During the holiday break and fresh off the heels of the Music by John Williams documentary, Disney+ released John Williams in Tokyo, a concert showing of one of the maestro's latest concerts. Williams performed in 2023 at the Suntory Hall in Japan, and it was his first appearance in Tokyo in 30 years.
The concert opened with several classic pieces performed by the Saito Kinen Orchestra and was conducted for the first few songs by world-renowned Stephane Deneve. The French conductor soon started the Williams collection, conducting the orchestra to the "Flying Theme" from E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
About 30 minutes into the concert film, out came Williams to a roaring standing ovation. He opened his conducting experience with pieces from Superman and the Harry Potter films. After more cheering, he conducted a beautiful version of arguably his most famous work outside of Star Wars, the main theme of Schindler's List.
Williams then went into conducting the pieces from Star Wars. His three pieces were initially from the franchise were "The Rebellion is Born" from The Last Jedi, "Leia's Theme" from A New Hope, and "The Throne Room" also from A New Hope. Each piece brings back the joy for anyone viewing the concert or who was there in person.
He went off stage briefly to a standing ovation but soon returned to conducting more of his familiar themes. He said three words, "Yoda" and "Indiana Jones," and the audience went crazy for the next pieces conducted by Williams.
After one final encore, the 95-year-old composer and conductor came out one more time to utter two more words the audience from across the Pacific Ocean knew and what it meant. If you have ever watched or been to a John Williams concert, his final encore is typically "The Imperial March".
All Williams had to say though, was, "Darth Vader". As the audience enjoyed the final encore, the best part was how members of the orchestra were smiling throughout the whole piece. It's the joy that anyone has when they perform or listen to William's music.
The concert was a joy to watch during the holiday season and as the weather gets bad in my neck of the woods. William's music can transcend the world, and the streaming numbers for the concert are high. My wife states I have a man crush on John Williams. Maybe I do? But I can only hope and be excited for what he has in store for 2025.