It’s not easy to be truly surprised by something so familiar.  Most of us know John Williams’ music by heart – his themes are so iconic they’ve practically become a part of modern mythology.  Jaws, Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Indiana Jones. This list goes on. And on. And on. His scores don’t just accompany these films, they helped define them.  They don’t need the screen to move you – but hearing them live adds a whole new dimension. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s (RSNO) performance at the Caird Hall didn’t just hold up without the visuals, they soared even higher. This was Williams at full force, it wasn’t just impressive, it was, quite literally, E.T. – out-of-this-world. 

Emma and I had travelled from Glasgow to Dundee for the concert – a last-minute decision driven by impulse and a shared obsession. She drove, so I paid her in the form of the renowned Macaroni Pie from Clark’s and we made a full day of it: wandered the McManus, sat in the sun at Slessor Gardens, and admired the RRS Discovery. We even stopped by the Giddy Goose. Somehow, even with all that, it still worked out cheaper than seeing the show in Glasgow. By the time we took our seats in the Caird Hall, it already felt like a full adventure – the music just tipped it into magic.

The Caird Hall, Dundee’s grand old dame of performance spaces, might not be the first venue that springs to mind for a night of Hollywood spectacle. But on this night, filled wall-to-wall with anticipation and enhanced by the hall’s impeccable acoustics, it rose to the occasion. For a few hours, it wasn’t just Tayside’s musical heart – it felt like the centre of the cinematic universe. 

The show opened with a thunderclap: ‘The Raiders March’ from Indiana Jones, a theme so boldly iconic it needed no introduction. It was an instant adrenaline shot, a curtain-raiser that immediately hooked the room. Immediately following was ‘Hedwig’s Theme’ from Harry Potter. The franchise has grown to carry some complicated cultural baggage due to its author, but Williams’ score stood apart, untainted by controversy. The sweep of the strings and the twinkle of the celesta weren’t just motifs but magic in their own right. 

Between the big hitters were some lesser-known pieces, but Williams has this rare ability to make unfamiliar music feel like a memory you’ve somehow forgotten.  Each time the spotlight was announced to shine on a film I was less familiar with the soundtrack of, like The Post or The Terminal, I wasn’t disappointed, or even impatient for Jurassic Park. Instead, I found myself curious, leaning in. These scores, perhaps less iconic, still carried that unmistakable architecture that makes a Williams piece soar. 

However, the standout finding of the night was the score from Hook – a film I haven’t actually seen, though it’s a childhood touchstone for my friend Emma. It felt fitting, in the so-called City of Discovery, to be introduced to something so spectacular. Originally scheduled to be performed by the RSNO back in 2020, conductor Richard Kaufman had been granted exclusive permission by Williams himself to bring the score to Dundee. But with the pandemic hitting, the performance was delayed, and for the past five years, the piece remained untouched in Williams’ private archive, never played by another orchestra. When it was finally performed, it was a revelation. The energy, emotion, and unmistakable Williams touch all came rushing through in this rare performance that had waited half a decade to be unleashed. 

Then came what I had travelled 80 miles for: Jurassic Park. Without a doubt, this was my favourite performance of the night. I was transported back to my childhood, swept up in the powerful score of my favourite film. But it wasn’t just the music that made this moment so special; it was the memories that came flooding back with every note. The iconic theme, so perfectly crafted, filled the Caird Hall with the same awe and wonder I had felt watching the dinosaurs come to life for the first time. This wasn’t just a performance; it was a powerful connection to the past, made all the more moving by the live setting. 

The first half closed with Star Wars, the crowd’s undeniable favourite. The moment those iconic opening notes hit, the atmosphere shifted. A room full of students, pensioners, and everyone in between sat up, collectively transported by a score that’s etched into the city’s collective psyche. It was otherworldly and the perfect note to end the first half on. 

When the lights came up for the interval, I had a sense of slight worry – the ‘big four’ had been played. What could possibly be left for the second half? As it turned out, plenty. 

Act two opened with a surprise: ‘Crow Moon’, a piece by David Ford, winner of the RSNO’s 2022 Film Composers Lab. Ford, who trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, wasn’t just a warm-up act for the second half, his piece held its own against Williams’ titanic showing. When it was announced Ford was sat amongst the audience, the crowd erupted in applause. It wasn’t polite Dundonian enthusiasm, it was a genuine, electrified response to fresh talent.  

Music from E.T and Saving Private Ryan followed, but the performance took an eerie turn with the Jaws theme. Those two notes -E and F – were enough to send a chill through the audience, their repetition building tension in a way only Williams can. It’s a simple but brilliant piece of musical mastery, with just two notes summoning the primal fear we all associate with the film.  

The show closed with a near five-minute applause and the theme of 1941, a somewhat surprising closing choice given the film’s grim topic and even grimmer critical reception. It’s not the piece you’d expect to end such an emotionally rich evening. But in a way, that made it the perfect closer. Detached from its cinematic baggage, the music stood tall on its own merits: bright, bold, and unapologetically brassy. It served as a final, fitting reminder that Williams’ gift lies in complementing the great films and elevating even the flawed ones. By the time the final note faded, it didn’t matter where the theme had come from. It had taken on a life of its own.

Yes, you can stream these scores online, watch polished performances on YouTube, or relive them through the iconic films they are in. But nothing compares to experiencing them live, surrounded by generations of fans, each reliving their favourite childhood memories and cherished moments.  The energy was infectious, with some audience members so absorbed in the performance that they swayed, tapped, and even conducted along.  While Kaufman occasionally pushed the tempo a bit too fast, causing some pieces to lose a touch of their original oomph, the performances by the RNSO were breathtaking and had the audience hooked throughout. Sometimes the stars align – and when they do, they sound a lot like John Williams. 

Matthew Borrie

Editor of the best section, features!!