Anne-Sophie Mutter, John Williams Across The Stars CD

Legendary film composer John Williams conducts a brand-new album of many of his beloved movie themes in stunning new adaptations written especially for his superstar violinist friend and collaborator Anne-Sophie Mutter.

Recorded in Hollywood, Across the Stars released on Deutsche Grammophon and includes familiar themes from blockbuster films including Star Wars and Harry Potter, as never heard before. John Williams – who has won five Oscars, four Golden Globes, five Emmys and 24 Grammys – explains that for this project he’s revisited themes from many of his existing scores and completely transformed them: “Presented on the violin, they become a different emotional experience.” One example is his newly arranged version of “Hedwig’s Theme” from the Harry Potter films, which he and Mutter describe as “Harry Potter meets Paginini” and “a Carmen Fantasy for the 21st century”. In addition to the haunting violin melodies from Williams’ Oscar-winning Schindler’s List score, the album features new versions of themes from Cinderella Liberty and Dracula (originally written in the 1970s and rarely performed since then) along with the Irish-flavoured ‘Donnybrook Fair’ from Far and Away and the romantic theme from Sabrina.

Anne-Sophie Mutter and John Williams both consider Across the Stars to be a milestone recording. Mutter recalls growing up in Germany’s Black Forest and falling in love with the music of Star Wars as a teenager. “These are melodies which touch us so deeply, they just stay with you,” says Mutter. “That’s the wonderful thing about John’s music – even without the film it has a life of its own.”