Who cares about the Super Bowl, when it’s John Williams’ birthday? Williams is 94 years-old today.
John Williams is everywhere right now. His Piano Concerto, written for Emanuel Ax – and given its world premiere with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood this past summer – is making the rounds, with performances by the New York Philharmonic later this month and the Philadelphia Orchestra next season. His score for the film “Disclosure Day” – his 30th collaboration with director Steven Spielberg –will arrive in theaters on June 12th. (Allegedly, he just recorded it.) And right now, selections from his Olympic fanfares are being played as segues and bumpers throughout broadcasts of the games from Milano Cortina.
Williams hasn’t written anything new for this year’s Olympics, nor for that matter, for tonight’s Super Bowl (unless there’s a new trailer for “Disclosure Day”). However, on at least one occasion, possibly more, his “NBC Sunday Night Football Theme” has opened the broadcast.
In 2023, Williams composed music for the telecast of ESPN’s College Football Playoff Championship. Set the athletic mood with “Of Grit and Glory.”
I just remembered: Williams also wrote the score for the 1977 thriller “Black Sunday,” in which Robert Shaw races to prevent Bruce Dern from blowing up the Super Bowl – with the Goodyear blimp!
The indelible “Olympic Fanfare and Theme,” composed for the 1984 summer games in Los Angeles and part of Olympic broadcasts ever since
Also frequently heard: the fanfare from “Summon the Heroes,” written for the 1996 Atlanta games
When we listen to John Williams, we can imagine a better, more inspiring world.
Thank you, and happy birthday, John Williams!
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BONUS: Ten-minute Williams interview with Variety, filmed when the composer was 92