I have zero connection to American football, but I love his theme for Sunday Night Football from years and years ago. That one sounded like a remnant from the SW prequels. Looking forward to whatever this is."
Three threads going on at once here, about the same thing! Yikes!
Anyways, I agree with the previous poster. My maternal granddad passed away at 84 (almost 85) in 2011 -- my paternal granddad passed away much too early in his early 50s -- and here is John Williams busy as ever at almost 91. It's staggering.
Three threads going on at once here, about the same thing! Yikes!
Anyways, I agree with the previous poster. My maternal granddad passed away at 84 (almost 85) in 2011 -- my paternal granddad passed away much too early in his early 50s -- and here is John Williams busy as ever at almost 91. It's staggering.
Some people are just built for longevity. I remember a few years ago reading a story about a World War II veteran who, at the age of 110(!), was still driving around in his truck and running his own errands. I forget the man's name.
Anyway, the article says that the theme was 'previewed for Variety late Thursday'. Does that mean there's audio online already, or are we going to have to wait to hear it?
The article has been updated since it went live with new quotes from Williams
Says Williams: “Intercollegiate football has been at the heart and soul of our nation’s life for so long that the opportunity to musically salute this great tradition has been a particularly meaningful joy for me. I was thrilled and excited when ESPN suggested that I write a theme for the Jan. 9 championship game.
“The games themselves always raise the collective spirit and, in the end, the competition brings us all closer to a place where the concept of winners and losers dissolves into mutual respect and admiration. The invitation to write this music constitutes a great honor for me, and I feel especially privileged to make a small contribution to one of our country’s most treasured traditions.”
ESPN’s Creative Content Unit Scores With CFP National Championship Open, Collaboration With Legendary Composer John Williams Co-director and producer Martin Khodabakhshian says of the 52-time Oscar-nominated musical wizard: "John Williams doesn't miss.”
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Tonight’s College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T (7:30 ET, ESPN) represents the pinnacle of the season.
A game of this magnitude requires an opening for the ages, and ESPN’s Creative Content Unit has delivered just that with an original score from celebrated composer John Williams.
Titled “Of Grit And Glory,” the anthem is “magical, hopeful and powerful,” according to co-director and producer Martin Khodabakhshian.
“‘Star Wars,’ ‘Jurassic Park,’ ‘Harry Potter,’ ‘Home Alone,’ ‘Indiana Jones’ . . . John Williams is a genius,” Khodabakhshian said. “On the cusp of the release of ‘Indiana Jones 5,’ he wrote us an original composition, and it’s a big score. It’s like he took the best pieces of all his scores and did something special for ESPN.
“We’re going to try to make some people cry at the end of this thing. I can’t oversell it. It’s beautiful. It’s amazing. [This process] was one of the most extraordinary experiences I’ve ever had and a highlight of my career.”
Khodabakhshian dreamed up the concept with game producer Bill Bonnell and co-director and editor Mike Sciallis of Victory Pictures. Khodabakhshian and Sciallis wrote Williams what they described as a “love letter,” expressing their adoration for Williams’s influence through movies and sports.
The legendary composer received the letter and was moved to write the score. The piece features a 96-piece orchestra; the musicians got the call six days before recording and – in less than three hours on Dec. 21 – saw the music for the first time, did a couple of run-throughs, and then recorded it for the tease.
ESPN’s camera crew captured the recording session of this extraordinary composition created for the night of college football’s biggest game.
“You trust that it’s John Williams, so what he’s written we’re going to love,” said ESPN Vice President of Production Julie McGlone, who oversees the Creative Content Unit and The SportsCenter Enhancement Unit. “It was the best musicians in the industry and a fascinating exercise to watch it unfold.”
The anthem features one of the greatest legends in music paired with some of college football’s greatest legends, as Tony Dorsett, Vince Young, Tommie Frazier, Peter Warrick, and Tim Tebow – now an ESPN/SEC Network college football analyst – give voice to their myth-making championship moments and what made their trophy-winning nights so extraordinary.
Williams, who is now 90, maintains the distinction of being the record holder for the most Oscar nominations for a living person (52) and ranks only behind Walt Disney (59) as the most-nominated person in Academy Awards history.
“Intercollegiate football has been at the heart and soul of our nation’s life for so long, that the opportunity to musically salute this great tradition has been a particularly meaningful joy for me,” Williams shared exclusively with Variety.
“I was thrilled and excited when ESPN suggested that I write a theme for the January 9th championship game. The games themselves always raise the collective spirit, and in the end, the competition brings us all closer to a place where the concept of winners and losers dissolves into mutual respect and admiration. The invitation to write this music constitutes a great honor for me, and I feel especially privileged to make a small contribution to one of our country’s most treasured traditions.”
“John Williams doesn’t miss,” Khodabakhshian gushed. “When you initially hear [the score], you’re like, ‘Holy crap, I was not expecting that for college football, a championship game.'”
What I’ve heard in the brief clips so far is resplendent with color and vigor. I can’t wait to hear it unabridged, and I second the plea for a recording unblemished by dialogue, etc.
I wish Sony would release a CD of all those unreleased pieces (including DEAR BASKETBALL, SNF, FENWAY FANFARE, OF GRIT & GLORY) akin to that AMERICAN JOURNEY release in 2002. I'd rather that than the countless concert CD's that feature the same old same old. Who do I write?