“The Force will be strong with the Houston Symphony as it brings the most critically lauded of the Star Wars films to Jones Hall during Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back—in Concert led by Principal Pops Conductor Steven Reineke,” writes Sam Byrd in Tuesday’s (11/5) Houston Press. “The film will certainly hold nostalgia for the franchise’s fans, but for bass trombone player Phillip Freeman, Williams’ cinema scores hold a meaningful place regarding his introduction into music…. ‘I don’t know many people my age that didn’t grow up being fans of Star Wars, Superman, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark and its sequels,’ Freeman said. ‘Before I started listening to orchestral music, those scores were my idea of what a symphony sounded like.’ … For Freeman, who grew up with a musician father, music was in his life from an early age…. The music of Williams influenced the budding musician’s interests with Freeman choosing to play a brass instrument because of their heavy use in Williams’ scores…. Even though pops music is fun and enjoyable, it is nonetheless demands the utmost of preparation and places physical taxation on the musicians, especially the brass section.”
Posted November 6, 2019
