CD REVIEW - JOHN WILLIAMS IN TOKY0
SAITO KINEN ORCHESTRA
Deutsche Grammophon 657256 [62:03]

Following his acclaimed albums, 'The Berlin Concert' and 'John Williams in Vienna', which achieved chart topping status around the globe, in his 92nd year the legendary composer/conductor returned to the Japanese capital in September 2023 – after a three-decade absence – to conduct at the Suntory Hall the world-famous Saito Kinen Orchestra for another live concert of his works to be recorded.

On this occasion the 10 tracks come from the film scores of 'Superman', 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone', 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets', 'Shindler's List', 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi, A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back' and 'Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark'. I especially liked the romantic theme for Princess Leia.

The concluding track is a Williams composition from 1999, Tributes! (for Seiji Ozawa) in celebration of the first 25 of the 29 years the engaging Japanese served as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and was a lifetime friend. He co-founded the SKO in 1984 and, sadly, was lost to us earlier this year. It is conducted by the French-born Stéphane Devène.

The booklet significantly complements the music, with Hidikuni Maejima (Sound and Visual Writer) contributing eight pages of detailed notes covering each piece. More pages are devoted to pen pictures of the two maestros and the orchestra, all its members being named, as well as very nice coloured photos of all the participants.

Well-played and thoroughly enjoyable; although with some tracks in common it would be unwise to wager this album not achieving similar success to that of its two predecessors.

Vienna, Berlin, Tokyo, where next? The man can truly be called a world treasure!

© Peter Burt, July 2024