Matsumoto, Nagano Pref. ¨C It¡¯s early September and I¡¯m on a train bound for Matsumoto, a city located in the heart of the mountainous Nagano Prefecture. I strike up a conversation with the woman sitting next to me. ¡°I¡¯m a big fan of John Williams,¡± she says as our chat progresses. ¡°When the first orchestral chord rang out in the ¡®Star Wars¡¯ opening scene, I was blown away as if I was thrown into space.¡±
The woman¡¯s name is Keiko Katahira and it appears we are both headed to the same destination: Kissei Bunka Hall, to attend a concert by the Saito Kinen Orchestra featuring an all-Williams program. The event is part of the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, which ran from Aug. 19 to Sept. 6.
In addition to the ¡°Star Wars¡± soundtrack, the now 91-year-old American composer and conductor is the man responsible for such iconic scores as those for the films ¡°Jaws,¡± ¡°Schindler¡¯s List¡± and ¡°Saving Private Ryan.¡± A titan of orchestral music, Williams has received five Academy Awards (as well as 53 nominations) and 25 Grammys. Keiko tells me she saw the first ¡°Star Wars¡± film as a junior high school student in 1978 and can still remember the feelings of freedom and excitement it evoked in her.
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