The American composer, conductor and producer John Williams can be called the 'king of film music' without exaggeration.

The multiple Oscar and Grammy winner celebrates his 89th birthday this year and this is a LIMITED EDITION to celebrate.

Since the 1970s, he has been one of Hollywood's best-known, most successful and most influential film composers worldwide. In the course of his unprecedented career, he has worked with many renowned and legendary directors such as Steven Spielberg (on Jaws, Indiana Jones, E.T., Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, Catch Me If You Can, among others), George Lucas (Star Wars) and Alfred Hitchcock (Family Tomb). He also composed the music for the first three films in the popular Harry Potter series.

In addition, he has repeatedly created traditional classical works that have found their way onto concert stages around the world.

PROSPERO honours the master with a lavishly designed double album: CD 1 features the well-known and extremely popular themes from Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, Star Wars and more, performed by the City Light Orchestra, which specializes in film music, and superbly captured in sound by the team at Bauer Studio in Ludwigsburg.

CD 2, on the other hand, presents soloist-influenced works by the composer, interpreted by renowned classical artists such as clarinettist Paul Meyer and trumpeter Reinhold Friedrich.

The program is conducted by Kevin Griffiths, one of the most promising conductors of the young generation. In addition to well-known compositions, there are also relatively unknowns to be heard here, such as the overture to the 1974 film The Cowboys.

'Spotlight on John Williams' is published as a limited edition. Every single copy of the hardcover book has been numbered by hand. With 64-page booklet with many images, photos and specially made illustrations.

Ralph Vaughan Williams is one of Britain’s most illustrious composers, and this specially curated selection of works demonstrates the sheer breadth of his achievement. As a major 20th century symphonist he is represented by four of his nine symphonies, all in critically acclaimed recordings (‘A clear top recommendation’ wrote Gramophone of A Sea Symphony). Popular orchestral works such as the celebrated Tallis Fantasia and The Lark Ascending are also included. Vaughan Williams’ chamber works are performed by the Maggini Quartet, his greatest contemporary champions; while the sublime Mass in G minor shows the composer’s high standing in the English choral tradition.

REVIEW:

More Vaughan Williams—and very welcome, too. While admirers may favour other performances, every take here on the composer’s exquisite scores is more than competitive. This curated selection of works is a measure of RVW’s achievements. As a major 20th-century symphonist he is represented by four of his nine symphonies, all in much-praised recordings, while winning orchestral works such as the celebrated Tallis Fantasia and The Lark Ascending are also included. Vaughan Williams’ chamber works are performed by the Maggini Quartet, his greatest contemporary champions; while the sublime Mass in G minor is a solid addition.

-- Classical CD Source (Barry Forshaw)

John Williams is a game changer. Early in his career he crossed the lines between music that was “art” and music that was “commercial,” and never looked back. He is one of the best known, most awarded and most successful composers in US history, and his name is inextricably connected to outstanding music for films. He has written scores for over 100 films, and his massive list of awards includes 51 Academy Award nominations and five wins, as well as 24 Grammy Awards. A less-known fact is his fondness for writing, arranging and conducting wind band music. This collection of his film music includes favorites from Star Wars, Superman, JFK, ET, and many more, arranged for concert performance by a top level wind ensemble. Brilliant performances by the Dallas Winds have been captured in spectacular audiophile sound by Reference Recordings’ own award-winning engineering team. The recording was made in Dallas Texas, in the Morton H. Meyerson Concert Center, one of the world’s greatest concert halls, and the site of an annual Dallas Winds concert featuring the film music of John Williams.

John Williams is one of the greatest film composers of all time by any objective standard; his 49 Academy Award nominations are second only to Walt Disney himself. Williams and Walt Disney Concert Hall have gone together since the beginning. He opened the third inaugural gala, Soundstage L.A., in 2003 with the world premiere of his Soundings, a piece that has also provided the carillon lobby chimes that announce the end of intermission.

For the 2014-15 Opening Night Concert and Gala, the Los Angeles Philharmonic paid loving tribute to the composer, long a champion and close friend of the LA Phil. Gustavo Dudamel, an awestruck fan of the musical icon, led the orchestra in a cross-section of Maestro Williams’s matchless canon.

A JOHN WILLIAMS CELEBRATION featuring works from:
Olympic Fanfare and Theme
Schindler’s List
Fiddler on the Roof
Soundings
Catch Me If You Can
Star Wars
Amistad
Jaws
The Empire Strikes Back

Itzhak Perlman, violin
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Recorded at Walt Disney Concert Hall, USA, 2014

Bonus: Interviews with John Williams, Gustavo Dudamel, and Itzhak Perlman

Running time: 85 mins (concert) + 18 mins (bonus)

Subtitles: German, French, Spanish, Korean
Booklet: English, German, French
Picture: NTSC, 16:9
Audio: PCM Stereo, PCM 5.1
Region Code: 0 (worldwide)

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A 4 CD extravaganza of John Williams’ soundtrack and film score music joins the 12th batch of box sets released as a part of the Sony Classical Masters Series and provides a colossal reminder of Williams’ prodigious breadth and ubiquity of his works in some of the most culture defining films of the recent Hollywood era. With a disc devoted to his Star War scores, and another to his orchestral works and Olympics inspired works; the collection also features popular orchestras and soloists including Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic and more.

Five classic albums from master guitarist John Williams for less than the price of one!

Williams: An American Journey