John Williams Conducts "Imperial March" at 90 Years Old | National Symphony Orchestra 

Mesa don't think so master Yogurt.

When 90 years old he reached, look great he will.

91 Years old, born February 8th, 1932

Wtf did you just say

@@dj-mb1bu fake fan spotted

"With muy muy humility" - Darth Bombad

He loves what he does. It's been his passion. I envy him ... To be able to live his dream. 😢

Exactly my feeling too! I could see the Force flowing, he was one with the music.

He's probably very happy with how well the orchestra is playing HIS piece. Or the fact that he is conducting HIS piece again and all of the muscle memory is popping back up.

I bet those people playing hated having to sully their hands with pop faux classical music

Hello 👋

This, duel of the fates, Jurassic park, or hedwig’s theme. Just a few of his main themes from recent years. I mean this IS 43 years old now, not so recent.

@@schumi246 Some things never get old. Like Korngold's work Williams captured the mood of adventure and supplemented it rather than trying to shoe horn in their own creation.

a dream come true, no doubt about it!

Bet they were thinking how glad they are now that their Mom's and Dad's made them practice so much on their instruments when they were younger. Paid off big time !

Why does a musical piece possess a substantially inferior rectum?

"This is a little song I wrote back in the 70s" *Orchestra builds and builds, brass comes in, trumpets blast the Superman theme*

well. he DID write it you know! :)

ABSOLUTELY!

The man is Beyond Legendary. He could conduct that piece (and countless others) in his sleep. John Williams created the theme music for generation, after generation, after generation, after generation. 🎼💜

Just thinking that!

So true. He was instantly in his element!

Music has kept his brain and his soul sharp. There’s a real spiritual force in music.

Almost like Yoda taking on Dooku in Attack of the Clones. 🙂

Strong is the force within John Williams

@@BennyLlama39 I was just going to say that. 😂 Also, Miyagi kicking the Cobra Kai's ass in the first Karate Kid.

His deception is at maxed

​@@EdelUreta exactly

Well said

Right, thanks. We can’t enjoy anything now without being critical of some perceived economical or political or cultural grievance. Just shut up. Jesus Christ, just shut up. Jesus.

Yes, no one remembers George Lucas. Totally unknown.

@@FabioKn George Lucas... you mean the writer of Star Wars? Fkn numpty, you...

@@FabioKnhe wrote Star Wars… name a producer of any Star Wars film of the top of your head

He's 91 today 🎉

I saw him there in 2017. It was so wonderful!

Saw him two nights ago with the San Francisco Symphony and Anne-Sophie Mutter. Three encores including a gut-wrenching Schindler's List played by Mutter.

I was there!!! Great set

I was probably also at that show! It was wonderful!

plus the Imperial March is the ringtone i have against my wife's phone number !!!!!!

King of the leitmotifs. Think of Indiana Jones, what do you hear? Think of any shark, what do you hear? John Williams is one of the most important figures in Hollywood history.

@@donnieparris4684You’re so right. Able to strike fear and ruin the tourism business at seaside towns with literally just TWO NOTES!! The story of Jaws is mediocre but the difference between the sharks on Shark Week and Jaws is the theme music. And Darth Vader would not be anywhere as near intimidating without his Imperial March.

Well, Star Wars is a pretty great movie and would have succeeded with a lesser score in my opinion, but it's certainly true that Mr. Williams music raised the level and has become almost universally iconic in a way that few movie scores ever have....or will

@@donnieparris4684 Hell, even NBC uses him for news and the olympics every day. His music is embedded in so much.

Well, who can blame him? He is not feeling his best, but now he feels all that love coming at from the crowd, the people on stage, the musicians (who are striking their instruments in approval, a high honor & they haven't started yet) & he is like a Wright-Cyclone turning over, until the orchestra starts & W explodes into life conducting his composition, spry as a young buck, seeing the reaction of the musicians, the roar of his fans behind him, who would not have tears of joy running down their cheeks at a moment like this? I am & this is not about me....

It's great we have these videos. A tip of the hat to all the inventors and developers in sound and visual recording and to the engineers who preserve such moments to be enjoyed for times to come.

Well I'm pleased for him and grateful for his inimitable style of cinematic composition. I too loved the cheeky smile that he couldn't have stopped from breaking out if he'd wanted to. Ninety years old, still gamely conduct~ahem~ing this fan favourite pot boiler of a craftily, no, craftsmanly cobbled together collection of "samples" from the great composers of yore. Co-conspiratorialy carried aloft by a crew of men and women who would do anything for him this night and with the added bonus that he knows that the performing rights society will be popping some more moulah into his bank account in the morning to boot! Good on the ol' geezer. Why the bloody hell not‽

Yes, he's heard it countless times... because he wrote it...

