Olympic Fanfare and Theme
The Cowboys Overture
Superman March
Excerpts from Close Encounters of the Third Kind
With Malice Toward None from Lincoln
Star Wars (Main Title)
Imperial March from The Empire Strikes Back
Scherzo for X Wings from Star Wars: The Force Awakens
The Jedi Steps and Finale from Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Theme from J.F.K.
Adventures on Earth from E.T.
March from 1941
The Star-Spangled Banner

Regardless of who you are, your age, where you live or what you do, at some point in your life you've had a close encounter (pun intended) with the music of John Williams. He's composed the music for over 200 films and TV programs that cover all the bases and appeal to a wide spectrum of movie fans. From The Witches of Eastwick to Saving Private Ryan, JFK, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Schindler's List, Jaws and of course the ongoing Star Wars saga, etc ... etc ... all of his scores, be they for a short documentary or a major Hollywood blockbuster are memorable. He always seems to capture the very essence, the spirit, or the epic scope within any story, and transfers it perfectly to the orchestra. Fine, it may not be "classical", "symphonic" or "art" music, but rather written for "commercial" purposes as pointed out in the liner notes, but if you listen closely to the background score to Close Encounters of the Third Kind for example, or the included cut from Lincoln with a wonderful solo trumpet melody played by Cnristopher Martin, they rival many orchestral efforts by noted 20th century composers. And like all fine composers he has a distinctive sound and style all his own, so much so that whenever you watch a movie scored by him, you don't have to wait for the credits to know it's a John Williams score.

The Dallas Winds (formerly known as the Dallas Wind Symphony) may not be a full-size philharmonic or symphony orchestra, but don't let that fool you. Besides a full range of woodwind, brass and percussion instruments, they also include a harp, organ, string bass and piano, and when called upon they can pack a wallop. Play the Imperial March from The Empire Strikes Back loud and you'll know exactly what I mean. Over the years they've released about 15 recordings on Reference Recordings, all of them coveted by audiophiles. This new recording should garner the same attention. The recording engineers and audio technicians at Reference always seem to find the perfect balance between clarity and power, and always produce pristine sonics that can still thump your chest when required. May the force be with you!