John Williams' Film Night at Tanglewood by Maria Reveley

photos courtesy of Hilary Scott/BSO

The weather has been exceptional lately in the Berkshires, and last night was fabulous.  Warm, sunny, clear and cooling in the evening.  So, for John Williams' Film Night, all was perfect to attract a large and enthusiastic crowd.

Mr. Williams entered the stage to an ovation from the crowd.  His 41-year artistic history writing themes and scores for Steven Spielberg's super successful films makes him a known master musician to many throughout the world.  Mr. Williams has won five Oscars, and been nominated for 48, the most nominated living person in the Academy!  Who does not recognize some of his most famous film themes from Jaws, E.T The Extra-Terrestrial, the Indiana Jones films, Jurassic Park, Close Encounters of the Third Kind?  Sometimes, just hearing a few notes can bring terror, joy and other emotions to the listener immediately.

 Another collaborator has been George Lucas, and Mr. Williams composed the scores for all six Star Wars films, and will be working on another this year. He currently holds the title of Laureate Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. Early on as he began to work in the film industry, Mr. Williams worked with accomplished composers including Bernard Herrmann, Alfred Newman, and Franz Waxman and he went on to write music for more than 200 television films and themes for NBC Nightly News, Meet the Press and others.

The evening started with "Hooray for Hollywood" to get everyone in the mood.  Mr. Williams then introduced David Newman, son of Alfred Newman, to the audience.  Mr. Newman has made film music the center of his life, and has become a film music historian as well.  He conducted Fox Fanfare/Conquest from Captain from Castile; Cathy's Theme from Wuthering Heights, with Elita Kang as solo violinist; and the main title from How the West Was Won.  His energy and enthusiasm was contagious.

 He then focused on music by Henry Mancini, along with clips from the related movies.  The them from The Pink Panther had the audience chuckling often, and seeing Peter Sellers in one of his stellar roles made many nostalgic for his brand of humor.  The finale from Breakfast at Tiffany's was riveting, seeing Audrey Hepburn drenched in the rain, looking for Cat and deciding to give up her freedom for love.  Next was Casablanca, one of the most famous movies and film music ever made.  The shots of Ingrid Bergman still linger!

After the intermission, Mr. Williams returned to conduct the Flight to Neverland from Hook and he then presented the highlight performer of the evening, Audra McDonald. Ms. McDonald has won five Tonys, a rare achievement with only two others who have also - Angela Lansbury and Julie Harris (who sadly just passed away this weekend).  Ms. McDonald is a versatile artist, superb in singing (opera as well), and acting, having had a starring role for several years in the series, Private Practice.  She acknowledged how magical Tanglewood is as a performance space and also acknowledged her reverence for Mr. Williams and the BSO.

Ms. McDonald sang a list of songs from a wide range of movies: Lose That Long Face from A Star is Born; It Might as Well be Spring from State Fair; Too Late Now from Royal Wedding, and several others.  Her command of diction and her ability to convey the feelings in each song is remarkable.  She returned to sing As Time Goes By from Casablanca with Mr. Williams accompanying on the piano.

What a finale! The audience left smiling, many of them humming songs from the program.  Another spectacular Tanglewood evening, magical and perfect!