He can't become one with what he himself veritably created... John William's music *is* the Force of Star Wars.

These are not the scores you are looking for...

While true, he will leave behind what he gave us for us to remember him for the rest of our own days.

He already is.

I bet those people playing hated having to sully their hands with pop faux classical music. They are professional musicians who studied for decades to learn to play. They play better real classical music than the pop drivel that he churns out. The conductor is a figure head, they don't need him at all.

@@davidwilks4123 aren't you full of yourself. Remember, Bach, Beethoven, and Vivaldi were all considered pop music in their day.

As a former brass player, I can confirm this statement as truth 101. 😆

@@davidwilks4123 lol

@@davidwilks4123 You’re a pompous, joy-sucking, curmudgeon who impresses no one with your obviously self-serving critiques. “Mmm, look how cultured I ammm 🧐”

And the musicians gave their best to him, too. Yet another inspiring collaboration!

I bet those people playing hated having to sully their hands with pop faux classical music

​@@davidwilks4123 could you possibly sound any more snobbish?

@@davidwilks4123 That says more about you than it says about them. Maybe a good idea to read about ‘Projection’. ?

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Indeed! And not just giving time but giving SO. MANY. CUES. I doubt any of the musicians really *need* cueing for such a piece, but thats just such a courtesy to give them so much "help".

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Exactly right! People respect quality.

I bet those people playing hated having to sully their hands with pop faux classical music. They are professional musicians who studied for decades to learn to play. They play better real classical music than the pop drivel that he churns out. The conductor is a figure head, they don't need him at all.

yea and also bach, mozart, tsaikovski and the others spent their career making trash music for mediocre theatre plays and concerts for cattle to listen to... if you wanna think it like that.

@@kallemetsahalme5701 This, when what we call the great classical composers today were composing they were producing an entertainment product for money.

​@@davidwilks4123Did you really have to copy and paste the same comment over and over and over? You have way too much time on your hands. 😂

@@davidwilks4123 Nice and salty, I suppose your wife hasn't let you in for a while. You do realize that same guy wrote the music?

Hello how are you doing

03:02 and onward

I’ve seen him at Symphony Hall in Boston several times and the joy on his face every time he conducts in front of an audience is so genuine.

I bet those people playing hated having to sully their hands with pop faux classical music. They are professional musicians who studied for decades to learn to play. They play better real classical music than the pop drivel that he churns out. The conductor is a figure head, they don't need him at all.

​​snobby much? I bet you've seen this movie a dozen times

he composed it. He'll never forget what he wanted it to sound like.

@@davidwilks4123 Sure........... they all looked mightily pissed????????? LOLS!

@@davidwilks4123 Turns out plenty of professional musicians don't suck and hate fun

Well, Yeah!!! Those horns at 3:35 are awesome. no other instrument has that thick of a tone. I think these are the best horns I ever heard. Rob

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International treasure!!

International treasure

Not really, some of his work is quite good, a lot of it has been "borrowed" from older composers. Undoubtably someone else will pop up and continue re-hashing older music that current generations have forgotten and be hailed as a musical genius, for others work.

Quite good? I'm sure you could do better...

For stealing others...

@@iz7828 - Many of the modern composers use themes inspired by classics. Danny Elfman's Batman themes (Michael Keaton version) were inspired from Strauss works. To accuse John Williams of outright stealing is unwarranted. AND in this world where everyone sues everyone else over any excuse possible, you have to know that if ANYONE had a decent case for plagiarism, they would have sued his butt off at their first opportunity. So @iz7828, I believe you are either simply incorrect or you are ignorant of the way that composers work.

I believe that movie themes are going to turn out to be what classical music of the late 20th century actually is. The official avant guard never stopped being avant. Actual classical audiences want to hear this, not that atonal stuff.

@@iz7828 He can borrow all he wants. I don't give c___ . He makes others' ideas fun.

@@curious968 Many greats, in their time, wrote operas. Would Mozart write for films today? Methinks probably.

