John Williams

We went to Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts for the first time last night and it was fabulous!  We saw the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Emil de Cou, along with members of the Washington Chorus perform the music of John Williams.

The weather was perfect, stars filled the sky, and the performance was amazing.

John Williams.  Musical genius.

The greatest concert I have ever attended was with my mom and dad when I was 16 years old.  We saw John Williams conduct the Boston Pops at the Hollywood Bowl.  I cannot imagine any concert topping that one.  Ever.

I began piano lessons when I was 8 and French horn lessons when I was 12 and from that time forward, I was completely in love with classical music and orchestral music and musical scores of all kinds.  I even dabbled with the trumpet and went to music camp for four summers during high school.  Had anyone asked me during those years who I would choose if I could meet any person alive or otherwise, my answer would have been John Williams.  Hands down, John Williams.

So even though the conductor last night was not John Williams, the music was John Williams and I knew it would be great.

  

Before the concert, we spotted some unusual characters mingling with the crowd.  We later learned that they were part of the show.  Thank goodness…I initially thought they were just audience members who decided to dress up for the show, which would have indicated some pretty impressive commitment on their part.

Although we were told that photography was not allowed, people were taking photos and no one was reprimanding them, so during the finale, I snapped a few quick pictures because it was so entertaining that I just had to capture it!

Darth Vader took over conducting responsibilities

In addition to John Williams, there was a tribute to James Horner, who passed away in June.  He wrote the scores for Titanic, Apollo 13, and Braveheart, among many others.  The orchestra and chorus performed My Heart Will Go On and it was absolutely beautiful.

Here is the list of pieces they played last night:

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Lincoln

Jurassic Park

Jaws

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Home Alone

Catch Me If You Can

Titanic (James Horner)

E.T.

The Cowboys

Harry Potter

Star Wars

Encore:

Superman

It was such a wonderful show!  I was brought to tears several times simply because the beauty of the music overwhelmed me.  Jurassic Park, E.T., Harry Potter, and Star Wars were particular triggers for the waterworks and I was reminded why I have loved John Williams for so much of my life.

What an icon.

Happy Tails to you!