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Episodes
Tuesday Jul 28, 2020
Tuesday Jul 28, 2020
Talented Los Angeles-based cellist talks on her career as studio musician in Hollywood, her friendship with Yo-Yo Ma and her experiences playing for John Williams on many film soundtracks and recordings
Among the studio musicians who are regular members for John Williams's recordings in Los Angeles in the more recent years, cellist Cécilia Tsan is certainly one of the most luminous and talented of that pool. Born in Versailles (France) from Chinese musician parents, Cécilia started to be immersed in music since a very young age, and began playing at the age of five with the same teacher as her childhood friend Yo-Yo Ma, who continues to be a dear friend and a source of inspiration for her.
After graduating in Paris and attending perfecting classes in Italy, Cécilia started to perform regularly across Europe in classical concerts and recitals. In 1991, she moved to Los Angeles and started to work as a freelance musician. In 2001, she began performing as a studio musician for film recordings.
Cécilia has performed in virtually all of John Williams's scores recorded in Los Angeles during the last two decades, including Minority Report, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, Memoirs of a Geisha, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Adventures of Tintin, War Horse and the Star Wars sequel trilogy. Cécilia was also part of the orchestra hand-picked by Williams which recorded the album Across the Stars, the collaboration between the composer and internationally acclaimed violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter.
Besides her intense activity as studio musician, Cécilia continues to devote a lot of time to classical music, playing both as soloist in symphonic repertoire (performing cello standards by Elgar, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky and Haydn) and chamber concerts. In 2018, she was invited by Van Cliburn Gold Medal winner Italian pianist Simone Pedroni to perform at the Alagna Music Festival, where they played together the three pieces from Memoirs of a Geisha and the Elegy for cello and piano by John Williams.
In this conversation, Cécilia Tsan talks with The Legacy of John Williams about her musical career, the incredible story of her family, her friendship with Yo-Yo Ma and her many experiences recording with John Williams as part of his orchestra.
For more information and the full list of music excerpts featured in the episode, visit https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2020/07/28/cecilia-tsan-podcast/
Monday Jul 13, 2020
Monday Jul 13, 2020
World-renowned violinist, former concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, discusses his career as studio musician in film recordings in L.A. and his collaborations with John Williams
Hosted by Maurizio Caschetto
L.A. Studio Legends is a new series of podcast talks on The Legacy of John Williams dedicated to legendary orchestra musicians from the Los Angeles area who performed in hundreds of film soundtrack recordings, including many by composer John Williams. These artists are not only responsible for playing in some of the most iconic movie scores in the history of cinema: they’re some of the truly finest and talented orchestra players of the 20th and 21st century. The first guest of this new series is certainly a musician who can be defined in a class of himself, who also enjoyed a global recognition throughout his distinguished career: world-renowned violinist Glenn Dicterow.
Glenn Dicterow has established himself as one of the most prominent American concert artist of his generation and lived through a varied and storied career through more than four decades. He has been the concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic for 34 years (from 1980 to 2014) and served as that orchestra leader under esteeemed music directors Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur and Alan Gilbert.
Before landing the position in New York, Dicterow was member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, starting in 1971 as associate concertmaster, and then becoming concertmaster there before turning 25. During those years, he also worked extensively as a studio musician for film and television soundtracks recorded in Los Angeles (along with many other L.A. Phil members, including his father Harold Dicterow), playing in literally hundreds of scores, including many by John Williams. Among the works he did for him, Dicterow played in the violin section for The Poseidon Adventure, The Towering Inferno, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Jaws 2 and 1941.
After becoming concertmaster of the NY Phil, Dicterow continued to work as featured soloist for film soundtracks including Altered States by John Corigliano, The Untouchables by Ennio Morricone and Interview with the Vampire by Elliot Goldenthal.