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I bought two by mistake. The price tags on the wrappers got snagged and I didn't know until I got home that I had two of them even though they charged me for one. So I thought to myself "what am I going to do with TWO of them?" So I took one and put it in a box of old records from the big band era and the other I opened up and played, and played, and played. I was 17. That box ended up in my Mom's bedroom closet. When she moved it ended up in her new bedroom closet. When she died I got it back having forgotten all about it. So it went to my bedroom closet. Then two years ago I finally decided to clean my bedroom closet and there it was, unopened all these years. I'd lost it's twin having worn it out. I played it so much the stylus was poking out the other side of the grooves. By then I'd switched to CDs long ago. Then I was at the store and they had a Crowley record player so I bought it just so I could play all those old records. Hearing that Star Wars music on vinyl again after 44 years, magic.

My parents were certainly tired of hearing it. I was not. Yep, the vinyl version! Went with me to university and beyond!

It was the first album I ever owned. Before home video, we listened to this over and over and our imaginations soared.

@@nunyabiznez6381 you posted this a couple months ago, but still a great story!! I had this on 8TRACK!! LOL! The music was a huge part of the sucess of these movies. I don't think they would have lasted this long without the music.

@@catherinesanchez1185 I totally agree. I think 8 track was at the peak of it's popularity when Star Wars first came out and I remember seeing the 8 track for this for sale in a department store circa late 1970's. I never had 8 track. I skipped over it going directly from record albums and 45's to digital. You could still buy vinyls when they first came out with CD's.

Three years ago, when he did a full concert with the Vienna Philharmonic, he initially omitted the March from the track list because it’s always the encore and he thought it would be too much for the brass section after all the previous pieces. The head of the brass section told him “No, you don’t understand: we *want* to play it!”

@@maxborg1627 Yes it's amazing! I that recording and interview, :D

youve def heard his music if youre over the age 1 dude

Beautiful thought

Hell, some of those musicians may have seen one of the movies in theaters for the first time in the late 90's. That's how I saw Return of the Jedi.

Return of the Jedi came out in 1983@@Halinspark

⁠@@tannerbogart Well, The Phantom Menace was released in ‘99, but Lucasfilm likely asked for a theatrical rerelease before the Prequels came out, so as to get people’s minds fresh. Heck they even released a box of VHS tapes that, in my opinion, are one of the best versions of the Original Trilogy.

Williams was Vic Damone's rehearsal pianist in that era.

Here's a song from that show! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--T77ZCsVfbM.html

I think TV composer credits aren't always super-accurate from that era. I remember reading there are some issues with how he's credited on Gilligan's Island. He may have composed some background music early on, that was then reworked by other composers on later episodes, but still retained the credit.

Yep, my 70 y.o. jaw just dropped that you think it's hard to believe the man could have been a composer at the young age of 26.

@@jb6712 Right! I mean hello - how old were The Beatles?!?

And it's not an easy piece!

Hello how are you doing

This must be what it's like to hear Beethoven conduct the 5th symphony.

This word gets thrown around too much, but it is iconic.

I was in school band as well (clarinet) and it was a great treat to us when we were given a medley of John Williams songs to learn for the school concert. I remember it included the NBC Nightly News theme, the Imperial March, and the main themes from Jaws and ET.

One of my favorite songs to play during my school band days was the Raiders of the Lost Ark theme. So much fun!

My son is a French horn player, and the first thing he taught himself was the Imperial March, back in the day. I love John Williams!!

As a French Horn player in grade school and college, can confirm the exact same feelings. His brilliant use of the brass instruments (particularly French Horn and Tuba) in a primarily string ensemble show his true genius over the years.

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Amen to that

And the best part ... we are alive to see him conducting his own music.. .ain't that something?

Jurassic Park

I was genuinely just thinking this. I'm 48 and Carrie Fisher's passing hit me hard, but this dude conducted the soundtrack to my entire childhood. I dread the day.

Same here. But it's not about the time we have but the time we've had together. His music will continue on no matter where he goes.

I bet those people playing hated having to sully their hands with pop faux classical music. They are professional musicians who studied for decades to learn to play. They play better real classical music than the pop drivel that he churns out. The conductor is a figure head, they don't need him at all.

@@davidwilks4123 Bro stop bein toxic on John Williams.

​@@davidwilks4123👈 Sexual Intellectual

@@davidwilks4123 Get a life.

Those were the great ole Boston Symphony years, weren't they? (So. Brookline, Mass gal hailing now in So. California.)

For me it was the E.T. soundtrack, the first movie I really remember seeing in the theater.

Yes, yes, and yes again.

Absolutely yes! And I said this exact same thing 30 years ago.

I would put Hanz Zimmer up there as well from our lifetime. But yes, Williams is an all-time great.

