For almost 50 years, John Williams’ music has been virtually synonymous with the films of Steven Spielberg (and vice versa), and for nearly as long, Williams’ compositions have formed the emotional backbone of the Skywalker Saga from “Star Wars.” However, 20 years before the cinematic musical maestro become known for either of those things, Williams was merely a whipper-snapper fresh out of Julliard and eager to leave his mark on the worlds of concert and film music.Williams’ pre-Spielberg run would have made for an incredible career all by itself.
It was an era that saw the composer collaborating with numerous giants among the old guard of Hollywood directors, including Robert Altman, Don Siegel, William Wyler, Irwin Allen, Frank Sinatra, and Norman Jewison.
In 1974, Williams worked with Spielberg for the first time on the filmmaker’s theatrical feature debut, “The Sugarland Express.” Appearing with Williams at the American Cinematheque event “50 Years of…
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