Hosted and Curated by Maurizio Caschetto
Part One:
Part Two – Coming on February 8
On February 8, John Williams turns 94. It’s always very exciting to celebrate our beloved Maestro for his birthday and this year The Legacy of John Williams has prepared a gigantic tribute in the form of a 2-part podcast special that will hopefully engage and entertain you for a whole weekend of John Williams-themed festivities.
The special is titled Words and Music by John Williams and that’s what you’re going to experience: over the course of two episodes you’ll hear a hefty selection of pieces from John Williams’s immense catalogue interjected with quotes from the Maestro himself, continuing a tradition that The Legacy of John Williams started since its early days. During the course of several decades, John Williams gave countless interviews to the press, sharing his wisdom, knowledge and also his wit on many occasions, illustrating his working process, elaborating on his ideas on music and reflecting on his incredible life journey. John Williams’ words are often as inspiring as his music and his thoughts and ideas speak more eloquently than any commentary one could put together.
In addition to celebrate the Maestro for his 94th birthday, this podcast special is also a way to remind ourselves how and why we fell in love with the music of John Williams in the first place. Revisiting his catalogue also means to go back with our memory to when we first encountered many of these works and how his music contributed mightily to make us who we are.
The selection you’ll be listening to in this 2-part special contains a wide variety of compositions by Maestro Williams for both film and the concert hall. It has been assembled to avoid the usual greatest hits collection that you can easily find elsewhere, but mostly to offer a broad look at the Maestro’s oeuvre and casting a spotlight on his chamelon-like ability in writing in many different styles while always sounding unmistakeably like himself. It’s not meant to be a chronological overview nor it has pretensions of being exhaustive. It’s curated to create a flowing and emotional musical journey: Take it as a sort of personal playlist that The Legacy of John Williams is sharing with all of you. The full track listing of the pieces and interview quotes is at the bottom of the article.
Hopefully you won’t be too scared by the monstruous duration of this special. Yes, it’s very long, but perhaps you’ll find something you never listened before or rediscover a lost gem you forgot… And if you’re here, you probably believe too that one can never have enough of John Williams. Part 2 will be available from Sunday, February 8. My deepest thanks to dear friends and collaborators Tim Burden and Miguel Andrade, who helped out in finding some of the John Williams interviews you’ll hear during the special.
Let’s start this musical journey together in company of the inspiring words and the mighty music of the incomparable John Williams, and…
Happy Birthday, Maestro!
WORDS AND MUSIC BY JOHN WILLIAMS
A 2-Part Podcast Special To Celebrate the Maestro’s 94th Birthday
Track Listing for Part 1:
- Liberty Fanfare (1986)
Interview excerpt (Classic FM, 2022)
- “The Land Race” from Far And Away (1992)
Excerpt from An Interview with John Williams: His Life as a Composer (Sony Classical, 2016)
- “Leaving Home” from Superman (1978)
Interview excerpt (National Endowment for the Arts, 2011)
- “Over The Moon” from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Interview excerpt (LA Phil Soundstage, 2022)
- “Gryffyndor Wins the House Cup” / “Leaving Hogwarts” from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001)
Interview excerpt (The Today Show, 1989)
- “A New Beginning” / “End Credits” from The Accidental Tourist (1988)
Interview excerpt (WNYC New York Public Radio, 1985)
- “Desert Chase” from Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Interlude #1
- Celebrate Discovery (1991)
Interview excerpt (Variety, 2024)
- “For Gillian” from The Fury (1978)
Interview excerpt (In Conversation with Deborah Rutter at the Kennedy Center, 2022)
- Title Theme from Kraft Suspense Theater Season 1 (1963)
Interview excerpt (WNYC New York Public Radio, 1985)
- “Main Title” from How To Steal A Million (1966)
Excerpt from An Interview with John Williams: His Life as a Composer (Sony Classical, 2016)
- “End Credits” from Sabrina (1995)
TV Interview – Unidentified source (1990)
- “The Early Days, Massapequa, 1957” from Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
- “Prologue” from JFK (1991)
Interview excerpt (The Evening Program with Jim Svejda, Classical KUSC, 2013)
- “The Long Road To Justice” from Amistad (1997)
- “The American Process” from Lincoln (2012)
Interview excerpt (Classic FM, 2022)
- “Angela’s Prayer” from Angela’s Ashes (1999)
Interview excerpt (Behind the Score: The Art of the Film Composer – LACMA, 2014)
- “Reunion and Finale” from Sleepers (1996)
Interview excerpt (WCRB, 2016)
- “An Architet’s Dream / End Cast” from The Towering Inferno (1974)
Interview excerpt (Capital Radio UK, 1978)
- “Prologue & ‘Tradition’ and Main Title” from Fiddler On The Roof (1971)
Interview excerpt (The Film Programme, BBC Radio 4, 2006)
- “The Firebolt and End Credits” from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Interview excerpt (The Film Programme, BBC Radio 4, 2006)
- “Main Title” from The Reivers (1969)
- “Restoration” from Jane Eyre (1970)
- “Becoming a Geisha” from Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
Interlude #2
Interview excerpt (Composer of the Week: John Williams, BBC Radio 4, 2013)
- “I Can’t Believe It’s Real” from Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
- “Cadillac of the Skies” from Empire of the Sun (1987)
- “Stolen Memories” from Schindler’s List (1993)
- “Joy Ride” from “Escapades for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra from Catch Me If You Can” (2002)
Interview excerpt (Scoring Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, BMI, 1999)
- “The Princess Appears” from Star Wars (1977)
Interview excerpt (The Evening Program with Jim Svejda, Classical KUSC, 2018)
“The Scavenger” from Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Interview excerpt, (Associated Press, 2002)
- “Ben’s Death and TIE Fighter Attack” from Star Wars (1977)
- “Finale” from The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Postlude
Interview excerpt (National Endowment for the Arts, 2011)
- Elegy for Cello and Orchestra (1997/2001)
Track Listing for Part 2 – Coming February 8!
The Legacy of John Williams 