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After listening to the OST a few more times, I really appreciate the Antiquity and Archimedes' themes now. I love how authentic the Antiquity theme sounds. If I didn't know the score and someone played to me Centuries Join Hands from 0:23 to 1:00 saying that it was a rejected cue from Alex North's Spartacus or one of Miklos Rosza Roman epics, I'll surely believe it. It's the closest Williams got to scoring something involving the Ancient Greeks/Romans, and he used it as an opportunity to bring back the sound of the old epics. The Archimedes' theme is filled with wisdom, but still imponent, stern and even a little distant. It's kinda like JW's lost Dumbledore theme had he scored the latter Potter movies. Both themes are great, and proof that our Johnny remains filled with creativity even at such an advanced age.

Made it!

I composed a cantata for soloists, choir, and orchestra. KE_ATSOS_mid.mp3

The way he uses Helena's theme in "Polybius Cipher" evokes the character herself most imo

That's in The Last Crusade.

A pair of spotlights were turned on overhead, beginning with the Raiders March, to stunning effect: A sea of lightsabers ignited for the Star Wars selections:

@TolkienSS I didn't have a problem with the grossness of showing Voller's body, but it did stand out as the only time in the franchise we see the main villain's mangled corpse just lying there. Normally that stuff is swept away by supernatural powers. I was actually disappointed that Voller's death wasn't more gruesome, or at least more interesting. In the past, all the main villains have been taken out supernaturally. And Raiders and TLC gave theirs truly grotesque deaths. Voller just gets a plane crash. I was all ready for him to get rapidly deaged by the Antikythera! Like Donovan, but in reverse. Imagine him shriveling into a screaming fetus and beyond, eventually popping right out of existence, out of time itself! Sorry if I seem sadistic. I'm a pacifist, but when it comes to Indiana Jones, I want to see the boss baddie suffer.

John Williams duelling with Dudamel and stepping onto to the podium next to him and “co-conducting” The Imperial March is simply amazing, hilarious and charming at the same time. It’s so great to see that Williams at 91 is having the time of his life, enjoying every second of it. What a living LEGEND.

Theme from Jurassic Park Theme from Schindler's List Throne Room and Finale Flying Theme from E.T. (excerpt) The Imperial March Williams vs Dudamel lightsaber duel https://twitter.com/eddiepence/status/1677599171958968320

Hey guys, My name is Rafie and I am from Clovis, California and I just want to say that I really admire John Williams' amazing scores from Star Wars, Jaws, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, etc. However, I would love to know what your guys' favorite JW score is. Let me know and feel free to reply in the comments. Thanks, Rafie

Last night before second viewing of Indy 5...not exactly random but unexpected:

Welcome Rafie! Great to have new fans around here Where to begin? Clearly you're well versed in his blockbuster scores, but in recent years I've found his scores for dramas even more rewarding. For sweeping yet intimate, and overflowing with emotional themes and flute & piano solos, check out War Horse: Memoirs of a Geisha is one of his best, dripping with atmosphere and Japanese instrumentation but with its roots in Williams' trademark sensibilities. Beautiful solos for cello and violin throughout. Tintin is modern yet with a foot in the door of his classic blockbuster adventure scores (especially Indiana Jones)! Great themes and swashbuckling tracks throughout: And of course there's Hook, one of his greatest scores. Incredible themes, some of the best action music of his career, and an all-time performance from the LA musicians. Amazing!

Full show, part I (July 7) Full show, part II (July 7) Superman March (July 8) Yoda's Theme (July 8) Imperial March / Second lightsaber duel and co-conducting / Final applause (July 8) Imperial March / Second lightsaber duel and co-conducting /Final applause (July 8, different angle)

Welcome, Ralfie! There are many previous threads on this topic (I'll leave it to others to link), but it's always nice when someone comes into the forum with unbridled, fresh enthusiasm. I haven't done a top 10 in a while now, but it could possibly look like this at the moment: 1. JURASSIC PARK 2. Return of the Jedi 3. Jane Eyre 4. Angela's Ashes 5. A.I. 6. Hook 7. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 8. Far & Away 9. E.T. 10. Not With My Wife You Don't Or something. Except for the top 3, these things change a bit.

A newer take on The Patriot ...

Watched out of sheer curiosity. Sad old Indy is sad, no surprises there. My conceptual objection to the movie stands unchanged. In and of itself, its not a bad motion picture but it is a very peculiar one. I think the moment that underlined just how much I associate Indiana Jones with Spielberg and that retro aesthetic was the map montage: it just looked so different. But the thing that's really different is the sensibility Mangold gives to some of the storytelling. This film doesn't feel like Logan (nor should it!) but it does share one thing with that film: the wanton, unceremonious killing of bystanders. It happens multiple times in the movie, not to any dramatic effect: its just there. Feels very incongrous in an Indiana Jones movie.

