Colorado Symphony 2016/17 Season Presenting Sponsor:
GEEK • 2016-2017 MOVIE AT THE SYMPHONY: E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL COLORADO SYMPHONY CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, conductor Thursday, April 27, 2017, at 7:30 pm Boettcher Concert Hall A STEVEN SPIELBERG Film
DEE WALLACE PETER COYOTE HENRY THOMAS as ELLIOTT Music by JOHN WILLIAMS Written by MELISSA MATHISON Produced by STEVEN SPIELBERG & KATHLEEN KENNEDY Directed by STEVEN SPIELBERG A UNIVERSAL PICTURE
A.M.P.A.S. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a trademark and copyright of Universal Studios. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLC. All Rights Reserved.
SOUNDINGS 2016-2017 | COLORADOSYMPHONY.ORG PROGRAM 1
GEEK • 2016-2017 Tonight’s program is a presentation of the complete film E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial with a live performance of the film’s entire score, including music played by the orchestra during the end credits. Out of respect for the musicians and your fellow audience members, please remain seated until the conclusion of the credits. A.M.P.A.S. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial is a trademark and copyright of Universal Studios. Licensed by Universal Studios Licensing LLC. All Rights Reserved. Available on Blu-ray and DVD from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. Director Steven Spielberg’s heartwarming masterpiece is one of the brightest stars in motion picture history. Filled with unparalleled magic and imagination, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial follows the moving story of a lost little alien who befriends a 10-year-old boy named Elliott. Experience all the mystery and fun of their unforgettable adventure in the beloved movie that captivated audiences around the world.
PRODUCTION CREDITS E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial – Film with Orchestra produced by Film Concerts Live!, a joint venture of IMG Artists, LLC and The Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency, Inc. Producers: Steven A. Linder and Jamie Richardson Production Manager: Rob Stogsdill Production Coordinator: Rebekah Wood Worldwide Representation: IMG Artists, LLC Supervising Technical Director: Mike Runice Technical Director: Matt Yelton Music Composed by John Williams Music Preparation: Jo Ann Kane Music Service Film Preparation for Concert Performance: Ramiro Belgardt Technical Consultant: Laura Gibson Sound Remixing for Concert Performance: Chace Audio by Deluxe The score for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial has been adapted for live concert performance. With special thanks to: Universal Studios, Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, John Williams, David Newman, Chris Herzberger, Tamara Woolfork, Adrienne Crew, Darice Murphy, Mark Graham and the musicians and staff of the Colorado Symphony.
www.filmconcertslive.com -----------------------------------------------------------------------PROGRAM 2 SOUNDINGS 2016-2017 | COLORADOSYMPHONY.ORG
GEEK PROGRAM NOTES FROM THE COMPOSER Steven Spielberg’s film E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial has always held a special place in my heart, and I personally think it’s his masterpiece. In looking at it today, it’s as fresh and new as when it was made in 1982. Cars may change, along with hairstyles and clothes… but the performances, particularly by the children and by E.T. himself, are so honest, timeless and true, that the film absolutely qualifies to be ranked as a classic. What’s particularly special about tonight’s concert is that we’ll hear one of our great symphony orchestras, the Colorado Symphony, performing the entire score live, along with the complete picture, sound effects and dialogue. I know I speak for everyone connected with the making of E.T. in saying that we’re greatly honored by this event… and I hope that tonight’s audience will find great joy in experiencing this magical film.
