the mommy avenger

Culturally, we are prone to hyperbole. “The greatest…,” “Once in a lifetime…,” “The best ever…,” 

Which makes it difficult to describe those events that are the truly transcendent rare moments of entertainment spectacle. You know them when you see them. When people leave such moments they often struggle to describe the event, resorting to phrases like, “that was something special.” Think of Michael Jordan’s Bulls versus Isaiah Thomas’ Pistons, Ali versus Frazier, List, Princess Mononoke, The Moon Landing, or Pavarotti singing Nessun Dorma in his prime. 

The anticipation of such events builds excitement and can often set a bar of audience expectations so high that nothing but perfection is permitted. 

The stage at Verizon Hall is filled with the Grammy Award Winning Philidelphia Orchestra, currently the preeminent orchestra in the world due to their absolute precision, breadth of skills, and depth of talent. 

The table was set. The guests awaited, and were served fine symphonic cuisine in a way that cannot be duplicated. Words do not do justice to such performances. 

To be honest in the review, when I first saw the program, I thought I would have a complaint. They chose some crowd favorites, but the program was filled with songs that reflected his lesser-known, yet more nuanced and technical pieces. I wanted them to play more of my personal favorites, and  wished that John Williams could have conducted the entirety of the concert (but at his age, it was sure to be a ridiculous demand). However, I arrived to find out that Williams would be conducting more of the concert and was content.

Stéphane Denève conducted two of Williams’ compositions, starting with “Just Down West Street … on the left”.  He was then joined by Yo-Yo Ma, nineteen-time Grammy winner, and the world’s most beloved cellist, with a catalogue of recordings that would take more than a week to digest, to share a performance of “Cello Concerto,” a piece written by Williams and debuted by Ma in 1994.

After intermission, we received the dessert of the audial feast that was this evening. 

Enter stage right: arguably the most influential composer of the last fifty years, John Williams. You know his body of work even if you do not frequent the movie theater. The Olympic Fanfare, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Saving Private Ryan, E.T., Home Alone, The Book Thief… and the list goes on. Fifty-four Oscar nominations with five wins, Seventy-three Grammy nominations with twenty-five wins, 2023’s most-performed living composer, and still conducting at age 92. The man is a living legend. 

John Williams conducted the following pieces: “Olympic Fanfare and Theme,” “Excerpts from The Book Thief,” “Scherzo for Motorcycle and Orchestra,” “Marion’s Theme,” and “The Raiders March,” from Raiders of the Lost Ark, “Princess Leia’s Theme,” and “Adventures on Earth,” from E.T. Before many of them, he would share some backstory or unknown details relating to the piece. For example, he told the audience that he wrote Princess Leia’s Theme as a love song, expecting her and Luke to become a couple, and called his work in The Book Thief a “little piece”, joking that there were no spaceships. 

He then provided not one, not two nor three, but four encores, including “Helena’s Theme” (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), “Main Titles” (Star Wars: A New Hope), and “The Imperial March” (Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back), I believe I speak for the entire audience when I say we were in awe. As expected from the ever-talented Philadelphia Orchestra, they performed with incredible precision, fulfilling the expectations and clearing the pre-set bar of perfection from the audience. Horns matching the familiar fanfares, snares militaristically setting the marches’ beats, and bows flying in exact unison were the standard tonight. 

This was something special. 

I hope it is rebroadcast during one of WRTI’s Sunday afternoon (1 p.m. Eastern Time) concert series. Tune in, sit down, close your eyes, and be transported. 

^{*we were invited to facilitate a feature, all opinions are our own*}