John Williams next opponent:

It was a long and complicated process, though it started very simply with me pitching the idea with a cold-email back in early May. The thrust of what I wrote initially was more academic in tone, and I had a few more examples in mind: the theme from Slalom on Mt. Humol; the key changes from Bug Tunnel/Death Trap; the rhythms of Ants!; that brass canon Belly of the Steel Beast; and even a mention of Falcon Flight from TROS (as proof that JW "still got it" when it comes to action scoring). But during editing, everything was, quite logically, focused down onto more to a few key examples. The biggest editorial note I received was to make it all more autobiographical and assertive in its opinion, which was a tone I was not used to writing in. But I think it worked out -- the personal touch in particular (anyone else have that Kid Stuff album?; it really was formative to me!). Once everything got going -- after Dial came out, primarily -- the editing process was really supportive and pleasant. As far as the multimedia element, I can only point to the incredible design team at the Times. I just specified the timestamps and they worked their magic behind the scenes. I was super lucky that they had access to that high quality, recent video of JW conducting the Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra with Berlin, that was a real coup.

Eh, it's not like Marion or Leia's themes are anything like their respective characters either - both have similarly abrasive and interesting personalities that are nothing like the emotionally charged and passionate themes Williams gave them. It's just a thing he does to inject some romanticism into his scores, it works fine.

Thank you so much @Andy, I really appreciate this so much Has everyone here heard his scores for the Olympics? Soooo good as well. And Yes, @Andy, the new Indiana Jones film made me join the forum. I just enjoyed that movie very much that I wanted to show my appreciation for John Williams as well so It's my pleasure to be here.

Welcome Rafie! Glad you found us, hope you’ll stay. Did the excitement of the new Indiana Jones bring you here? I’m one of the over 50 members here, so I’ve been listening a long time. Rather than list my top 10, I’ll list suggestions for where you should explore beyond the scores you mentioned. To really explore John Williams, you should enjoy trying works from ALL eras of his career. My personal opinion is that ANYTHING from 1975-1984 is absolutely worth your time. And that includes Heartbeeps and Monsignor. So in very rough chronological order: Early Comedies: How to Steal a Million Fitzwilly Both are standouts in whimsical and romantic playful writing that would pop up later in more famous works (and Sabrina harkens back to these) Early Drama: None but the Brave Doesnt get much love, but it shows early dramatic writing promise Westerns: The Cowboys is a must! A fine example of Coplandesque style and Americana. The Missouri Breaks and The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing are both Westerns that use a more 1970s contemporary approach. I recommend them because they both show Williams’ talent and versatility as a songwriter. They have pop sensibility and songs that could’ve and did have lyrics and pop style recordings. Special Mention Period Drama: Jane Eyre You absolutely MUST give this a try. Probably most of us never saw the film, but it doesn’t matter. This will fuel your imagination to conjure up a powerful English period drama in your mind. It’s astonishing this was written so long ago, but parts of it sound like they could be from a Harry Potter mystery. Highly recommended for listeners who don’t need action music to appreciate Williams. 1974 - 1984 masterpieces: The Towering Inferno Arguably nothing in the score reaches the soaring heights of the Main Title, but it’s a fine predecessor to the disaster and action style scoring heard later in Superman. Jaws 2 Some people argue it’s a better score than Jaws. I don’t think so, but it is absolutely glorious. Dracula/The Fury These make a fine double feature of operatic, gothic Williams from his golden period. 1941 its been mentioned, and I’ll add that it is just so much fun. And it sounds like Williams had fun writing it. Heartbeeps Has a bad reputation probably because it’s attached to an unpopular bomb. I’d argue that it’s very experimental, and in its own way playfully romantic. My advice: start with the End Titles. Some of the melodies and intervals are much like the friendship theme from E.T. a year later. The River Sumptuous Americana writing. Some pop style rhythms to make it contemporary. Transitional Years: SpaceCamp An absolute gem that stands out in his transitional years to more mature dramatic writing Far and Away Perhaps my favorite from the 90s. Oozing with charm. Starts out Irish flavored, transforms to American Western. Sublime and thrilling. The Land Race is easily a career best. The Lost World Better than the original. Jazzy, gripping, tribal. This score has a throbbing pulse that doesn’t let up. Hook Richly thematic. Very sugary, but also some exciting swashbuckling music. The kind of writing that would appear in Home Alone and Harry Potter. “Modern” Era: A.I. Artificial Intelligence Complex, frighteningly dark, but achingly beautiful. It took me a few years to appreciate this for the masterpiece that it is. War Horse A more modern take on emotional friendship that proved that although years have passed since E.T. Williams can still get you in the heart with a friendship story between a boy and his, er, horse. Those are my highest recommendations. Honorable mentions go to the Witches of Eastwick , The Patriot, Memoirs of a Geisha, the Book Thief, and Lincoln. I’m sure I’ve forgotten some. The score I could listen to every day and not get sick of it is Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Happy listening, and hope you stick around.

