Whether genetically engineered dinosaurs are on the rampage, schoolkids are helping a homesick alien find his way home or an adventurous archaeologist is battling Nazis, director Steven Spielberg’s movies always pack an emotional punch.
But their magic does not only rely on what you see on the screen, as audiences will discover this week when two classic Spielberg films – Raiders of the Lost Ark and Jurassic Park – are screened at Dubai Opera with a live orchestra providing the scores by composer John Williams.
He has written the music for almost all of Spielberg's films, beginning with the director's 1974 big-screen debut, The Sugarland Express. The famous Jaws music? That was Williams. So was the music from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Saving Private Ryan, among many others.
Away from Spielberg, his work includes two of the best-known movie themes in cinema history – Star Wars and Superman – not to mention the first three Harry Potter movies. In short, his back catalogue is a roll call of classic blockbusters.
His genius – much like that of Spielberg – lies in a maverick ability to take on any genre and make it his own, for which he has been rewarded with five Oscars, four Golden Globes, seven Baftas and 23 Grammys. It is amazing to think it takes him just eight to 12 weeks to write such memorable music. And unlike the younger generation, he still does it the old-fashioned way – with a pencil and paper.
Some critics point out the similarities between his music and that of other composers. Luke's theme from Star Wars has echoes of Venus from Gustav Holst's The Planets, for example. Elements from his Superman score remind others of Richard Strauss's Death and Transfiguration. And the rich, romantic orchestral palette Williams so expertly puts to task certainly comes from the same musical world as the work of Richard Wagner.
Another trick Williams undeniably learnt from this German colossus of 19th-century music is the cunning use of “leitmotifs”: short melodies associated with particular characters. As in Wagner’s operas, they help tie a film together and add emotional weight.
They are so effective that when you watch a film such as Jaws or Star Wars, you could almost close your eyes and still follow the story, guided by the emotional hints and triggers you hear.
When the Imperial March starts to blast out in Star Wars, everyone knows Darth Vader is about to arrive.
Talking to Total Film magazine in 1997, Williams said: "Writing a tune is like sculpting. You get four or five notes, you take one out and move one around, and you do a bit more and eventually, as the sculptor says: 'In that rock there is a statue, we have to go find it'."
This insight into William’s technique reveals the dedication to his craft. “I spend more time trying to create those little musical signals than I do with anything else,” he adds.
It also provides the key to his success. As he has often said, his primary focus is always to create the best musical fit for the movie he is working on. Suggesting his music is derivative of other composers misses the point; by employing sounds evocative of other sources, Williams harnesses a shortcut to our emotions. Sure, this technique is a musical hack of sorts – but one that requires great skill to avoid sounding clichéd.
However, it is not only the big tunes Williams excels in. He is also a brilliant “painter in sound”.
Many of Spielberg’s films have music running almost continuously throughout. Williams is able to pick up on what is happening on the screen and enhance its dramatic potential.
One such gem is the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark in which Indy is trapped in a temple. Williams sets the scene with creepy aural cues, including pizzicato strings, suggesting insects scuttling across the floor.
The music gradually wells up to the sound of rattles and the big reveal when Indy cries, “Snakes”, eyes wide open in fear.
The score for Jurassic Park contains many thrilling moments and it is amazing to think that Williams composed it in the same year as another, very different Spielberg opus, Schindler's List.
While the former may be overshadowed by the latter, there is no sign he skimped in the writing.
"Jurassic Park has a 95-minute score," he told Total Film. "It pumps away all the time. It is a rugged, noisy effort – a massive job of symphonic cartooning."
Now in his 80s and with more than 100 films to his name, you'd think that Williams would be slowing down. With scores for four films coming soon, including the next two Star Wars films and Indiana Jones 5, that does not seem to be the case – which should delight film lovers everywhere.
• Raiders of the Lost Ark in Concert is at Dubai Opera April 19 and April 21; Jurassic Park in Concert is on April 20 and April 21. Tickets start at Dh150 from www.dubaiopera.com
artslife@thenational.ae
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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ENGLAND TEAM
England (15-1)
George Furbank; Jonny May, Manu Tuilagi, Owen Farrell (capt), Elliot Daly; George Ford, Ben Youngs; Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Courtney Lawes; Charlie Ewels, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Joe Marler
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, George Kruis, Lewis Ludlam, Willi Heinz, Ollie Devoto, Jonathan Joseph
Results
6.30pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group Three US$200,000 (Turf) 2,000m; Winner: Ghaiyyath, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Cliffs Of Capri, Tadhg O’Shea, Jamie Osborne.
7.40pm: UAE Oaks Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Zabeel Mile Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Zakouski, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Meydan Sprint Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20DarDoc%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Samer%20Masri%2C%20Keswin%20Suresh%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%24800%2C000%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Flat6Labs%2C%20angel%20investors%20%2B%20Incubated%20by%20Hub71%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi's%20Department%20of%20Health%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2010%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Bridgerton%20season%20three%20-%20part%20one
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nicola%20Coughlan%2C%20Luke%20Newton%2C%20Jonathan%20Bailey%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
More coverage from the Future Forum
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%3Cp%3EAverage%20amount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20at%20DIC%20factory%20every%20month%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EApproximately%20106%2C000%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EAmount%20of%20biofuel%20produced%20from%201%20litre%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%20%3Cstrong%3E920ml%20(92%25)%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETime%20required%20for%20one%20full%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%20used%20cooking%20oil%20to%20biofuel%3A%20%3Cstrong%3EOne%20day%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EEnergy%20requirements%20for%20one%20cycle%20of%20production%20from%201%2C000%20litres%20of%20used%20cooking%20oil%3A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E%E2%96%AA%20Electricity%20-%201.1904%20units%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Water-%2031%20litres%3Cbr%3E%E2%96%AA%20Diesel%20%E2%80%93%2026.275%20litres%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Manchester City transfers:
OUTS
Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy, Willy Caballero and Jesus Navas (all released)
INS
Ederson (Benfica) £34.7m, Bernardo Silva (Monaco) £43m
ON THEIR WAY OUT?
Joe Hart, Eliaquim Mangala, Samir Nasri, Wilfried Bony, Fabian Delph, Nolito and Kelechi Iheanacho
ON THEIR WAY IN?
Dani Alves (Juventus), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)
The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders
Stuart Kells, Counterpoint Press
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
THE SPECS
Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre
Transmission: Seven-speed auto
Power: 165hp
Torque: 241Nm
Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000
On sale: now
More on Quran memorisation:
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
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Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
