Revelatory adaptations
John Williams places his film themes in an entirely new light for Anne-sophie Mutter
John Williams
Across The Stars: Adaptations of film themes for Violin and Orchestra Anne-sophie Mutter (violin); Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles/john Williams
DG 479 7553 55.09 mins
A few months shy of his 88th birthday, John Williams remains a beloved figure in film music, not to mention a great champion of American music-making. We have violinist Anne-sophie Mutter to thank for this new album, which saw Williams persuaded to put the scores for some of his most famous melodies back on the desk for another look. These aren’t merely rearrangements, though, as the composer has recast familiar themes (and some perhaps not-so-familiar), transforming them into concert fantasies for violin and orchestra. You can hear that Mutter really believes in this music as she puts her heart and soul into the performances, many themes taking on a hitherto unimagined intensity under her bow. The pieces from Dracula (1979) and Cinderella Liberty (1973) were included at the suggestion of the late André Previn, who considered them highlights of Williams’s career; both are highlights of the disc too. Williams’s melodic gifts are well known and oft-celebrated, but hearing these pieces reimagined by a composer free of the constraints of film frames and time-codes is not just a thrill, it’s often revelatory. ★★★★★