New York, NY – May 4, 2025 – Sony Classical embarks on a definitive, one-of-a-kind celebration of the music of five-time-Oscar®-winning composer John Williams, with the release of “John Williams: The Anthology.” The three-volume comprehensive collection will be released as three individual box sets throughout 2025. It will encompass the seven-decade career of the most popular and admired composer of his time and feature many of the maestro’s original soundtrack and concert music recordings.
“John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 1 1969-1990” is set for release on July 18th and is available for preorder now. The 22 discs in Volume 1 showcase Williams’ music for 27 films that established him as one of the most influential and imaginative composers in the history of film music. They include his unforgettable scores for the first three Star Wars films, “Jaws,” “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” the first three Indiana Jones adventures, “Superman” and a range of others from “The Reivers” (1969) to “Home Alone” (1990).
Three of the scores included in this first volume – “Jaws” (1975), “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” (1977), and “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” (1982) – won Williams the Academy Award® for Best Original Score. Fifteen more Oscar® nominations were accorded to other scores in Volume 1, as well as five BAFTA Awards, four Golden Globes, and 14 Grammy® Awards.
“I have often said that without John Williams, bicycles do not fly, nor do brooms in Quidditch matches or heroes in red capes. Dinosaurs do not walk the Earth. Sharks do not terrorize idyllic summer beaches. And Jedi do not return,” the director Steven Spielberg, the composer’s most frequent collaborator, writes in the foreword for this collection.
“Without the magic of John Williams, audiences do not wonder, or weep, or believe. Whether in an elegant concert hall or a darkened cinema, John’s music is instantly recognizable both for its emotional power and its ability to tap into our collective unconscious… to inspire us, to captivate us, and to illuminate our shared journey through the human experience.”
This historic box set retrospective will be completed later this year with the releases of “John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 2 1991-2008” and “John Williams: The Anthology – Vol. 3 2011-2022.” All three volumes combined will comprise a magnificent 75-disc collection celebrating the most beloved composer of our time.
JOHN WILLIAMS: THE ANTHOLOGY – VOL. 1 1969-1990
SET CONTENTS:
DISC 1: THE REIVERS
DISC 2: THE COWBOYS
DISC 3: EARTHQUAKE + THE TOWERING INFERNO
DISC 4: JAWS + JAWS 2
DISC 5: STAR WARS (EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE)
DISC 6: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND
DISC 7: THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS + 1941
DISC 8: THE FURY
DISC 9: SUPERMAN
DISC 10: DRACULA + MONSIGNOR
DISC 11: STAR WARS (EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK)
DISC 12: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
DISC 13: E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
DISC 14: STAR WARS (EPISODE VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI)
DISC 15: INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM
DISC 16: SPACECAMP
DISC 17: THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK
DISC 18: EMPIRE OF THE SUN
DISC 19: THE ACCIDENTAL TOURIST
DISC 20: INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE
DISC 21: BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY + Always
DISC 22: HOME ALONE
Pre-order HERE.
Available in stores July 18th
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