Here you go, @Jilal and everyone here in the JW forum. A chronological soundtrack of Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, hope you guys love it.

Yikes, I provided no details at all. It is from poetry by Walt Whitman and John Gillespie Magee. About reaching towards the untrespassed regions of space and time and being in awe of the drama and spectacle surrounding us...perhaps even to reach the face of god.

Thank you. Of course I recommend it. It has 2 of the most beautiful themes in Williams's oeuvre. (Sayuri's theme and The Chairman's waltz) You haven't heard it yet? The film is quite good too!

For whomever it might be of interest: my 2 cents on Helena’s Theme which I did back in September 2022, for my friend Ramon. Forgive the harmony mistakes and meter guesses…and probably the hemiole isn’t right either. @Falstaft yours looks great!

An example of what? The OST tracks in chronological order are: 3, 5, 4, 6-17, 2, 1

@JWilliamsFan1999, his catalogue is very deep and however deep you dig in it, you'll only find gems. I love his Henry Mancini-inspired How to Steal a Million:, one of his first bigger jobs for a bigger film with big names: Images is a very experimental out there score for only strings and strange percussion, this is the most accessible piece: The complete film recordings of Eiger Sanction are a recent discovery for most of us, and its diversity and emotional power blew our collective minds: Black Sunday is a groovy terrorist thriller score recorded very shortly before the original STAR WARS: The Fury is a grand over the top horror score, a throwback to 50s B flicks and Bernard Herrmann scores: The River is a joyous rich take on 80s rural Americana: Always is mostly a small-scale romantic score with some grand standout powerful moments: Minority Report is a scifi crime thriller from one of his most beloved golden ages (1997-2005):

"George Might be Next" Narrator: he was.

I’m a teacher and I like to put Williams music into the film clips I show in class so I don’t get bored. I put General grievous music in the U2 spy plane crash and it worked quite well! And Reunion from Sleepers inserted at the end of Imitation Game and Stanley and Iris all throughout School Ties also was enjoyable.

Can someone break down what is on film during the pieces on the OST, please? For example I assume Marion's theme during The Perils of the Deep is when Indy tells Helena about his separation from Marion.

Heck of a montage for “Duel of the Fates”! They got ten films in there! (Sadly missed the relevant scene in Solo as far as I could tell.) This was a treat to watch even at fingernail size. I’ve never seen Williams at the Hollywood Bowl, but as a CSO four-timer, I can’t complain. Every year when these reports and videos surface, it’s like attending a wedding for someone you love: the happiness isn’t quite yours, but you’re glad it’s there and glad to crack off a piece of it for yourself.

I think #1 is a very good De Palma thriller (but quite different from the later films), #3 is solid as well, and #4 essentially starts a string of films that form the series as we know it today. Not by rebooting anything, mind you, it's just that the fourth one is where the series finds the formula that it sticks to from that point on. #4 to #6 are uniformly excellent in my mind. Different people have different favourites among those three, personally I don't feel a need to rank them. Except that musically, the last one is a big letdown.

Guess who I tried to imitate here XD.

Welcome Ralfie! Andy, this had been a favourite of mine since 1990... (still remember listening to the Japanese import with headphones/discman on one of our town's squares) <3 ...for the record: I love Empire and Star Wars, Raiders and also Crusade ... Stanley and Iris I have been putting on for half an hour of peace and bliss for decades now... ...and then there are many, many others ... E.T. I listened to on a weekly basis in the 90s... ...Close Encounters is amazing in its tone-colour-to-diatonic-transfiguration journey ...and then there's Superman (always loved the march) that keeps on growing and growing on me. Speaking of marches: 1941 is marvellous fun! Cheers!

One of the greatest performances of all time.

... death by rapid ageing, death by falling tank, death by being garrotted by a leather whip and a ceiling fan, death by being impaled on spikes, death by a zillion poison darts, death by careless driving, death by falling and being eaten by crocodiles, death by having your brains burnt out from the inside with funny light coming out of your eyes, death by falling up and not into space, but the space between spaces, death by being zapped by The Almighty, death by being crushed in-between ships, death by being lowered into molten lava, death by being eaten by ants. Fun, for all the family

Same! The site asks me to first register an account before I can order and I get stuck when it asks for a 7-digit postcode. Our ZIP codes are either 5 or 9 digits long, so my guess is the site isn’t intended to accept an address outside Japan 🫤.

