June 13, 2025
Hodgson Hall, UGA-PAC
Athens, Georgia – USA
“The Movie Music of John Williams”
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; William R. Langley, conductor.
Alfred NEWMAN: 20th Century Fox Fanfare (1933)
John WILLIAMS: “Main Title” from Star Wars: Suite for Orchestra
John WILLIAMS: “Dartmoor, 1912” from War Horse
John WILLIAMS: “Devil’s Dance” from The Witches of Eastwick
John WILLIAMS: Three Pieces from Schindler’s List
John WILLIAMS: “Marion’s Theme” from The Adventures of Indiana Jones
John WILLIAMS: “Tango” from Scent of a Woman
John WILLIAMS: “The Flight to Neverland” from Hook
John WILLIAMS: Theme from Jurassic Park
John WILLIAMS: “Hedwig’s theme” from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
John WILLIAMS: “Harry’s Wonderous World” from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
John WILLIAMS: Suite from Far and Away
John WILLIAMS: “Adventures on Earth” from E.T. (The Extra-Terrestrial)
John WILLIAMS: “Imperial March” from Star Wars (encore)
Mark Gresham | 16 JUN 2025
An enthusiastic audience at Hodgson Concert Hall leapt to its feet Friday night as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra closed its concert with a much-anticipated encore: John Williams’ rousing “Imperial March” from Star Wars. It was the final flourish of a program that paid exuberant homage to the most iconic film composer of the last half-century.
ASO resident conductor William R. Langley. (courtesy of the artist)
Led by ASO resident conductor William R. Langley, the orchestra delivered a wide-ranging tribute to Williams’ film scores, spanning from the bucolic English countryside in War Horse to the sweeping fantasy of Harry Potter and the heart-tugging sorrow of Schindler’s List. Langley’s energetic but fluid conducting style gave shape and sweep to the evening without overdoing the finely drawn orchestral textures that make Williams’ music so enduring.
But what concert of movie music can do without a bit of unexpected drama? Just as the audience was settling in for an evening of cinematic symphonic magic, the blare of a fire alarm pierced the calm at 7:08 p.m., accompanied by flashing lights and a mechanical voice warning them to exit the building, sending concertgoers and musicians alike out into the humid Athens evening. It turned out the culprit wasn’t fire but fashion: a musician attempting to steam the wrinkles out of his concert jacket backstage had apparently got a bit too close to a heat sensor, triggering the alarm.
Ultimately, an all-clear was given even before the alarm was shut off, and the audience quickly retook their seats. The concert began only about ten minutes behind schedule—wrinkle-free and with no lingering smoke but perhaps just a touch more drama than originally intended.
At last, the concert opened, fittingly, with a selection not composed by Williams: Alfred Newman’s brief but brassy 20th Century Fox Fanfare, a prelude that has long served as an iconic portal to the cinematic world. But it was not led by Langley, instead by Jeffrey Martin, the UGA-PAC’s director, in a nod to the role of a presenter of concerts, a parallel to the role of Fox as a producer and presenter of motion pictures.
Langley then took the podium to lead the ASO in a setlist of some of John Williams’ best-known themes, many of which have become part of the collective cultural memory. The main title music from Star Wars, which opened the main body of the program, was a reminder of the sheer grandeur Williams brings to the screen: noble brass, lush strings, and a rhythmically propulsive engine of percussion.
But the program was not merely a greatest-hits compilation. Langley and the ASO took care to include selections that showcased the composer’s depth and versatility. “Dartmoor, 1912,” from War Horse, painted a pastoral scene of gentle melancholy, while “Devil’s Dance” from The Witches of Eastwick showcased jagged humor and technical dazzle.
Perhaps the most affecting moment of the night came with the Three Pieces from Schindler’s List, in which associate concertmaster Justin Bruns stepped into the solo spotlight. With ASO concertmaster David Coucheron away in Oslo, Norway for the Kon-Tiki Chamber Music Festival, Bruns took on two prominent solos, including the elegiac violin line at the emotional center of Schindler’s List. His tone was warm and unhurried, allowing the sorrow and fragility of the music to speak with simplicity and directness. He returned for another stand-up solo in “Tango (Por Una Cabeza)” from Scent of a Woman, bringing an expressive flair that balanced passion with restraint.
Though rooted in Hollywood, Williams’ music consistently reflects the structures and discipline of classical composition. His rich orchestrations are dense with detail but essentially foolproof, often borrowing from the symphonic language of Korngold, Holst, and even Debussy, which makes his work ideally suited to the concert hall—particularly one as acoustically excellent as Hodgson Hall.
Set within the UGA Performing Arts Center in Athens, Hodgson Hall is among the Southeast’s premier venues for classical music, with a crisp, clear acoustic that flatters both soloists and full ensembles. Friday’s performance marked a “run-out” appearance for the Atlanta Symphony, one of several the ensemble presents outside its main home at Symphony Hall in Atlanta. The occasional trips that the ASO makes to Athens each year provide northeast Georgia audiences with a chance to experience the full force of the major American orchestra up close at home.
The second half of the program leaned into more familiar titles, with Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, and Hook all making an appearance, each performed with an anticipated cinematic sweep. The Suite from Far and Away brought a Celtic lilt and lush romanticism, while “Adventures on Earth” from E.T. built to a heart-swelling conclusion.
Langley maintained good cohesion throughout the program and seemed to relish the music’s theatrical energy. His comfortable rapport with the orchestra suggests a conductor equally at ease in serious symphonic literature and more populist fare.
By the time the ASO launched into the unannounced encore—the unmistakable “Imperial March”—the audience was already fully won over, but with its stern brass proclamations and militaristic drive, the piece brought the evening to an even more heightened, emphatic close.
This ASO concert in Athens reaffirmed what audiences and musicians alike already know: that the music of John Williams transcends the screen and, in the hands of a skilled orchestra and an engaged conductor, can become thrilling concert music in its own right. ■
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Atlanta Symphony Orchestra: aso.org
- William R. Langley: williamrlangley.com
Read more by Mark Gresham.
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