John Williams Music

Fourth of July weekend: Hit the road to these events, activities

Fayetteville gets an early jump on Independence Day with an 8 p.m. free-admission concert Friday at Festival Park. The North Carolina Symphony will play favorites by Tchaikovsky, John Williams, Leroy Anderson, John Philip Sousa and others. Preshow entertainment starts at 7 p.m.; the concert is followed by fireworks. Bring your blanket or lawn chair.

It's billed as one of the oldest and largest small-town Independence Day celebrations in the U.S. This year, The National 9-11 Flag, salvaged from the World Trade Center, makes its only North Carolina stop on a commemorative journey across America before becoming part of the National September 11 Memorial Museum at Ground Zero. More than t20 events are scheduled, including tributes to veterans and active military, a naturalization ceremony, flag retiring, Fire Fighter Freedom Competition, historic tours, kids' activities and contests, fun food, music and more. Admission: free. Details: www.nc4thofjuly.com

The three-day family event in Durham City Park features more than 90 performers on four stages. The festival, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (no fireworks), is a fundraiser for Eno River Conservation efforts. Traditional and international fare offered at the food court. Admission: $13 per day/advance and $15/gate; $30 for all three days/advance and $35/gate.Details: 919-620-9099; www.enoriver.org/festival .

Cowpens National Battlefield will celebrate with opportunities to learn about Revolutionary War history, patriotic music and fireworks. This free event will begin at 10:30 a.m. with a guided battlefield walk and end with a 650-shell professional firework display at 9 p.m.

Local re-enactors will set up a soldiers' camp and will give weapons firing demonstrations on the half hour, 12:30-5:30 p.m. Afternoon battlefield walks will begin on the hour at the visitor center (noon-4 p.m.); a talk will be offered at the 1932 US Monument in front of the visitor center at 6:30 p.m.

On the lawn behind the visitor center, the Spartanburg Community Band will play patriotic music from 7 to 9 p.m. Children's activities will also be offered from 7 to 9 p.m., including Colonial-era children's games, writing with a quill pen, and making whirligigs.

Bring a picnic and enjoy the afternoon with your family and friends. Note: Food will not be for sale in the park; alcohol is not allowed. The battlefield area will be closed 5:30-9:45 p.m. to stage and shoot the fireworks.

The Terminal (John Williams) | MovieCues

Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) winds up trapped in a New York airport due to war breaking out in his nation during his flight, which has rendered his passport and travel documents useless.  He can’t enter New York, and he can’t go home, so he lives in The Terminal, ultimately causing so much annoyance for the management that they attempt to trick him into entering New York so that he’ll be arrested and will no longer be their problem, but he isn’t fooled.  Despite being treated with suspicion by airport employees initially, he eventually befriends many of them, and develops a romance with a flight attendant played by Catherine Zeta Jones.  The film is immensely enjoyable, in the most part because it’s just a light hearted comedy, and doesn’t make an effort to convey the chagrin of being stuck at airports for extended periods of time, which, let’s face it, would be very believable.

The Terminal was the 21st collaboration between Steven Spielberg and composer John Williams, with their most recent being Catch Me If You Can in 2002, which was a particularly welcome change from Williams’ music for Spielberg’s heavy dramas to that for comedy.  Whilst Williams’ work for that film would be difficult to recommend to anybody other than true Williams enthusiasts, the score for The Terminal is a delight from beginning to end.

The main theme, a whimsical clarinet tune, is introduced in the very first cue, and is gradually built up until it is played in all its glory by the full orchestra.  This is immediately followed by the eight minute long “Dinner with Amelia”, a Nino Rota style romance piece.  Next is “A Legend is Born”, a broad brass and horn piece which has the feel of one of those heroic western themes.

Other particular highlight cues include “The Fountain Scene”, a beautiful romance piece, followed by “The Wedding of Officer Torres”, into which Williams includes a few notes from “Here Comes the Bride” towards the end.  “Jazz Autographs” is an excellent solo piano piece with occasional bass, later joined by strings.  Williams includes a brief homage to Bernard Herrmann in the cue “Refusing to Escape”, where Herrmann’s theme from Cape Fear is briefly heard (strange choice, but anyway…).  Williams’ National Anthem for Krakozhia (yes; the film is fictional – that country does NOT really exist – don’t go looking for an atlas) is a brief, but hugely enjoyable fully orchestral piece.

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