John Williams, who celebrated his 90th birthday in February, has told Classic FM that he has finished 30% of the soundtrack for the fifth Indiana Jones instalment, and when asked if he would like to create work for James Bond, he said “I’d love it.”
Speaking to Classic FM he said he had finished 30% of the soundtrack for the fifth instalment, which will star Harrison Ford. “I pretty much have the thematic scheme done. But we probably will be working on this into September,” Williams said.
Asked whether he would like to create work for James Bond, Williams said: “I’d love it.” He then went on to open up about the process of creating a soundtrack.
“Writing for film music is very difficult … it’s probably not a profession for all composers because … [it] can be very constricting and possibly very frustrating.”
Williams said he did not listen to his own music once a piece is completed. “Once I’ve done, finished with it, I close the book and go on to the next empty page, which has become a way of life where I’m very happy to get up each day to work,” he said. “I’m very happy, I would feel very deprived if I couldn’t do it.”
Reflecting upon his career, he said that earlier in his life he had “tension and anxiety” about having to produce music under time pressure, whereas now “I’m having fun … I invent something – ‘Ah, this can work, I can expand this in this way and orchestrate it in that way.’”
He added that his “old veteran’s experience” meant that if he was behind for a minute or two in his schedule it did not trouble him any more.
We’ll take any new music that Williams is able to give us — he’s the gift that keeps on giving!
