ACROSS THE STARS : ANNE SOPHIE MUTTER AND JOHN WILLIAMS

CD Review – Across the Stars

Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin

The Recording Art’s Orchestra of Los Angeles/John Williams

DG 4797553

4 out of 5 stars

Anne-Sophie Mutter and John Williams belong to same mutual appreciation society.

Of Mutter, Williams writes: “Anne-Sophie Mutter is many things…..a great artist, a brilliant woman who brings honour to her country, and, through her many travels, a highly contributive and outstanding world citizen”.  Of Williams, Mutter writes: “There is only one John Williams! What he writes is just extraordinary. Every time I go to one of his films and there is a violin or cello, I think, I would like to play that! And now I have his wonderful translations of all these iconic themes.”

Before I proceed any further, however, I should mention that, unlike me, if you’re expecting to hear a CD’s-worth of brassy marches or titillating triplets-laden sweeps of music then you will be vastly disappointed.  So what magic has the Mutter-Williams team in store for us? Well, we have music from most of Williams screen scores and some have had to be re-written to suit the violin instead of the original instrument. Most are adagios, but some like Far Away from ‘Donnybrook Fair’ are Irish jigs which would not be misplaced as part of a symphonic trio.  Then there is the tremendous crescendo in the finale of Night Journeys from ‘Dracula’ which has you biting your bottom lip in sheer surprise!  Or is that blood-lust?

There are a total of 12 themes from the Williams’ catalogue of film music.  Some are as well- known as the various Star Wars’ music (but none of that blaring stuff) while there are many unknowns.  But still compellingly charming. The best known is the theme from ‘Schindler’s List’. There are also the afore-mentioned ‘Donnybrook Farm’ and ‘Dracula’, plus ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’, ‘Sabrina’, ‘The Adventure of Tintin’ and  ‘Cinderella Liberty’.  

Of the music from ‘Cinderella Liberty’ Mutter has this to say, recalling that her late husband, André Previn, was at home in both classical and jazz formats: …”the jazzy atmosphere is something which really taps into my passion for jazz.  Sadly I’ve no talent for improvisation but I’ve always thought that it is the most intelligent of music-making – composing in the instant and being so responsive and so close to your musical partners and their musical ideas.”

The themes chosen span a period of 40 years and have collected 2 Oscars and been nominated for 9 more.  Most of the CD’s music was played in last year’s Tanglewood Festival – that congregation of musicians, mostly from the Boston Symphony, the breeding ground for such conductors as Leonard Bernstein and Marin Alsop.

ACROSS THE STARS is a very relaxing album which pits the magic of Mutter’s virtuosity on the violin with the music of one of musicdom’s greatest contemporary composers.  I believe Part II is currently on the drawing board. Enjoy!