and digital on August 23, 2024. The reception was very warm, with the album getting rave reviews from both film music enthusiasts and classical music critics.
In 2025, the trio is going on the road for an mini world tour: John Williams Reimagined will play in Rochester, NY on 18th October (as part of the Soundtrax Film and Music Festival), Dusseldorf, Germany on 22nd October, London Cadogan Hall (UK) on 27th October and Paris, France on 28th October. Tickets and info: https://go.evvnt.com/3251881-0 (Rochester, NY), https://overlook-events.com (Europe).
On the eve of their live performances, Sara Andon, Cécilia Tsan, Simone Pedroni and producer Robert Townson sit down with The Legacy of John Williams for a lenghty conversation about the genesis of the John Williams Reimagined project and how it all came together, while also sharing their love and admiration for the Maestro’s music.
Special Thanks to Pete Flatt (PPR Publicity) and Robert Townson.
“Pianist Simone Pedroni, flutist Sara Andon, and cellist Cécilia Tsan have conceived, produced and recorded a new trio album of my music that brings me great joy. With their new arrangements and their particularly fine artistry, they have enhanced and elevated my music and I heartily recommend their recording to all who might enjoy this repertoire.”
– John Williams
John Williams Reimagined is available on CD and Digital on Warner Classics/Erato
List of music excerpts featured in the episode (all tracks from the album John Williams Reimagined):
. “To Thornfield” from Jane Eyre (Transcr. by Simone Pedroni for Flute, Cello and Piano)
. “Devil’s Dance” from The Witches of Eastwick (Transcr. by Simone Pedroni for Flute, Cello and Piano)
. “The Reunion” from A.I. (Transcr. by Simone Pedroni for Flute, Cello and Piano)
. “Sayuri’s Theme” from Memoirs of a Geisha (Version for Cello and Piano)
. “In Search of Unicorns” from Images (Transcr. by Simone Pedroni for Flute, Cello and Piano)
. “Theme” from The Sugarland Express (Transcr. by Simone Pedroni for Flute and Piano)
. “Princess Leia’s Theme” from Star Wars (Transcr. by Simone Pedroni for Flute, Cello and Piano)
. “Growing Up” from The River (Transcr. by Simone Pedroni for Flute, Cello and Piano)
. “The Seduction of Suki and The Balloon Sequence” from The Witches of Eastwick (Transcr. by Simone Pedroni for Flute, Cello and Piano)
. “The Face of Pan” from Hook (Transcr. by Simone Pedroni for Flute, Cello and Piano)
. “Love Theme” from The River (Transcr. by Simone Pedroni for Flute, Cello and Piano)
. “Hagrid’s Friendly Bird” from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Transcr. by Simone Pedroni for Flute and Piano)
. “Reunion” from Jane Eyre (Transcr. by Simone Pedroni for Flute, Cello and Piano)
. “Over the Moon” from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Transcr. by Simone Pedroni for Flute, Cello and Piano)
The Legacy of John Williams 