Prolific film composer John Williams hinted previously that his work on the latest installment to the Indiana Jones franchise could be his last; however, the 91-year-old composer confirmed to The Sunday Times recently that he would be willing to compose again if he found the right project: “If a film came along that I was greatly interested in, with a schedule that I could cope with, then I wouldn’t want to rule anything out. Everything is possible. All is before us. Only our limitations are holding us back. Or, to put it more simply: I like to keep an open mind.”
Williams also discussed the changing attitude toward film composition throughout his decades-long career: “Thirty or fourty years ago, when I would take a programme of film music to one of our big orchestras, there might be condescension. I understood it; I understand the value of things made in the commercial world and their place in the art world. But now things are different. I’d love to come back in 50 years’ time and see what cinema is contributing to the development of new music, because I think young composers will want to work across both.”
During an event held by the Writers Guild of America Theater in Beverly Hills, Williams and longtime collaborator Steven Spielberg’s latest film, The Fabelmans, was commemorated. Talking to music journalist Jon Burlingame about the director, Williams described Spielberg as “a lot of things…[but] one thing he isn’t is a man you can say ‘no’ to.”
Additionally, Williams highlighted his love from music to the audience at this event stating, “you can’t ‘retire’ from music. It’s like breathing. It’s your life. It’s my life. A day without music is a mistake.”
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