Bernard Chasan:

>Much of film music is hollow ponderous derivative and, worst of all,
>manipulative.  John Williams is a fine film composer, but does anyone
>take him seriously as a classical composer?

I do.  Why not? The first trumpet of the Cleveland Orchestra does; he
commissioned a concerto from Williams.  I certainly don't like everything
Williams has written, but I can't deny that it's well-written.  I've liked
the violin concerto and "Five Sacred Trees." I should also say that I don't
like all his film scores.  The score to The Phantom Zone seemed pretty limp
and not especially helpful to the film, which needed all the help it could
get.  I did like his scores for The Reivers, E.T., Close Encounters, and
Dracula, apart from the films.  I also thought his music for Star Wars and
Raiders of the Lost Ark a very clever evocation of Hollywood music between
the wars.

Steve Schwartz