Classical Pick of the Week: Movie Music, and More Messiaen!

Jaws. Star Wars. Indiana Jones. ET. Jurassic Park. Harry Potter. These are some timeless tales that captivated our youth (and for some people, their lives). The memories should be flooding back now, reminding you of the good ol’ days, when big blockbuster movies were held together not just by special effects, but with memorable characters, plots (!), and most of all, the music. The minor second motif from Jaws will always run through your mind when you’re jumping into the beach, or even the pool (or at least now it will). The music composed by John Williams has been ingrained into our minds, and has managed to reach a global audience, a difficult feat for anyone not named Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart. The classical pick of the week has John Williams conducting several of his masterpieces with the American Youth Symphony next Sunday on the 23rd.

Tickets start at $15, and for those who want to make it a special evening, there is a 4:30 pre-concert wine tasting, and an 8:00 gala dinner. The program includes excerpts from ET, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Fiddler on the Roof, and Schindler's List; with the solos performed by the LA Phil concertmaster Alexander Treger. It’s a benefit concert, so the money goes towards a good cause and this will definitely impress your date/parents/special someone. There is a video after the jump, that has excerpts from his most famous works and more concerts to know about.