By Mike Ramsey
It was a thrill for me to see the Utah Symphony for the first time and especially performing The Music of John Williams at Deer Valley’s Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater and part of the Deer Valley Music Festival’s fifteenth year. Not only was this the first time for me to hear the Utah Symphony but also to participate in such a lovely venue as Deer Valley’s Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater. The weather was fabulous, and the mountains and stars topped off the evening. What a great venue to experience music by such a music icon as John Williams and performed by the famous and extremely talented Utah Symphony. I was so thrilled to see how many families attended the concert sitting on blankets with their picnic cuisine. It gave me hope for the future of the arts to have so many children there attentively listening to the wonders that are John William’s creations. Families aside, the evening was also perfect for the all-inclusive date experience. Many lovers were snuggled with their wine and cheese reliving their favorite John Williams’ score. What a night.
The Utah Symphony was conducted by Edwin Outwater who is described as “a visionary conductor who is reinventing the concert experience with major orchestras and institutions throughout the world.” He is not only brilliant in his conducting but also very out-going and personable with the audience. Between each number he introduces a fact or two about the piece and about John Williams. It was delightful to be taught as well as entertained at the same time.
Outwater introduces us to the 86-year-old Williams by listing Williams’ accomplishments and awards. Williams has won 24 Grammy Awards, 7 British Academy Film Awards, 5 Academy Awards, and 4 Golden Glove Awards. With 51 Academy Award nominations, Williams is the second most-nominated individual, after .
Listening to these scores was like going home to my hometown and reliving much of my childhood. With each new melody played I was once again taken back to a different moment, a different age and was reminded of the “good ole days”. Music has a way of transporting us in an instant to the exact date and time we heard the piece and brings with it the other memories of what we saw and sometimes what we smelled. This experience with the Utah Symphony was not any different because of the magnitude of William’s scores.
When the symphony started playing the first number, the “Theme from Superman” I could immediately see Lois Lane and Clark Kent flying through the air and looking into each other’s eyes. It was a teenage moment for me and reminded me of when my life was so simple and fun. The melody included pieces from the show’s love song, “Can You Read My Mind”, which was recorded by Maureen McGovern. Of course, this started a quiet conversation of these memories with my date as we listened and soared above the world with Superman.
Outwater cleverly garnered the audience’s participation in applauding for their favorite William’s piece and the applause kept getting louder and bigger as the night went on. One of the favorites was “Hedwig’s Theme” from Harry Potter, which included the symphony using a Celesta, which makes the “magical” sounds that we all love in the Harry Potter movies. Listening to this piece helped me to understand why there were so many children in the audience. They sat attentively with their eyes wide open at the wonderful and familiar sounds floating through the air in the mountains. It was mesmerizing.
utah symphony, deer valley
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Other music included in the concert were scores from Far and Away, Schindler’s List, Midway, Jurassic Park, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. For anyone who had seen these films the melodies reminded us of why we loved them in the first place. The symphony meticulously played every note, and there were many in the Williams’ pieces, and brought us sounds such as the oboes portraying bagpipes in “The Theme from Far and Away” and the patriotic flare using piccolos and snare drums in “The Theme from Midway”. The musicians were spot on in their craft.
The night started to end as the symphony moved toward the two most famous Williams’ themes, “Raiders March” from Raiders of the Lost Ark, and “Main Title” from Star Wars. Both rousing American anthems from our time. I had to look up the ski hill to make sure the giant rock ball wasn’t coming for me when the “Raider’s Theme” was played and I swear I saw Indiana Jones running through the audience. This was the magic of the evening. Outwater explained after the symphony played “Princess Leia’s Theme”, which included an awesome violin solo, “Rey’s Theme” and the “Parade of Ewoks”, that the Star War’s songs have a motif for some of the main characters like Leia and Rey. (A motif in music is a small melody that intimates a certain character). Outwater informed the audience that Han Solo did not have a motif created for him for a Star Wars movie which was easily laughed off because everyone knew that Harrison Ford had his motif in “Raider’s March” from Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Outwater and the Utah Symphony chose to end with “The Imperial March” from Star Wars and the “Main Title” from Star Wars. These brought loud cheers from everyone in the audience and tied all of us Star Wars fans together on the mountain. It was fun and delightful.
My experience with Williams, Outwater, and the Utah Symphony would have been perfect had the sound system for Outwater’s comments been louder for us patrons sitting higher up on the hill. Other than that, it was a tremendous evening of memories, magic, music and munchies.
The Utah Symphony has a wonderful selection of outdoor concerts all summer long and there are still a few to be enjoyed. Their website has all the offerings. These are family-friendly performances in Deer Valley’s Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater’s lovely setting.
The Utah Symphony Presents The Music of John Williams at Deer Valley’s Snow Park Outdoor Amphitheater.
Utah Symphony / Utah Opera, Deer Valley Music Festival, 123 West South Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 Contact: 801-533-5626
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