The Baton: A John Williams Musical Journey

Episode 91 - Attack of the Clones

The 2002 film "Attack of the Clones" not only challenged John Williams with continuing the musical portrait he started with "The Phantom Menace" and closing the gap with the original "Star Wars" trilogy, but also trying to write a compelling score before he had to dash off to write music for "Minority Report." In the end, Williams was unable to finish his score, using music from "The Phantom Menace" to cover the climactic battle scene that was still being created in the visual effects department. Host Jeff Commings details the two new themes that were created for the film, which includes debunking George Lucas' statement that the love theme for Anakin and Padme is the first love theme for the "Star Wars" series. There are standout musical moments for action scenes, including a fight in the rain and a chase through a city that includes the first use of electric guitar in the galaxy far, far away.

Episode 92 - Minority Report

John Williams didn't have a lot of time to think about the score for Steven Spielberg's futuristic science fiction thriller "Minority Report," going right into the project almost immediately after finishing work on "Attack of the Clones." Spielberg and Williams agreed on a score that put more emphasis on tone rather than melody, something that was quite new for a Spielberg/Williams collaboration. But, the film manages to create some compelling themes and interesting action cues, with the flute section getting a lot of play during some masculine and powerful fight scenes. Host Jeff Commings breaks down the various themes and finds an interesting comparison to the music in one scene to music used in a groundbreaking comedy 10 years earlier.

Episode 93 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The demanding work schedule John Williams faced in 2002 meant he had to make a tough choice for his score to "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." He asked composer/orchestrator William Ross to help out by adapting much of the music from the first film for use in the sequel, while fitting the new music Williams wrote into certain places. This allowed Williams to work on Steven Spielberg's second film of the year, but it meant trusting that Ross would do a good job with his music. Host Jeff Commings details the specifics regarding Ross' responsibilities, as well as Williams' new thematic material and how it is presented in the film. Brush up on your parseltongue and enjoy this latest episode!

Episode 94 - Catch Me If You Can

John Williams capped off a marathon year of writing film scores with his Oscar-nominated composition for Steven Spielberg's dramedy "Catch Me If You Can." The score gave Williams the opportunity to return to his jazz roots, writing music that reflected the 1960s setting of the film. Many of the music cues feature saxophone solos by Dan Higgins, who joins host Jeff Commings to talk about his musical background and why playing the music in the score fit perfectly into his performance style.

Episode 95 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Many John Williams fans sneered at the music for "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," mostly because the Maestro chose to almost completely scrap the musical ideas he created for the first two films in favor of darker themes and tonalities in Alfonso Cuaron's take on the franchise. Host Jeff Commings is joined by Paulius Eidukas as the two talk about some of the new themes that make up the score and how some of the compositional techniques made Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew musically intertwined with each other. Both praise Williams' work for the film and lament there wasn't another opportunity for Williams and Cuaron to collaborate after this project. 

Episode 96 - The Terminal

Though the movie and score for "The Terminal" might seem like a blip on the radar, neither Steven Spielberg nor John Williams approached this film any less seriously than their major successes. The story marks Tom Hanks' third film with Spielberg, as an Eastern European man stuck in the JFK airport for nine months. Williams supplies a wonderfully light theme for Viktor, as well as a lyrical love theme that host Jeff Commings believes could have been turned into a beautiful love song by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Grab a plate of cannelloni and join us for this exploration of an often-forgotten Williams score.

Episode 97 - Revenge of the Sith

Host Jeff Commings starts this episode of "The Baton" with a not-so-great opinion about John Williams' score to "Revenge of the Sith," the final film in the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy. Can co-host Andrew Ledford change our host's mind about the score as they discuss the use of the Emperor's theme, the Force theme and the music for all the lightsaber battles? It's going to be a tough sell, but by the end of the episode, it's likely that hearts and minds will be changed about this film ... except for Hayden Christensen's acting, of course.

Episode 98 - War of the Worlds

Steven Spielberg had long wanted to do an alien invasion movie featuring very bad visitors to Earth, and he finally checked that off his list with "War of the Worlds." In telling the story, John Williams went into full horror mode, employing some of the tactics used previously by such classical composers as Igor Stravinsky, especially in the first alien attack that turned out to be one of the most violent nonfiction moments Spielberg has put on film. Host Jeff Commings is joined by composer/conductor Eduardo Victoria as the two detail the high points of the score and how the music really has similarities to Williams' previous work, including Jaws and Superman. 

Episode 99 - Memoirs of a Geisha

John Williams wanted to be the composer for the film version of the novel "Memoirs of a Geisha" long before a script was written or a budget finalized. He realized the opportunity to infuse Japanese flavors into a Westernized score, and he enlisted the help of previous collaborators Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman to play on the cello and violin, respectively. Host Jeff Commings talks about the themes in the score, and examines the scenes in which three Japanese instruments are highlighted throughout the film. Though the movie did not gain a Best Picture Oscar nomination as hoped, the film did garner some praise for Williams' score, and he was celebrated during awards season. Put on your best kimono and join us for this exciting episode!

Episode 100 - Munich

Break out the confetti and party hats! The 100th episode of The Baton is here! And on this episode, host Jeff Commings talks about John Williams' haunting score for Steven Spielberg's "Munich," the story of revenge after the 1972 deaths of 11 Israelis at the Munich Olympics. John Williams gives us four themes that provide the mold for the score, a radical departure from his work on Spielberg's "War of the Worlds" earlier in the year. From a gut-wrenching vocal by Lisbeth Scott for the Israeli hostages to a main theme that is transformed into what Commings believes is the best strings-only composition by John Williams, there is much to admire in this episode.