Daniel Meyer, Music Director and Conductor
Opening Night, September 26th
Really looking forward to returning to the Warner Theatre soon - and with the music of (mostly) John Williams and the films of Steven Spielberg, I think we are going to have a great time. What I like most about John Williams' music is that it is so expertly tailored for the orchestra. I never get the feeling that his music was first composed on a synthesizer or cranked-out on a laptop before it was orchestrated.
By this I mean that Williams really conceives of his musical gestures in their orchestral clothes. He knows precisely what will sound good with the instruments, and he is as deft at composing a triumphant march with blazing brass (Raiders of the Lost Ark) as he his is with a tender, heart-rending moment with a solo violin, a lonely clarinet, or pulsating strings (Schindler's List.) There is no hint that he simply pasted a tune into a specific spot, but that he has completely absorbed the emotional content of the cinematic moment and has composed music tailor-made for that incredible visual sequence.
There is an adage that good film music shouldn't be noticed - it should simply support the content of the visual element in film. In Williams, you of course get that, but you also get such memorable melodies and expert orchestration that he is able to transcend the adage and create music that is as loved on the concert stage as it is in the movie theater. We will honor the special relationship Williams has forged with the great American filmmaker Steven Spielberg, and guest host Tom Weber will join us from Edinboro University to talk about what makes Spielberg so popular with our generation of film fans.
~ Daniel Meyer