Steven Reineke. Photo by Larry Busacca.
John Williams, composer and conductor, is widely known as one of the greatest writers of music for the movies. Over the past seven decades, he has composed the music for some of Hollywood’s greatest films, some of which have helped shape American culture. He has revived the old-fashioned romantic style of orchestral scoring and is second only to Walt Disney in the number of Academy Award nominations (54). He has won five Oscars, 27 Grammy Awards, a Kennedy Center Honor, an American Film Institute Life Achievement Award, and the National Medal of Arts. He is the former principal conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, has composed classical concertos for various instruments, themes for several Olympic Games, and the theme for “NBC Nightly News.” He is also the subject of a documentary, “Music by John Williams.”
Steven Spielberg, a legendary film director, has received three Academy Awards, a Kennedy Center Honor, an AFI Life Achievement Award, a National Medal of Arts, four Golden Globes, four BAFTA Awards, 12 Grammy Awards, an Emmy, and a Tony Award. He has also been honored with the Cecil B. DeMille Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a knighthood. He is regarded as the pioneer of the summer blockbuster and a co-founder of DreamWorks Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. In addition to directing, he has produced films and series for TV and plays for the Broadway theatre.
This historic 50+ year collaboration between the composer and the director began in 1974 with “The Sugarland Express” and continues to the present. The long and successful partnership has included 30 feature films. Spielberg has stated that they have never had a single argument, and he has never rejected or disliked any theme Williams has composed.
Conductor Steven Reineke kept this evening’s music moving along smoothly with very interesting comments and information on the selections, which showcased some major films of the duo between 1974 and 2011. The full orchestra played beautifully, and Maestro Reineke reminded us that Williams kept every section quite busy with energetic ensemble playing and contemplative, thought-provoking music as well, sometimes both within a single piece. There were many opportunities for remarkably challenging and superb solo playing for violin, clarinet, flute, English horn, cello, celeste, and percussion. The soloists also included a guest harmonicist and accordionist. They were recognized and introduced by the conductor, but unfortunately none of their names were in the program nor was there included a current roster of BSO musicians. (Perhaps the BSO would consider putting post-program information, especially changes in the song selection and the names of featured soloists, on their website.)
The themes and music of John Williams recalled scenes from the Spielberg films so dramatically that audience fans could visually recall the excitement of the movies: “Jaws,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Schindler’s List,” “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” “Jurassic Park,” and “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” were among the notable selections. An encore of the theme from the “Star Wars” franchise, a George Lucas-John Williams collaboration (Spielberg made uncredited contributions and actually introduced Lucas to Williams), brought the audience to its feet to cheer and applaud another evening of outstanding music in the BSO Summerfest offerings.
Running Time: One hour and 45 minutes, with a 20-minute intermission.
“John Williams & Steven Spielberg: Movie Magic” was performed on July 31, 2026, at The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda MD 20852, and on August 1, 2026, at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral Street, Baltimore MD 21201. For information and to purchase tickets for future events, please contact the Box Office in North Bethesda at 877-276-1444 or in Baltimore at 410-783-8000 or go online. The Box Office is open Tuesday through Friday from 10 am to 5 pm and on Saturday/Sunday from 12 noon to 5 pm. The Box Office is also open one hour prior to each performance and through intermission for walk-up sales.
