by Mike Telin

“The hardest part of programming a John Williams concert is that there’s so much you have to leave out,” Cleveland Pops music director Carl Topilow said during a telephone conversation. “I’ve seen programs that focus on Spielberg movies, for example. But our idea was to present a cross-section of his music.”

On Friday, November 12 at 8:00 pm in Mandel Hall at Severance, Topilow and the Cleveland Pops Orchestra will present “A Salute to John Williams.” The program will include selections from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, and Harry Potter. Tickets are available online.

And if you have any doubt that Topilow is ready to be back at Severance conducting some of the music he loves most, check out this video. (Spoiler alert — Superman is involved.)

Perhaps the greatest composer/movie director partnership is that of Williams and Steven Spielberg, which dates back to The Sugarland Express in 1974 and continued a year later with Jaws. “There’s an interesting story of how it all began,” Topilow said. [Read more…]