24-25 Program Book - Flipbook - Page 80
Escapades, from Catch Me If You Can (2002)
JOHN TOWNER WILLIAMS
(b. February 8, 1932)
Catch Me If You Can is a 2002 film starring Leonardo
DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, and the twentieth
collaboration between John Williams and director
Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of Frank Abagnale,
a con man who baffled FBI agents with incredible
exploits. The film is set in the 1960s, primarily in
France, and the music is jazz-influenced. As a result,
it is not surprising that two instruments that are
frequently used in jazz, the alto saxophone and
vibraphone, are featured soloists. The soundtrack
album was nominated for the Academy Award for
Best Original Score and the Grammy Award for Best
Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. The success of
the film soundtrack led Williams to adapt the music
into a three-movement suite.
The first movement, “Closing In,” has musical figures that chase each other around,
related to the cat-and-mouse games which take place in the story. The melancholy
second movement, “Reflections,” refers to the fragile family relationships created
by Abagnale’s lifestyle. Finally, the third movement, “Joy Ride,” is lively and
exciting, representing Frank’s exploits that took him all around the world before
he was eventually caught and brought to justice.
The overall musical effect is reminiscent of the film scores of Henry Mancini, for
whom Williams was the studio pianist for some of his films, including The Pink
Panther and Charade. Williams himself performed Escapades in concert several
times and, in 2016, recorded it in Los Angeles. The recording won a Grammy Award
in 2018 for Best Instrumental Arrangement.
80 CLASSICAL SERIES FRENCH CONNECTIONS WITH BRANFORD MARSALIS
