John Williams Conducts Benefit Concert with Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Featuring violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, the special concert was held at Heinz Hall to benefit the musicians’ pension fund

American composer John Williams recently led a concert of his own music with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO). Williams is the recipient of 25 GRAMMY Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, five Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, plus over 50 Oscar nominations.

The one-night-only performance honored Williams’ friend and long-time collaborator, four-time GRAMMY Award-winning violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter on the occasion of her 60th birthday celebration.

From Heinz Hall, Mutter was also joined by pianist Yefim Bronfman, her protégé and VC Artist cellist Pablo Ferrández, and conductor Susanna Mälkki. 

The concert featured Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, and selections from Williams’ famed film scores including Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Schindler’s List, among others. Select film clips were also shown in synchronization with the live performance.

An admirer of Williams’ music when she was young, Mutter was first connected with the composer through her then-husband, pianist, and conductor André Previn, who was great friends with Williams. They eventually met around 11 years ago at Tanglewood.

In the past decade, Williams has collaborated many times with Mutter — in 2017, Mutter premiered Williams’ Markings for solo violin, string orchestra, and harp; in 2019, the pair released “Across the Stars,” an album of Williams’ famous movie themes for solo violin and orchestra. 

In 2021, they collaborated on a double CD entitled “John Williams Live in Vienna” with the Vienna Philharmonic, and premiered Williams’ Violin Concerto No. 2, written specially for Mutter. The latter has since championed and played the work internationally. 

Williams last performed at Heinz Hall in 2003; in 1997, he recorded “Cinema Serenade” with the orchestra and violinist Itzhak Perlman for Sony Classical. He also performed with them and Mutter just last year.

“It was a sensational evening at Heinz Hall yesterday as superstars Anne-Sophie Mutter and John Williams took the stage alongside renowned guest artists, Pablo Ferrández, Yefim Bronfman and conductor Susanna Mälkki accompanied by the Musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra,” the PSO posted on Facebook.