John Williams — Liberty Fanfare

Few modern composers have achieved the level of name recognition that is enjoyed by John Williams. Composer of scores to such popular films as Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., and of course Star Wars, Williams has managed to bring modern classical music to the ears — and record shelves — of many American families who have never even heard of Robert Schumann or Gustav Mahler.

In 1986, for the celebration of the 100th birthday of the Statue of Liberty, Williams was commissioned by the Statute of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation to write a fanfare for orchestra.

“As fanfares go, [it] is a humdinger,” wrote Anthony Tommasini, chief music critic of the New York Times. “It’s got two great tunes: a brassy and boisterous fanfare riff, all roulades and flourishes and forward motion; and a long-lined tune for hushed-up strings that sounds like lots of others Williams has composed for Hollywood, but still gets you right in the back of the throat.”

Program notes provided by Joe Nickell