‘Music of John Williams’ brings film score classics to town

“I’m a huge John Williams fan,” said Lawrence Loh, the resident conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, who will be leading “The Music of John Williams” in four performances from Jan. 23-26 at Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh.

“And the Pittsburgh Symphony is an orchestra that really knows his music very well. They have all the skill and talent to play it. The performances are as good as they get.”

The 81-year-old Williams has won five Academy Awards and 21 Grammy Awards for scoring films that include the “Star Wars” and “Harry Potter” movies and just about anything Steven Spielberg — a frequent Williams collaborator — has directed.

In fact, after scoring films such as “Valley of the Dolls” and “Fiddler on the Roof,” Williams achieved fame and acclaim with his soundtracks for “Jaws,” “Star Wars” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” in quick succession during the mid- to late 1970s.

His distinctive music has come to be known as a crowd pleaser, but classic musicians enjoy his works too, Loh said.

“I love how traditionally he uses the orchestra,” Loh added. “He writes in a way that is symphonic. He puts the orchestra at its best. He knows how to use the orchestra, and he is well-known for writing themes that go along with characters’ emotions in a way that classical composers like (Richard) Wagner do.”

For instance, Loh said, in “Star Wars,” characters such as Luke Skywalker and Yoda got their own themes.

“When those characters are on screen, he ties those themes into the music, so we associate it with the character,” Loh said. “It’s one of the things that makes listening to music so much more than just listening. You’re imagining the characters and the situations. We tie them to the music in the movie experience.”

“The Music of John Williams” allows audience members to put their own images to the music, however, and does not include a visual element or video montage of the movies.

The show has been divided into two parts, starting with the works of Spielberg in the first half, making sure to set a pace with the grander scores of fun movies such as “Jurassic Park” and “E.T.” with the more delicate music from the more serious films such as “Schindler’s List” and “Munich.”

Then, in the second half of the program, the symphony will perform works from the non-Spielberg movies such as the “Harry Potter” and “Star Wars” franchises.

“I think when we put the order together, we programmed the music where it contrasts from piece to piece,” Loh said. “So it’s not intense, intense, intense. There is an ebb and flow to the program and also to the grouping.”

“The Music of John Williams” will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23, 8 p.m. Jan. 24 and 25 and 2:30 p.m. Jan. 26. Call (412) 392-4900 or www.pittsburghsymphony.org.

Lifestyles Editor Mary Wade Burnside can be reached at (304) 626-1438 or by email at mwburnside@exponent-telegram.com