Episode 105 - The Book Thief

The Baton: A John Williams Musical Journey - A podcast by Jeff Commings

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Host Jeff Commings and co-host David Kay discuss the quiet yet personal score for "The Book Thief" in this episode. John Williams lobbied hard to be the composer for this film after reading the book and the script, and Kay believes Williams found a personal and intimate connection to the story at 81 years old. In addition to discussing the themes Williams wrote for Death and the heroine Liesel, the two chat with director Brian Percival about collaborating with John Williams. Percival relives the moment he sat in John Williams' home listening to the Maestro play themes from the score on his piano, and sitting in the middle of the recording studio as Williams conducted the studio orchestra. This is our first opportunity to hear firsthand about the director-composer relationship in this podcast, and we hope you enjoy the episode!