Compact Discoveries^®
a series of one-hour radio programs produced, hosted, and edited by Fred Flaxman
©2011 by Fred Flaxman

Program 178
"John Williams, Part 2"

MUSIC: excerpt from John Williams: “Dual of the Fates” from Star Wars performed by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra conducted by Erich Kunzel [Telarc CD-80664, track 7] [under the following]

Hello and welcome to Compact Discoveries. I’m your guide, Fred Flaxman. Stay with me for the next hour and we’ll explore more of the tuneful music of the America’s most famous contemporary film composer, John WIlliams.

John Williams has written so many terrific film scores that I could not fit all of my favorites into one hour. So this will be the second of two hours devoted to his music. In the first hour I included music from Schindler’s List, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial, Minority Report, Sugarland Express, and Jurassic Park. This second hour of Williams’ music will include a suite from Star Wars and one from Harry Potter. If you missed the first hour, you can stream it and all other Compact Discoveries programs on demand by going to CompactDiscoveries.com and finding program number 177. This is program number 178.

MUSIC: Fades out

Star Wars, of course, is a phenomenon: the most successful film series of all time and a cultural icon of almost mythic proportions. George Lucas’ original movie created an unprecedented sensation when it was released in 1977. By 2005 the series totaled six films. John Williams’ scores for the Star Wars films have earned him three Academy Award nominations, and he won the third of his five Oscars for “Episode Four: A New Hope.”

If you love the Star Wars film series, you already know the story. On the other hand, if you don’t care for science fiction, you won’t be interested in the plot, so I’m not going to tell it. But I think both groups will greatly enjoy this truly superb filmscore as performed in this suite by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra conducted by Erich Kunzel.

MUSIC: John WIlliams: Suite: Star Wars performed by the Cincinnati Pops conducted by Erich Kunzel [Telarc CD-80664, Tracks 1-10]

A suite from John Williams’ filmscore to Star Wars. The Cincinnati Pops was conducted by Erich Kunzel on this Telarc compact disc of “Great Film Fantasies.” Members of the Cincinnati May Festival Chorus were conducted by Robert Porco.

You are listening to Part 2 of the music of John Williams on this hour of Compact DIscoveries. I’m you guide, Fred Flaxman.

[optional one-minute break not included in the total timing of the program]

The 2006 Telarc recording of “Great Film Fantasies” also includes music from three Harry Potter films and three pieces from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. But we don’t have time for the Lord of the Rings in this hour and the filmscores for that series were not by John WIlliams. They were by Howard Shore, who received three Oscars as a result. So they are definitely worth exploring in a future program.
For now, let’s listen to “Harry’s Wondrous World” from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, “The Chamber of Secrets” from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and Aunt Marge’s Waltz” from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Once again Erich Kunzel leads the Cincinnati Pops.

MUSIC: Williams: Harry Potter performed by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra conducted by Erich Kunzel [Telarc CD-80664, tracks 11-13]

John Williams’ music from three Harry Potter films. Erich Kunzel conducted the Cincinnati Pops.

In 1999 Telarc issued another of the almost countless CDs with Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops. This was a salute to the great movie scores from the films of Steven Spielberg, and it included “Toy Planes, Home and Hearth” from Empire of the Sun. We’ll conclude this hour devoted to the music of John Williams with this recording.

MUSIC: Williams: “Toy Planes, Home and Hearth” from Empire of the Sun performed by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra conducted by Erich Kunzel [Telarc CD-80495, track 11] [3:17]

“Toy Planes, Home and Hearth” from Empire of the Sun. Music by John Williams.

MUSIC: excerpt from John Williams: “Dual of the Fates” from Star Wars performed by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra conducted by Erich Kunzel [Telarc CD-80664, track 7] [under the following]


And that concludes this second hour of music of John Williams on Compact Discoveries. This is Fred Flaxman thanking you for listening, and reminding you to go to compactdiscoveries.com for complete information on all of these programs as well as the opportunity to stream them on demand, read their transcripts, order CDs used in the programs, and enjoy articles about compact discs. This is program number 178 should you desire to hear it again or to read the script for details on the recordings used. You can also listen to the first Compact DIscoveries hour devoted to John Williams’ music that way. That was program number 177.

MUSIC: Up and out

ANNOUNCER (Steve Jencks): Compact Discoveries is made possible in part by Story Book Publishers and their latest offering, a tongue-in-cheek memoir by Compact Discoveries host Fred Flaxman called “Sixty Slices of Life ... on Wry: The Private Life of a Public Broadcaster.” Information and ordering at sixtyslices.com. And by the financial support of Isabel and Marvin Leibowitz, and an anonymous donor from Palm Beach, Florida. And by contributions to local public radio stations by listeners like you. Thank you.

Total Program Timing: 58:00