opus [oh-puhs]

a musical composition; great writing of music or writing

Synonyms include: composition, creation, piece

When I think of musical geniuses, it is not only images of Mozart or Beethoven that come to mind. An individual who lives in our time, and has a unique aptitude for creating sounds that not only complement our moving pictures, but truly make them come to life is none other than John Williams.

John Williams is truly a modern day genius. He composes a unique harmony for practically every character, every scene in a movie, yet somehow manages to bring each sound together to create a most distinguishable, and easily identifiable melody for that particular film. I am no expert at identifying what instruments are making which sound, no matter how intently I'm listening to a song. That's why attending a concert like the L.A. Philharmonic playing John Williams pieces is something that I will always appreciate. It's funny how actually seeing someone play the flute or the harp during a song makes you say, "Oh! That's what's making that sound!" Well, it's funny to me anyways =)
Last night, John Williams spent the first half of the concert conducting an orchestra of L.A.'s finest instrumentalists through a tribute of Harry Potter's mystical, magical melodies. Legendary English actress, Lynn Redgrave introduced each segment of music, while scenes from the past films played on a big screen. It only took a few notes of the xylophone for the audience of over 13,000 to sit in silence, reveling in the abstract machinations of J.K. Rowling, not to mention John Williams.

The second half of the concert was like a night outside with a tribute to the world's most famous movie soundtracks: Catch Me If You Can, Casablanca, Witches of Eastwick, Dracula, Superman, ET, and of course, so as not to disappoint the lightsaber-wielding attendees, Star Wars.

The Hollywood Bowl is, byfar, my favorite place to watch a concert. On a summer evening when the heat (even at 9:00 pm) can be bothersome, it's nice to sit outside beneath a cloudless sky, sipping champagne from a red plastic cup, and listening to music that you know you'll remember always.