In this wide-ranging conversation, Glenn talks about his long and distinguished career both as concertmaster of one of the world’s leading ensembles and his life as a studio musician, where you can face unexpected challenges. Dicterow offers his own views on how the style of playing in Hollywood orchestras evolved through the years, and how it ties with its European roots. Dicterow talks extensively about his friendship and collaboration with John Williams throughout the years, but also spends time talking about his experiences with the legendary Leonard Bernstein.
For more information and the full list of musical excerpts featured in the episode, visit thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com
Wednesday Jun 24, 2020
Wednesday Jun 24, 2020
The esteemed British conductor talks on his work as a specialist of Live to Picture concerts and his love and admiration for the music of John Williams
Hosted by Maurizio Caschetto
Ben Palmer is one of Europe’s foremost specialists in conducting live to film. He conducted many of the most successful film concerts in the UK and across mainland Europe, appearing in prestige venues such as the Royal Albert Hall in London. Palmer conducted virtually all of the John Williams films available in this format, such as the Star Wars trilogy, Jurassic Park, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Home Alone, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Palmer became also a profound connoisseur and student of John Williams's music, developing an intimate and profound knowledge of the composer’s style and language. I
n this long and engaging conversation with The Legacy of John Williams, Ben Palmer talks in-depth about the details, the intricacies and the challenges of conducting live to picture performances of John Williams’s film scores, while also offering his own insightful thoughts about Williams’s place in music history, sharing his deep love and admiration for the music of the Maestro.
For more information and the list of all musical excerpts, go to thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com
Tuesday Jun 09, 2020
Tuesday Jun 09, 2020
The acclaimed Norwegian composer talks about his artistic journey, his approach to composition and how John Williams’s music has been a continuous source of inspiration
Hosted by Maurizio Caschetto
Norwegian composer Marcus Paus (b.1979) is one of the most performed and acclaimed contemporary classical musicians of his generation, and one of the most lauded Scandinavian composers working today. The rich and diverse catalog includes chamber music, works for solo musicians, choral music, orchestral works, opera and also works for the theater and film.
Paus is one of the strongest representatives in the contemporary classical music world of a reorientation toward tradition, melody and tonality. His works are often distinguished by a flowing melodic vein, full of lyricism and characterized by a complex harmonic language.
Growing up in a musical family, Marcus was surrounded by music since he was a toddler, but the spark that ignited his love for orchestral music were the classic scores composed by John Williams for films like E.T., Superman, Indiana Jones and the Star Wars saga. Paus acknowledges that the music of Williams has been one of the most profound inspirations of his life, becoming an element that helped him pursuing his goal as a composer.
In this long and engaging conversation with The Legacy of John Williams, Marcus talks about his own artistic journey and his approach to composition while also sharing his accurate observations on the music of John Williams and why the Maestro continues to be an endless source of inspiration for him and many other musicians worldwide.
For the full list of the musical excerpts featured in the episode visit https://thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com/2020/06/09/marcus-paus-podcast/
Monday May 25, 2020
Monday May 25, 2020
Special episode dedicated to John Williams's iconic scores for the Star Wars film series, including a focus on the last work for the Saga, The Rise of Skywalker
Special guests: Doug Adams, Frank Lehman, Jim Ware
Hosted by Maurizio Caschetto
The music composed by John Williams for the Star Wars saga is universally acknowledged among the greatest ever written for film.
In this episode of The Legacy of John Williams podcast, editor Maurizio Caschetto is joined by author Doug Adams (writer of the best-selling book The Music of The Lord of the Rings Films), film musicologist and theorist Frank Lehman (author of the Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars) and film music expert Jim Ware for an in-depth roundtable-like discussion about the legacy of the iconic music by Maestro Williams for the Star Wars saga.
Starting with commentary on the score for The Rise of Skywalker, the group goes deep into analyzing the new musical material, how it sits in the overall musical lexicon of the series and how John Williams's style evolved throughout his 40+ years musical journey.
