John Williams 8211 Complete Philips Recordings 8211 21CD Boxset

John Williams is fted as the composer par excellence of some of Hollywoods best-loved film scores. This has somewhat overshadowed the other facet of his career, which has been of no lesser impact: John Williams as a concert conductor. Williams career on the podium burgeoned on his appointment as successor to Arthur Fiedler, who had over his fifty-year tenure turned the Boston Pops Orchestra into a national institution and a worldwide recognised ensemble. In the face of a daunting task, Williams conductorship was to prove an inspired choice. Williams legitimised film music repertoire, approaching it with more philological respect and seriousness than had been afforded it before – which in turn had the effect of elevating the value accorded it by other orchestras too. He commissioned new, more musically sophisticated symphonic arrangements of popular classics and of the Great American Songbook, replacing the lacklustre and trashy arrangements in the Pops repertoire. He also expanded the orchestras core classical repertoire, programming European composers not previously billed, as well as commissioning new works. Williams legacy with the Boston Pops is superbly represented in this boxed set which collects the albums made for Philips from his first decade at the helm of the orchestra. Rounding out the set is an intimate project with the unforgettable Jessye Norman: Williams returns to his pianist roots accompanying Norman in songs by Leonard Bernstein, Michel Legrand, Richard Rodgers, Kurt Weill, George Gershwin, Frederick Loewe, and Billy Joel. Jessye also features on a second disc in this collection with the Pops, singing the Great American Songbook. The Philip Classics recordings constitute one of the most salient testimonies of the importance of Williams Boston Pops tenure, and the most comprehensive showcase of the musical skills, the interpretive acumen, and the stylistic range of conductor John Williams. CD1 Pops on the MarchCD2 Pops in SpaceCD3 That\’s EntertainmentCD4 We Wish You a Merry ChristmasCD5 Pops Around the WorldCD6 Aisle SeatCD7 Out of this WorldCD8 Prokofiev: Peter & the Wolf; Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (Excerpts)CD9 With a Song in my HeartCD10 Swing, Swing, SwingCD11 America – The Dream Goes OnCD12 On StageCD13 Bernstein by BostonCD14 Pops in LoveCD15 Holst: The PlanetsCD16 Digital JukeboxCD17 Luck To Be MeCD18 Salute To HollywoodCD19 Pops la RusseCD20 Pops By GershwinCD21 Bonus Disc