John Williams was born in New York City on February 8, 1932. “Hedwig’s Theme” is scored for piccolo, two flutes, three oboes (3rd doubling English horn), three clarinets, two bassoons, contrabassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (two players), harp, piano/celesta, and strings. Approximate performance time is five minutes.
John Williams is celebrated not only for his work in the cinema, but in television, and the concert hall. Williams’s scores for such films as the Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Superman, and Harry Potter series have earned him numerous Academy, Grammy, Golden Globe, and BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards. His television themes, including several for NBC, as well as ceremonial music for the Olympics and the re-dedication of the Statue of Liberty, have provided unforgettable soundtracks for momentous occasions.
In the tradition of other legendary film composers, such as his teacher Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco and Erich Wolfgang Korngold, John Williams is also greatly respected for his music for the concert hall. In addition, John Williams is celebrated as an outstanding conductor, a persuasive interpreter not only of his own works but those by other composers, as well.
This concert opens with “Hedwig’s Theme,” introduced in the movie Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001). The theme, a leitmotif throughout the Harry Potter film series, is one of cinema’s most beloved.
Program notes by Ken Meltzer