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John Williams, 93, Says He Never Liked Film Music, Questions Its Place in Concert Halls

The remarks surfaced in a Guardian interview tied to a forthcoming biography.

Overview

  • Williams described most film scores as ephemeral and fragmentary, saying they rarely stand as concert pieces without reconstruction.
  • Biographer Tim Greiving characterized the stance as genuine self‑deprecation and later clarified Williams was reflecting on concert programming rather than disowning his work.
  • Greiving also noted Williams was not targeting modern scores specifically, adding that the composer doesn’t watch films or listen to film music.
  • Williams called film scoring a job or opportunity he accepted, even as he maintained a long, “very special” collaboration with Steven Spielberg.
  • The five‑time Oscar winner with 54 nominations last scored a theatrical release with 2023’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, as the biography John Williams: A Composer’s Life approaches publication.