@crumbs OMG His Jurassic Park scores are just masterpieces in their own right, And I love Lincoln, a great movie. I still haven't seen A.I. Artificial Intelligence before but I will definitely give it a watch and a listen to the score for sure. But Yes, I love his scores for Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park as well.

Seems I never participated in this thread first time around. I'm sucker for these blends, i.e. western approximations and implementations of various ethnic colours. "Middle-eastern", however one defines that musically, being one of them. I've noticed that several have mentioned North African titles above, which wouldn't technically be correct, but since several of those countries incorporate Arabic populations and tropes, I guess they could qualify. Things like Zimmer's BLACK HAWK DOWN, Goldenthal's THE GOOD THIEF etc. Some great ones (both previously mentioned and not) include: MUHAMMAD: THE MESSENGER OF GOD (Rahman) THE MUMMY (Goldsmith) -- even though Egypt isn't technically the Middle East THE MUMMY RETURNS (Silvestri) -- same WILD ARABIA (Taylor) NOAH (Mansell) -- other Mansells too, he often incorporates Middle Eastern sounds in his scores THE KINGDOM (Elfman) STARGATE (Arnold) -- curiously, several Arnold scores have what seem like Middle Eastern harmonizations and chord progressions, even though the films do not take place in the Middle East. ID4 is another. LONELY PLANET (various) -- those tracks that portray the region CHILDREN OF DUNE (Revell) THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (Gabriel) THE CROW and THE CROW: CITY OF ANGELS (Revell) GLADIATOR (Zimmer) DUNE (Zimmer) EARTHSEA (Rona) -- although it's pretty much "pan world music" more than one specific region THE WIND AND THE LION (Goldsmith) THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST and THE YOUNG MESSIAH (Debney) The BOURNE scores -- several tracks MUNICH (Williams) QUEEN OF THE DESERT (Badelt) MEETINGS WITH REMARKABLE MEN (Rosenthal) THE INSIDER (Gerrard & Bourke) LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (Jarre) JOURNEY TO MECCA and JERUSALEM (Brook) CARAVANS (Batt) EXOTICA, THE ICE STORM, ARARAT, THE NATIVITY STORY (Danna) -- in fact, many Danna scores use Middle Eastern elements BLADE RUNNER (Vangelis) Heck, I suppose any old Biblical epic, including the classics by Rozsa.

I have also ordered this on your recommendations. Looking forward to it!

Have to get used to seeing him without spectacles.

That's really a brillant article. I am just afraid it comes about 20 to 30 years too late as John Williams is the last of the dinosaurs who still write filmmusic at that complexity and who can stand the comparison with Strawinsky etc. and he declared some time ago Dial of Destiny his last score. If now a movie goer reads this and thinks, interesting, next time I go to a movie I will pay more attention to the music, he or she might be disappointed experiencing the music just as another kind of sound effect. So, maybe just one sentence missing in this otherwise great article. "This is how they used to do it but don't anymore."

Update!! https://www.universal-music.co.jp/classics/dg125-gala-concert/?fbclid=IwAR3UNJxZXWpP0gsrMyWrGT-s-kIWb_2I-OdOYNAw7rGCQ8Lv14EbJpGoUnM_aem_Ab2VotENr2PR0zhSrq82UjZMF4T9EmAWgBM_JpVoQvX0q11uSIIAGRNNAYRrds8J5f4 Ticket site: https://eplus.jp/sf/detail/3904360001?P6=001&P1=0402&P59=1 There will be 2 separate ticket lottery periods - the first one is already under way. General sales begin on August 5. The VIP ticket, which costs a whopping 50,000 Japanese yen, includes access to the rehearsal (with Stephane Deneve) and some unspecified VIP “goods.” For that price, I sure hope it includes a meet and greet with JW! But most likely not - they usually give out some tacky merch, etc. In any case, there seem to be a very, very limited amount of VIP tickets… The other ticket grades are still crazy expensive. All of my Japan-based friends are going to apply for the lottery individually (single seats) so we can increase our chances of getting a ticket. Good luck to all!

I just listened to Raiders score last Saturday. I don't have musical education to correctly and precisely evaluate the performance of the brass, but I do think this is the greatest film composer of all time at the height of his powers. Wonderful score, whom I love dearly.

Harrison Ford and Phoebe Waller Bridge might get a Best Song nomination at next year's Oscars!

In terms of "source" music cues, should we include Beethoven's 5th Symphony 1st movement as performed by Indy and Helena when they are in the cave?

That's not why and everybody here knows it.

I didn’t think there was anything that would make me want to see this movie really succeed, but it turns out all it takes is seeing a whole bunch of adult babies diarrheaing their diapers about the death of real masculinity!

Well that's where the Middle Eastern music is. And the whole score is awesome, I don't care what anyone else says.