An evening pause: The opening theme of this piece, by Leo Arnaud, was used by ABC for its Wild World of Sports and Olympic coverage in the ’60s and 70s. John Williams later wrote a version for use for NBC’s Olympic television broadcast, incorporating Arnard’s work at the beginning. This live 2009 performance is by the Bands of His Majesty’s Royal Marines in London.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
An evening pause: The music is by John Williams. The lead violinist is space-walking Sarah Gillis, playing from the Resilience capsule in orbit right now.
Hat tip Gary.
HARMONY OF RESILIENCE: Recorded in space and sent to Earth via @SpaceX’s @Starlink constellation, Polaris Dawn crewmember and violinist @Gillis_SarahE invites you to enjoy this music moment in support of @StJude & @ElSistemaUSA → https://t.co/My8cUwAWzg pic.twitter.com/OoxTllCZNP
— Polaris (@PolarisProgram) September 13, 2024
An evening pause: From the 1964 pilot, replaced by the much more familiar song when the series aired. And yes, the author was THAT John Williams. I hope your weekend adventures don’t end up like this one.
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.
An evening pause: What is most important about this performance is that Williams was doing the conducting on his 90th birthday. The only sour note of this performance is the idiotic masks they made some members of the orchestra wear. Obviously, a horn player can’t give anyone an infection, but a violin player can. Note too how all the VIPs on the front of the stage (such as Steven Spielberg) were also immune from COVID and didn’t need masks either. What fools and hypocrites.
Hat tip Phil Berardelli.
An evening pause: It is more than a decade since I last posted this magnificent piece of music from the 1972 John Wayne film, The Cowboys. Time to post it again, because I think it makes a great start to a new year. Rather than John Williams conducting, this time we have a 2018 performance by the Stanisław Moniuszko School of Music Orchestra in Bielsko Biała, Poland, Andrzej Kucybała, conductor.
An evening pause: Performed by the Danish National Orchestra in 2017. It appears that in 2017 and in 2018 this orchestra did these movie-themed concerts a lot.
Hat tip Mike Nelson.
An evening pause: I think I’ve posted this previously, but I can’t find it, and so what. It’s worth listening to again.
Hat tip Danae.
An evening pause: On this day, the anniversary of Pearl Harbor, we must remember all those who died to keep us free. Or as one of the memorials shown in the video says, “We mark the price of freedom.”
Hat tip Danae.
An evening pause: John Williams conducting.
To my mind, this would have also been good for Labor Day yesterday, as this music for the evil Empire of Star Wars makes an ideal anthem for the left.
Hat tip Jim Mallamace.
An evening pause: From one of the best films ever made, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). As I wrote about it at the time for a comic book fan group, it recognizes that there is good and evil, and that there is something in the universe that casts judgement on each. Such concepts had and continue to be largely rejected by modern intellectualism, at our peril.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
An evening pause: Performed by the Boston Pops orchestra.
Hat tip to Phil Berardelli, author of Phil’s Favorite 500: Loves of a Moviegoing Lifetime. As Phil noted to me, “The audience seems to love it.” I think many of them had seen the film, and when they heard that first note couldn’t help feeling a deep down bit of squeamish nervousness about what it signified.
An evening pause: I have always thought Steven Spielberg’s E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) to be incredibly over-rated, poorly edited, shallow with a predictable script, and not very interesting. Why the public went mad for it in 1982 always baffled me. Nonetheless, Williams’ score was and is magnificent, and a listen here might explain that madness somewhat.
Hat tip Danae.
An evening pause: Hat tip Danae.
An evening pause: The third movement of Richard Harvey’s Concerto Antico, guitar played by John Williams.
I think that few who listen will only listen once.
An evening pause: From an appearance in Japan during their 2009 world tour.
An evening pause: John Williams conducting a performance of his overture to the 1972 movie, The Cowboys.