GEEK BIOGRAPHIES JOHN WILLIAMS, composer In a career spanning five decades, John Williams has become one of America’s most accomplished and successful composers for film and for the concert stage, and he remains one of our nation’s most distinguished and contributive musical voices. He has composed the music and served as music director for more than one hundred films, including all seven Star Wars films, the first three Harry Potter films, Superman, JFK, Born on the Fourth of July, Memoirs of a Geisha, Far and Away, The Accidental Tourist, Home Alone, and The Book Thief. His 40-year artistic partnership with director Steven Spielberg has resulted in many of Hollywood’s most acclaimed and successful films, including Schindler’s List, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Indiana Jones films, Munich, Saving Private Ryan, The Adventures of Tintin, War Horse, and Lincoln. His contributions to television music include scores for more than 200 television films for the groundbreaking, early anthology series Alcoa Theatre, Kraft Television Theatre, Chrysler Theatre, and Playhouse 90, as well as themes for NBC Nightly News (“The Mission”), NBC’s Meet the Press, and the PBS arts showcase Great Performances. He also composed themes for the 1984, 1988, and 1996 Summer Olympic Games, and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. He has received five Academy Awards® and fifty Oscar® nominations, making him the Academy’s most-nominated living person and the second-most nominated person in the history of the Oscars. He has received seven British Academy Awards (BAFTA), twentythree Grammys®, four Golden Globes®, five Emmys®, and numerous gold and platinum records. SOUNDINGS 2016-2017 | COLORADOSYMPHONY.ORG PROGRAM 3
GEEK BIOGRAPHIES In 2003, he received the Olympic Order (the IOC’s highest honor) for his contributions to the Olympic movement. He received the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors in December of 2004. In 2009, Mr. Williams was inducted into the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and he received the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given to artists by the U.S. Government. In 2016, he received the 44th Life Achievement Award from the American Film Institute – the first time in their history that this honor was bestowed upon a composer. In January 1980, Mr. Williams was named nineteenth music director of the Boston Pops Orchestra, succeeding the legendary Arthur Fiedler. He currently holds the title of Boston Pops Laureate Conductor which he assumed following his retirement in December, 1993, after fourteen highly successful seasons. He also holds the title of Artist-in-Residence at Tanglewood. Mr. Williams has composed numerous works for the concert stage, among them two symphonies, and concertos commissioned by several of the world’s leading orchestras, including a cello concerto for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a bassoon concerto for the New York Philharmonic, a trumpet concerto for The Cleveland Orchestra, and a horn concerto for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In 2009, Mr. Williams composed and arranged “Air and Simple Gifts” especially for the first inaugural ceremony of President Barack Obama, and in September 2009, the Boston Symphony premiered a new concerto for harp and orchestra entitled “On Willows and Birches”.
CHRISTOPHER DRAGON, conductor Australian conductor Christopher Dragon is in his second season as the Associate Conductor of the Colorado Symphony and commences his position as Principal Guest Conductor with the Denver Young Artists Orchestra. For three years, Christopher previously held the position of Assistant Conductor with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, which gave him the opportunity to work closely with Principal Conductor Asher Fisch. Christopher works regularly in Australia and has conducted the Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and West Australian Symphony Orchestras. His 2015 debut performance at the Sydney Opera House with Josh Pyke and the Sydney Symphony has been released on CD by ABC Music. In 2017, Christopher returns to the West Australian Symphony Orchestra for a subscription concert. In 2016, he made his Brazilian conducting debut with the Orquestra Sinfônica de Porto Alegre. He has also conducted at numerous festivals including the Breckenridge and Bangalow Music Festivals, both resulting with invitations to return. At the beginning of 2016, Christopher conducted Wynton Marsalis’ Swing Symphony as part of the Perth International Arts Festival alongside Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at the Lincoln Center Orchestra. In 2014, Christopher was selected from 100 international applicants to conduct the Princess Galyani Vadhana Youth Orchestra in Thailand and earlier that year participated in the Jarvi Winter Academy in Estonia where he was awarded the Orchestra’s Favourite Conductor Prize. Christopher began his conducting studies in 2011 and was a member of the prestigious Symphony Services International Conductor Development Program under the guidance of course director Christopher Seaman. He has also studied with numerous distinguished conductors including Leonid Grin, Paavo and Neeme Jarvi at the Jarvi Summer Festival, Fabio Luisi at the Pacific Music Festival, and conducting pedagogue Jorma Panula. PROGRAM 4 SOUNDINGS 2016-2017 | COLORADOSYMPHONY.ORG