Composer John Williams gives his own farewell speech at the age of 91: “If only there had been an interesting film…”

Respected composer John Williams has retracted his farewell speech and commented on earlier reports that he had retired from conducting for the last time: “I don’t really care about the big Statements, statements that are fixed and closed and surrounded by closed doors. If I made one without putting it in context, I retract it.”

Williams (91) said The times Newspaper: “If there was a film I was very interested in and whose schedule I could manage, I wouldn’t want to rule anything out. Everything is possible. Everything lies before us. Only our borders hold us back. Or to put it more simply: I like to be open-minded.”

If Williams plans to write fewer films and compose more of his own material, his 2024 agenda is already full. In January he will conduct his own Second Violin Concerto with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and also conduct in Vienna. And he already has a booking as conductor in Berlin for 2025.

Reflecting on his extraordinary career, Williams reflected on the bridge he believes has been built between the commercial world and the world of classical music. He said:

“Thirty or forty years ago, if I brought a program of film music to one of our big orchestras, it might be a little condescending. I understand that; I understand the value of things made in the commercial world and their place in the art world. But now everything is different. I would like to come back in fifty years and see what contribution films make to the development of new music, because I think young composers will want to work with both.”

As a composer for dozens of film scores, including the one announced Jaw Theme, war of stars, Schindler’s List, Jurassic Park And Harry Potter, Williams is often asked if there is a unifying theme in his music. He said The times:

“In film, you have to adapt your style to each upcoming project: Alone at home cannot be in the same idiom as Private James Ryan or Jurassic Park, but maybe we all have many roles in our characters. There has to be some “me” somewhere in all my film music. But I’ll leave it to others to figure that out.”