Film composer wins classical awards

mUSiC • Veteran film composer John Williams picked up two Classic BRIT Awards in London on Tuesday, adding a best composer honour to the lifetime achievement prize that had been previously announced.

The classical music awards, held at the Royal Albert Hall, also saw 20-year-old British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor become the youngest male recipient of a Classic BRIT Award, winning the critics’ prize for the album Chopin, Liszt and Ravel.

Among the highlights of the ceremony was a medley of Wil- liams’s film scores performed by the London Chamber Orchestra, including passages from such memorable movie compositions as Star Wars, Harry Potter, Jaws, E.T. and Indiana Jones.

The 80-year-old American won the composer award for his work on War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin.

With a total of 47 Academy Award nominations, Williams is the second most nominated individual after Walt Disney, and he has five Oscar statuettes to his name.