A listener's first reaction on hearing the trio forces of music by film composer
John Williams
may be that the group, specifically pianist
Simone Pedroni
, must have had to do a whole lot of reimagining. But
Williams
apparently greenlighted the project, which receives an excellent studio recording from film producer
Robert Townson
, and it's more than a mere novelty. The players are
Sara Andon
on various flutes,
Cécilia Tsan
on cello, and
on piano. They form an able ensemble, but special credit goes to
Pedroni
, who did most of the arrangements (a few of the duo pieces were arranged by
himself). Potential listeners will immediately notice that many of the big
hits are missing; there are only two excerpts from the Star Wars films, while there are rarely heard cuts from
Hook
,
The Sugarland Express
(
Steven Spielberg
's first collaboration with
), and a trio of cuts from
Memoirs of a Geisha
. So the album doesn't really work as a set of
reminiscences for chamber ensemble. But this is exactly its point. There are more imaginative orchestrators than
, and those who engage more deeply with popular music and with electronics. However,
remains unmatched at capturing the essence of a scene in a few well-chosen melodic strokes.
has left the big scores mostly aside, focusing instead on melodic detail. Aficionados of
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
, which gets the largest single chunk of selections, can marvel at
' portrait of "Hagrid the Professor" and other moments from the film. The program is nicely structured, and the listener's attention is unlikely to flag over the span of the double album. A nice, offbeat find for film music buffs and any admirer of
, however casual. ~ James Manheim