John Williams: Magic Suite

Music by John Williams.

A personal audio/video tribute to some of John Williams' dazzling and shimmering "magical" cues as heard heard in some of his film scores. This style is one of the (many!) trademarks of Maestro Williams, especially when working in the fantasy genre (SpaceCamp, Harry Potter, Amazing Stories), but you can find examples also in drama (Empire of the Sun) or even comedy scores (1941). In these selections, you can listen to the composer's special treatment of orchestral textures like high-pitched strings frequently accompanied by harp, piano and glockenspiel. But it's mostly the harmonic/melodic language that is completely unique and recognizable (like the usage of Lydian mode and the frequent setting in triple waltz-like time). Williams explored this kind of style mostly during the 1980s, to the point that it almost became a signature sound for Steven Spielberg productions made in those years.

All excerpts taken from the original film soundtrack recordings.

The copyright of these recordings is property of the respective owners and publishers. No copyright infringement intended!

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