Tuesday May 12, 2020
Tuesday May 12, 2020
Interview with soundtrack producer Mike Matessino on his restoration work for two lesser-known scores from John Williams’ filmography
Hosted by Maurizio Caschetto and Tim Burden
In this new episode, soundtrack producer Mike Matessino talks in-depth about his work on the expanded soundtrack releases of John Williams's scores for Far and Away and The River, released respectively on La-La Land Records and Intrada.
Matessino joins The Legacy of John Williams editor Maurizio Caschetto and co-host Tim Burden to offer background information about the remastering and production process of each release. Matessino comments on John Williams’s creative journey for these films in a long and engaging conversation, where several topics beyond the two releases are also discussed.
Discover more at thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com
Saturday Mar 14, 2020
Saturday Mar 14, 2020
Legendary leader of folk Irish music group The Chieftains talks with The Legacy of John Williams about the collaboration with the Maestro on the score for Far and Away, recently released on a new expanded remastered edition by La-La Land Records.
Hosted by Tim Burden
Soundtrack label La-La Land Records just released a new expanded edition of John Williams's stirring score for Far and Away, the spectacular 1992 film directed by Ron Howard starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman telling the epic journey of Irish immigrants Joseph Donnelly and Shannon Christie from the shores of County Galway to the land of plenty in the United States. The vast canvas of the film offered composer John Williams a splendid opportunity to craft a truly spectacular symphonic score, full of lush orchestral passages in the style of classic Hollywood film music, and vibrant, colorful textures inspired by traditional Irish folk music, performed by Irish music band The Chieftains
The new expanded release by La-La Land Records is produced, edited and mastered by soundtrack producer Mike Matessino and presents the full score composed by Maestro Williams in chronological order, also offering unreleased material never heard before, including cues written but ultimately discarded and several alternate passages.
In this exclusive interview, band leader and Irish music legend Paddy Moloney talks with Tim Burden about the collaboration with John Williams on this score and their friendship over the years.
Discover more at thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com
Tuesday Dec 17, 2019
Tuesday Dec 17, 2019
The legendary Music Contractor talks about her 50+ years career in Hollywood's film music industry and her long and fruitful collaboration with composer John Williams
Hosted by Maurizio Caschetto
Sandy DeCrescent is the leading music contractor working in Hollywood's film music industry. Her impressive resumé includes literally thousands of films, including many of the most beloved and successful ever produced (Jaws, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, Titanic, Avatar). She worked closely for most, if not all, the most in-demand film composers of the last four decades such as Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, Alan Silvestri, Randy Newman, Howard Shore, James Newton Howard, Hans Zimmer, and of course John Williams.
Discover more at thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com
Wednesday Dec 11, 2019
Wednesday Dec 11, 2019
An exclusive interview with soundtrack producer Mike Matessino on his restoration work for the Disaster Movie Soundtrack Collection – Music by John Williams, and the remastered expansions of Monsignor and Minority Report
Hosted by Maurizio Caschetto and Tim Burden
The DISASTER MOVIE SOUNDTRACK COLLECTION – MUSIC BY JOHN WILLIAMS, is a thrilling, limited edition four disc box set from La-La Land Records containing the remastered and expanded original scores to three classics of the so-called "disaster movie" genre from the 1970s: The Poseidon Adventure (1972), and The Towering Inferno (1974), both from legendary producer Irwin Allen, and Earthquake (1974), produced and directed by Mark Robson, all composed and conducted by John Williams and restored by soundtrack producer Mike Matessino.
In this conversation, Mike talks about his work on this new box set and the remastered editions of Monsignor and Minority Report released in 2019.
Discover more at thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com
Thursday Nov 14, 2019
Thursday Nov 14, 2019
Music Theorist and Film Musicologist from Tufts University talks about how John Williams’s film scores shaped his interest in music and his path to academia, with a spotlight on his catalogue of the themes and motifs from the Star Wars saga
Hosted by Maurizio Caschetto
John Williams has inspired creative people in many different ways through his music for films. He’s a force that influences people in a wide variety of fields related to music and film. Among them, we must include also people working in education and formative fields, including scholars and academics...
Read more at thelegacyofjohnwilliams.com