The New York Philharmonic Spring Gala celebrated the inimitable John Williams — who, over the past six decades, has created the soundtrack of our lives. Ken-David Masur, son of the late NY Phil Music Director Emeritus Kurt Masur, made his Philharmonic debut conducting the Orchestra in a wide-ranging selection of Williams’s iconic film scores, from Superman and Star Wars to the Oscar-winning animated short Dear Basketball, starring the late Kobe Bryant. Steven Spielberg, who has partnered with Williams on 29 feature films, was on hand to honor his friend, introducing excerpts from three of their collaborations — Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, and E.T. the Extra Terrestrial — with the Orchestra performing Williams’s music live to film. Then Williams himself took the podium to conduct several encores — all to rousing standing ovations.
Check out some highlights from the evening’s celebration in the slideshow above.
