There are few others who have influenced cinema as much as John Williams. The 90-year-old composer has scored some of the most memorable movie themes ever, including Jaws, Star Wars, and the Indiana Jones films.
In a recent interview with AP News, Williams shared that the project he is currently working on—Indiana Jones 5—might be the last film he scores. That doesn’t mean, however, that he’s retiring from composing altogether.
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“At the moment I’m working on Indiana Jones 5, which Harrison Ford—who’s quite a bit younger than I am—I think has announced will be his last film,” Williams says. “So, I thought: If Harrison can do it, then perhaps I can, also.”
For the record, Ford hasn’t announced that the fifth Indiana Jones film would be his last—and Williams admits he isn’t 100 percent sure that it will be his last film either. “I don’t want to be seen as categorically eliminating any activity,” he added. “I can’t play tennis, but I like to be able to believe that maybe one day I will.”
He did, however, tell AP News that the six-months required for scoring a film is at this point in his live, a “long commitment.” And he’s also working on other projects, most recently a piano concerto for Emanuel Ax.
The article goes on to talk about Williams’ long and impressive career. It also has the legendary composer reflecting on his own work and what music has meant to him.
“It’s given me the ability to breathe, the ability to live and understand that there’s more to corporal life,” Williams said about the impact music has had on his life. “Without being religious, which I’m not especially, there is a spiritual life, an artistic life, a realm that’s above the mundanities of everyday realities. Music can raise one’s thinking to the level of poetry. We can reflect on how necessary music has been for humanity. I always like to speculate that music is older than language, that we were probably beating drums and blowing on reeds before we could speak. So it’s an essential part of our humanity.”
“It’s given me my life.”
You can read the article in its entirety here. And we can hear Williams’ last film score (potentially) when Indiana Jones 5 premieres June 30, 2023.
Half my childhood sounds like John Williams. Star Wars, Indy, Superman …
The other half sounds like Alan Silvestri. Back to the Future, Gremlins …
As much as the greedy, selfish part of me wants John Williams to compose until he draws his final breath -because you can’t ever have enough of John Williams!-, the more reasonable part of me says that he should do whatever gives him most joy in his life. He’s more than earned it!
Interesting! His work on Star Wars got me paying attention to film music. I’ve phased out of that fandom, but have the Raiders of the Lost Ark album and cds from three later films. And some film scores (on cassettes and cds) by other composers.
If Mr Williams wants to take it easy, I hope he gets a chance to take it easy; if he wants to get back in the game then it’s hard to imagine who could possibly refuse him, because the only Music Master who could hope to do better than John Williams is the Choirmaster General of the Heavenly Chorus! (and even they couldn’t hope to do MUCH better).
Good Luck and God Bless the Maestro, whatsoever he may care to do with his time. (-:
@1. reagan3: A most excellent start – I could add Ms. Shirley Walker, Mr Jerry Goldsmith & Mr James Horner to my own list, but they would be more (much more) of a Good Thing, rather than an inarguable bump in quality.
@2 – I agree, but in a way I think this IS what gives him the most joy in life. If anything, it’s probably what keeps him so with it at 90!
But seriously, I love him so much, and even getting something like the Kenobi theme was such an unexpected blessing for me. I’m deeply attached to his music and it’s something that has kept me human in some dark times.
We were supposed to see him conduct in October 2020 but the pandemic wrecked that. We might get a chance next year (he does have concerts planned) but of course nothing is certain. I will count it as a near religious experience if it happens though.
I’m not surprised. I’ve been expecting Indy 5 would probably be the maestro’s swansong.
He’s had a good 70 year run. Thank you for giving us so many beloved, influential pieces of music.
I was fortunate to hear John Williams conduct the Philadelphia Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in late April. (He’s been conducting not only them, but also the Boston Symphony Orchestra – which gave the world premiere performance of his second Violin concerto written for soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter last summer – and the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic orchestras.) The April concert featured the New York City debut performance of that violin concert with Mutter as soloist, but it also included him conducting selections from the “Star Wars” and Harry Potter films, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Schindler’s List”, with Mutter playing the solo violin part in its main theme. I have also heard that he is also composing a piece for his friend – and long-time collaborator – Yo-Yo Ma, who performed the solo cello part in his film score for “Angela’s Ashes”.