For me he's not.

Totally agree

I mean,Every audience do that when conductor come to the stage,they clap when conductor come then in sudden quiet down when the pieces Will start and conductor taking the gesture

The Star Wars complete trilogy soundtrack was one of the first things I ever saved money to by on CD at Best Buy! ❤❤

Hello

Hello

The genius of JW is in his quieter less bravura scores, Accidental tourist, AI, Munich, seven year in tibet, always, Nixon

I bet those people playing hated having to sully their hands with pop faux classical music. They are professional musicians who studied for decades to learn to play. They play better real classical music than the pop drivel that he churns out. The conductor is a figure head, they don't need him at all.

​@@davidwilks4123 You talk like somebody who's never touched an instrument in your life. In fact, I'm about 99% sure that you haven't devoted a serious amount of time to an instrument, given that you conflate "instrumental from some nondescript number of years in the past" with "classical." A John Williams piece plays very similar to a Gustav Holst piece - not surprising given that Holst was an inspiration for the Star Wars soundtrack. If you had ever put in the work to learn an instrument, learn a piece, and play with a group, you'd find pieces by talented modern composers no less intricate or satisfying to play than a piece 100 or 200 years old.

@@davidwilks4123 Snob alert!

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You forgot he wrote the music for Jaws....

@@rheailiarome2287 how could I forget??

And Schindler’s list.

Don't forget Jurassic Park, Home Alone and Hook. Some of the best movies of the 90s. I think John Williams might have composed the score for Goonies as well.

Harry Potter too!

He has an honorary KBE. No title with that. A real one would let him be ‘Sir John’. ‘Lord John Williams’ would only apply to the younger son of a Duke.

@@HooDatDonDar Lord has more uses than the British title. Check the dictionary. "someone or something having power, authority, or influence; a master or ruler" (Oxford) I'd say John Williams is an authority figure and master in film scoring and directing.

If your soundtrack is The Imperial March, something sinister us going on...

@@tankythemagnorite9855 You do know he composed more than just this piece right? What he means is that JW has composed just about every major movie that has happened in our lifetime.

@@feefeesmomma yes I do, but this being the Imperial March, I assumed he was talking about that being the soundtrack to his life.

Absolutely true.

Dang, your life is way more exciting than mine! When you travel, do maps with red lines from your origin to destination appear in front of you?

I bet those people playing hated having to sully their hands with pop faux classical music. They are professional musicians who studied for decades to learn to play. They play better real classical music than the pop drivel that he churns out. The conductor is a figure head, they don't need him at all.

@@davidwilks4123 why do you hate fun? Why do you think that because something is popular, than professionals of that area hate it?

Why did you say it like he’s dead?

​@@davidwilks4123 my sister is a classical musician, who enjoys playing all genres 😄 did you know that many classical composers were the pop stars of their era, like the Strauss family?

​@@LadyPii Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was the Frank Zappa of his day!

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He stated that this might be his final soundtrack before he retires.

It will be the only good thing about that movie which is unfortunate

@@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606 Movie isn't even out and you're already judging it? Remember, Spielberg and Lucas are still officially working on the film.

@@moddedinkling4168 Harrison Ford isn’t what he was 40 years ago, he seemed to struggle in the Crystal Skull movie, and that particular film wasn’t very good, if this upcoming movie is a repeat of that then it won’t be a good film, and if they are going to replace Harrison then it’s not a Indiana Jones film. Just my take on it, I’d like for them to reboot the series but don’t want them riding the coat tails

there have been plenty of stories with old batman, old welles, old connery etc. that have been great. if they just have the sense to present indy more as a wise instructor as he was in the school since movie 1 they have potential. it can still be an indy movie even if someone else does most of the jumping and running. that said i dont have too much faith in the studio seeing what kind of trash the recent terminators, jurassic parks etc have been

I bet those people playing hated having to sully their hands with pop faux classical music. They are professional musicians who studied for decades to learn to play. They play better real classical music than the pop drivel that he churns out. The conductor is a figure head, they don't need him at all.

@@davidwilks4123 Copy paste copy paste copy paste. Get a life man.

Hello

I bet those people playing hated having to sully their hands with pop faux classical music. They are professional musicians who studied for decades to learn to play. They play better real classical music than the pop drivel that he churns out. The conductor is a figure head, they don't need him at all.

​@David Wilks bruhhhh stop going in everyones comments acting snobby and shit. Grt the hell outta here.

@@davidwilks4123 Liking your own, obvious bait is cringe, bro

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