Post by erik on Jul 4, 2015 17:56:03 GMT -5
America's greatest living composer of film music, John Williams, is in this 4th Of July weekend Classical Works Spotlight with the score he created for director Steven Spielberg's 2012 epic on the pivotal last few months of the life of our nation's 16th president.
John Williams: LINCOLN
Perhaps the most recorded composer in history, the legendary John Williams’ reputation rests on literally hundreds of TV, film, and concert works that have thrilled audiences the world over. And his best work in film has been for director Steven Spielberg; several of Williams’ Oscars for Best Original Score were for Spielberg (Jaws; E.T.; Schindler’s List; Saving Private Ryan). For Spielberg’s 2012 American epic Lincoln, however, Williams had a challenge for him; he had to create a fairly authentic Americana score that reflected the trials and tribulations of America’s 16th president, portrayed by British actor (and eventual Oscar winner for the role) Daniel Day Lewis, as he struggles to get slavery abolished by way of the 13th Amendment and the Emancipation Proclamation, and to end a divisive Civil War. The composer had delved into Americana before, with Spielberg on the director’s first official feature film in 1974, The Sugarland Express, and for the 1969 Mark Rydell-directed film version of William Faulkner’s The Reivers. In Lincoln, however, he utilized, among other things, an anthem of that era, “The Battle Cry Of Freedom”, as well as integrating traditional American folk instruments like the mandolin, old-time fiddle, and claw hammer banjo into the score. The score was highly acclaimed; and the film, though Spielberg had considered for a time making it for cable TV instead for the big screen (he had diminished hopes that a Civil War epic of this sort would interest filmgoers now stuffed full of CGI spectacles), was a sizeable hit at the box office.
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/JOHN WILLIAMS (Sony)
John Williams: LINCOLN
Perhaps the most recorded composer in history, the legendary John Williams’ reputation rests on literally hundreds of TV, film, and concert works that have thrilled audiences the world over. And his best work in film has been for director Steven Spielberg; several of Williams’ Oscars for Best Original Score were for Spielberg (Jaws; E.T.; Schindler’s List; Saving Private Ryan). For Spielberg’s 2012 American epic Lincoln, however, Williams had a challenge for him; he had to create a fairly authentic Americana score that reflected the trials and tribulations of America’s 16th president, portrayed by British actor (and eventual Oscar winner for the role) Daniel Day Lewis, as he struggles to get slavery abolished by way of the 13th Amendment and the Emancipation Proclamation, and to end a divisive Civil War. The composer had delved into Americana before, with Spielberg on the director’s first official feature film in 1974, The Sugarland Express, and for the 1969 Mark Rydell-directed film version of William Faulkner’s The Reivers. In Lincoln, however, he utilized, among other things, an anthem of that era, “The Battle Cry Of Freedom”, as well as integrating traditional American folk instruments like the mandolin, old-time fiddle, and claw hammer banjo into the score. The score was highly acclaimed; and the film, though Spielberg had considered for a time making it for cable TV instead for the big screen (he had diminished hopes that a Civil War epic of this sort would interest filmgoers now stuffed full of CGI spectacles), was a sizeable hit at the box office.
Chicago Symphony Chorus
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/JOHN WILLIAMS (Sony)
. Williams may well be the last of the Hollywood 'distinctive score' composers, or at least for scoring through the entire film. And for that alone he's noteworthy for being one of the most successful at it. And more versatile and varied than sometimes acknowledged (by me too, I confess!).