John Williams underpins some of the most special and captivating film music of all time, creating soundtracks for Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Superman, Jaws, et, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, TO THE, Harry Potter, and much more. She is 90 and is currently finishing work on the next one Indiana Jones Continuation. After his incredible career, he is only now considering leaving the film industry.
In a recent interview with AP News, Williams said:
“I’m currently working on ‘Indiana Jones 5’, which Harrison Ford – who is a little younger than me – I think will be his last film. So, I thought: if Harrison can do it, then maybe I can do it too. “
Ford actually hasn’t officially stated that it will publicly withdraw 100%. And even Williams, who turned 90 in February, isn’t quite ready for retirement. He went on:
“I don’t want to be seen as a categorical elimination of any activity. I can’t play tennis, but I like being able to believe that maybe one day I will ”.
Right now, though, there are other ways Williams wants to spend his time. A Star Wars the film takes six months of work, which, he notes, “at this point in life is a long commitment for me”. Instead, Williams is devoting himself to composing concert music, including a piano concerto he is writing for Emanuel Ax.
The report notes that this spring, Williams and cellist Yo-Yo Ma released the album A meeting of friends, recorded with the New York Philharmonic, Pablo Sáinz-Villegas and Jessica Zhou. It is a radiant collection of cello concertos and new arrangements from the scores of Schindler List, Lincoln, And Monkincluding the sublime “A Prayer for Peace”.
Williams went on to add a beautiful sentiment about the music, saying:
“It has given me the ability to breathe, the ability to live and to understand that there is more to bodily life. Without being religious, which I am not particularly, there is a spiritual life, an artistic life, a realm that is above the worldliness of everyday reality. Music can elevate thought to the level of poetry. We can reflect on how necessary music has been for humanity. I always like to assume that music is older than language, that we were probably playing drums and playing pipes before we could speak. So it is an essential part of our humanity. He gave me life “.
Whatever Williams ends up doing, he has given us enough good music for a lifetime and we will be forever grateful to you.
by Jessica Fisher
Source: Geek Tyrant
