“Steven Spielberg last year said: ‘Without John Williams, bikes don’t really fly, nor do brooms in Quidditch matches, nor do men in red capes,’ ” writes James C. Taylor in Monday’s (4/3) Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.) “This came to mind while watching the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra play Williams’ score for the first Harry Potter movie this past weekend, accompanying the full film at Radio City Music Hall under the baton of Justin Freer…. The NJSO’s … string section is arguably their strongest component, and strings are the heart of the classic Hollywood sound—of which Williams is one of the acknowledged masters. On Friday night, the Jersey players were in fine form, but special mention must be given to the NJSO’s harpist, Tomina Parvanova, who … elegantly showed how deftly Williams makes the harp a brief, but standout character, without breaking the mood or style of the film as a whole. The audience was filled with Potter fanatics … These Potter performances—the symphony will also perform the score to the second film in the series, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, in October—are at once a reminder of their musical skills as well as a showcase of their potential.”
Posted April 6, 2017
