After more than six decades of making bicycles soar, sending panicked swimmers to the shore and other spellbinding close encounters, John Williams is putting the final notes on what may be his last film score.
鈥淎t the moment I鈥檓 working on 鈥業ndiana Jones 5,鈥� which Harrison Ford 鈥� who鈥檚 quite a bit younger than I am 鈥� I think has announced will be his last film,鈥� Williams says. 鈥淪o, I thought: If Harrison can do it, then perhaps I can, also.鈥�
Ford, for the record, hasn鈥檛 said that publicly. And Williams, who turned 90 in February, isn鈥檛 absolutely certain he鈥檚 ready to, either.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to be seen as categorically eliminating any activity,鈥� Williams says with a chuckle, speaking by phone from his home in Los Angeles. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 play tennis, but I like to be able to believe that maybe one day I will.鈥�
Right now, though, there are other ways Williams wants to be spending his time. A 鈥淪tar Wars鈥� film demands six months of work, which he notes, 鈥渁t this point in life is a long commitment to me.鈥� Instead, Williams is devoting himself to composing concert music, including a piano concerto he鈥檚 writing for Emanuel Ax.
This spring, Williams and cellist Yo-Yo Ma released the album recorded with the New York Philharmonic, Pablo S谩inz-Villegas and Jessica Zhou. It鈥檚 a radiant collection of cello concertos and new arrangements from the scores of 鈥淪chindler鈥檚 List,鈥� 鈥淟incoln鈥� and 鈥淢unich,鈥� including the sublime 鈥淎 Prayer for Peace.鈥�
Turning 90 鈥� an event that the and are celebrating this summer with birthday concerts 鈥� has caused Williams to reflect on his accomplishments, his remaining ambitions and what a lifetime of music has meant to him.
鈥淚t鈥檚 given me the ability to breathe, the ability to live and understand that there鈥檚 more to corporal life,鈥� Williams says. 鈥淲ithout being religious, which I鈥檓 not especially, there is a spiritual life, an artistic life, a realm that鈥檚 above the mundanities of everyday realities. Music can raise one鈥檚 thinking to the level of poetry. We can reflect on how necessary music has been for humanity. I always like to speculate that music is older than language, that we were probably beating drums and blowing on reeds before we could speak. So it鈥檚 an essential part of our humanity.
鈥淚t鈥檚 given me my life.鈥�
And, in turn, Williams has provided the soundtrack to the lives of countless others through more than 100 film scores, among them 鈥淛aws,鈥� 鈥淐lose Encounters of the Third Kind,鈥� 鈥淓.T.,鈥� 鈥淪chindler鈥檚 List鈥� and 鈥�
It鈥檚 an amount of accomplishment that鈥檚 hard to quantify. Five Oscars and 52 Academy Award nominations, a number bested only by Walt Disney, is one measurement. But even that hardly hints at the cultural power of his music. A billion people might be able to instantly hum Williams鈥� two-note ostinato from 鈥淛aws鈥� or from 鈥淪tar Wars.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 told that the music is played all over the world. What could be more rewarding than that?鈥� says Williams. 鈥淏ut I have to say it seems unreal. I can only see what鈥檚 in front of me at the piano right at this moment, and do my best with that.鈥�
All those indelible, perfectly constructed themes, he believes, are the product less of divine inspiration than daily hard work. Williams does most of his work sitting for hours at a time at his Steinway, composing in pencil.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like cutting a stone at your desk,鈥� he says. 鈥淢y younger colleagues are much faster than I am because they have electronic equipment and computers and synthesizers and so on.鈥�
When Williams began (his first feature film score was 1958鈥檚 鈥淒addy-O鈥�), the cinematic tradition of grand, orchestral scores was beginning to lose out to pop soundtracks. Now, many are gravitating toward synthesized music for film. Increasingly, Williams has the aura of a venerated old master who bridges distant eras of film and music.
鈥淩ecording with the New York Philharmonic, the whole orchestra to a person were awestruck by this gentleman at now 90 who hears everything, is unfailingly kind, gentle, polite. People just wanted to play for him,鈥� says Ma. 鈥淭hey were floored by the musicianship of this man.鈥�
This late chapter in Williams鈥� career is in some ways a chance to place his mammoth legacy not just in connection with cinema but among the classical legends. Williams, who led the Boston Pops from 1980 to 1993, has conducted the Berlin, Vienna and New York philharmonics, among others. In the world鈥檚 elite orchestras, Williams鈥� compositions have passed into canon.
Williams鈥� enduring partnership with Steven Spielberg has, of course, helped the composer鈥檚 odds. Spielberg, who first sought out a lunch with Williams in 1972 after being captivated by his score to 鈥淭he Reivers,鈥� has called him 鈥渢he single most significant contributor to my success as a filmmaker.鈥�
鈥淲ithout John Williams, bikes don鈥檛 really fly,鈥� Spielberg said when the AFI honored Williams in 2016.
They remain irrevocably linked. Their offices on the Universal lot are just steps from one another. Along with 鈥淚ndiana Jones,鈥� Williams recently scored Spielberg鈥檚 upcoming semi-autobiographical drama about growing up in Arizona, 鈥淭he Fabelmans.鈥� The two movies make it 30 films together for Spielberg and Williams.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been 50 years now. Maybe we鈥檙e starting on the next 50,鈥� says Williams with a laugh.
In Spielberg鈥檚 films and others, Williams has carved out enough perfectly condensed melodies to rival the Beatles. Spielberg once described his five-note 鈥淐ommunication Motif鈥� from 鈥淐lose Encounters鈥� as 鈥渁 doorbell.鈥�
鈥淪imple little themes that speak clearly and without obfuscation are very hard to find and very hard to do,鈥� says Williams. 鈥淭hey really are the result of a lot of work. It鈥檚 almost like chiseling. Move one note, change a rhythmic emphasis or the direction of an interval and so on. A simple tune can be done in dozens of ways. If you find one that, it seems like you discovered something that wanted to be uncovered.鈥�
鈥擩ake Coyle, The Associated Press
