Description on Youtube:
Fiddler on the roof
Arranged by John Williams: 0:00
Composed by John Williams: 3:47
Gil Shaham
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
John Williams
Live from Hollywood Bowl 2012
The violin is probably the instrument for which Williams wrote the most. As far as I know, his first published work for violin solo is Fiddler on the Roof for which he won his first oscar. In 1971 he arranged the musical for the movie, and the violin solos were played by I. Stern. In 1976 he finished composing his first violin concerto in memory of his first wife. It was premiered in 1981 with Slatkin, Peskanov, and the Saint-Louis Symphony Orchestra.
In 1993 he refused at first to compose for the film Schindler's List. After seeing it, he said to his long-time friend S. Spielberg that he should find a better composer for such a film. The film-maker replied that they were all dead. He composed the violin solos for I. Perlman. It was also the first Williams' soundtrack to be recorded with the BSO/BPO. He wanted since a few years to record one or more (ET for instance) with them but there schedule problems.
When G. Shaham heard the theme from Schindler's List without knowing it was Williams composing, he thought that it was an amazing piece and was surprised that he did not know it. He later learned that it was the new Williams' soundtrack for the film Schindler's List that would come out later.
Out of the whole soundtrack, Williams made three concert pieces (that were amazingly arranged for piano and violin): Remembrances, Schindler's list theme, Jewish Town.
He won his last to date oscar for it.
In 2000, Williams composed his second Violin Concerto called Treesong which is directly inspired by a metasequoia in the botanic garden of Boston where Williams often takes a walk. He dedicated it for his friend Gil Shaham.
He has also done numerous arrangements of his own works, or of other's for violin and orchestra and/or piano for his friends Perlman, Shaham, and others. He does not only transcribed them for violin, he did a great work by changing the piece itself, and make it sound in another ways. I suggest you for example to listen to his Devil's Dance played live with the Boston Pops conducted by Williams (here on YouTube) and to the Devil's Dance arranged for violin and piano (also on YouTube). The two pieces, although they are the same, are co^mpletely different and both terrific.
As the musical director of the Boston Pops Orchestra (1980-1993), he has played with the greatest violinists such as Stern, Perlman... He has also introduced into the concert hall young and very young violinists such as Sara Chang, Leila Josefowicz, Ann Akiko Meyers etc (some are on YouTube). He has recorded several albums with violin solos notably one with the London Symphony Orchestra and J. Bell with arrangements of Gershwin.
He has also played as an accompanist in a lot of chamber music works for violin and piano. And his two quartets both feature violin in them. It is also inter
