To mark music legend John Williams’ 90th birthday, today, Tuesday, February 8, Scala Radio invited listeners to take part in a poll to discover the U.K.’s favourite John Williams film score.
Topping the list came the landmark soundtrack for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Released in 1982, the film was directed by Steven Spielberg, with John William writing and conducting the score. This particular soundtrack became the fourth in history to take home the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Grammy Award, and BAFTA Award.
The 1993 war film, Schindler’s List came in second. Also helmed by Spielberg, the original score includes a striking solo performance by the acclaimed Israeli-American violinist Itzhak Perlman. This soundtrack went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Score, the BAFTA Award for Best Film Score, and the Grammy Award for Best Score for Visual Media, as well as receiving a Golden Globe nomination.
These were closely followed by Jurassic Park coming in at number three, with Jaws at number four and Star Wars: A New Hope (Episode IV) at number five.
The top 10 features six of John Williams’ collaborations with Steven Spielberg including the top three along with Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. In total Williams and Spielberg have collaborated on 28 films together with Spielberg as director.
As a composer, John Williams has won 25 Grammy Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, five Academy Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. With 52 Academy Award nominations, he is the second most-nominated individual, after Walt Disney. Scala Radio’s Top 10 includes four of Williams’ Oscar wins: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Schindler’s List, Jaws, and Star Wars: A New Hope.
The full top ten are listed below and Scala Radio will be revealing the top ten tomorrow across the day from 10 am.
In celebration of the legendary composer’s 90th birthday, Scala Radio have also launched a new Premium station called ‘Celebrating John Williams’ to continue the celebrations across the year.
Subscribers can head here to listen to non-stop film scores by John Williams.
