John Williams is the most significant figure in contemporary original film music. He established a new genre: he created concert pieces of the fragments of melodies played in film soundtracks. Two scores that stand out among his works are the soundtracks written for the Star Wars and Harry Potter series. Although Star Wars is the more well-known of the two thanks to the unimaginable popularity of the film, perhaps the most substantial and impressive series in his repertoire is the Harry Potter scores. John Williams’ interpretation bears resemblance to Wagner’s technique of leading motive, as key characters and events in the films have distinctive motives and musical attributes, of which the composer created miniature symphonic poems. One is amazed by the style diversity of the Harry Potter scores: ranging from romantic to contemporary, from jazz to musical parody almost all genres are represented, and Williams demonstrates the entire collection of the exceptional technical skills and brilliance of the great classical composers.

Speaker and conductor: Gábor Hollerung

John Williams: Harry Potter suite