Thanks to the generosity of Alycia’s grandparents, this past weekend we had the tremendous opportunity to see John Williams conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic. We spent Saturday evening at the Hollywood Bowl listening to music from different movies.
This is the second time I’ve seen John Williams at the Hollywood Bowl and both times it was quite the experience. The crowd is amazingly diverse. There are a lot of nerds, a lot of senior citizens and a lot of trendy Hollywood people. As you can see in the picture above, a lot of the nerds brought their lightsabers and they were proudly swinging them during “Duel of the Fates”, “The Imperial March” and “The Star Wars Theme”.
John Williams is extremely talented. He has written some of the most iconic pieces of music in the history of the world. From the opening notes of “The Star Wars Theme” people are immediately transported to a galaxy far, far away. Had he only written the score for Star Wars, Williams would have been a Hollywood legend. Not only did Williams compose the score for George Lucas’ space opera, but he also composed the scores for Indiana Jones, E.T., Superman, Harry Potter and many, many more.
I don’t know if John Williams is a follower of Jesus but he has definitely made the most of the gifts God has given him. He has used his gifts, talents and abilities to make a lasting impact in the world. That impact was clearly seen this weekend as lightsabers swung through the air in time with Williams’ baton.
Any of us can only hope to make half the impact on this world that John Williams has made. While we may never compose world-famous music, we can have an eternal impact on those around us. Every time we share what God is doing in our lives or show compassion and love, we are making an impact. No one may swing a lightsaber at us when we do it, but it still is making a difference.
What’s your favorite piece of John Williams’ music?
Boy, you don’t ask easy questions, do you 😉
It would almost be easier to ask which piece of his music I DON’T like! That list would be might small.
Favorites: Star Wars (of course), Superman, 1942, Harry Potter, Olympic Fanfare,…the list goes on (and on, and on…)
You nailed the problem! List does go on and on; it’s difficult to remember all the movies he has scored.