The Chicago Philharmonic returned to play a live soundtrack in the Philms at the Auditorium series, with guest conductor Thiago Tiberio on Saturday night. The occasion was the 45th anniversary of Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark, with the John Williams soundtrack.
In 1981, Steven Spielberg directed the first of his Indiana Jones epics, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Williams composed a brass-forward, soaring soundtrack. Legions of fans know the brass fanfare that accompanied the action-packed saga of Nazis, snakes, and spiders. In Indiana Jones, Spielberg created a franchise of five swashbuckling adventures. Williams has been composing for films since 1959 and has scored 29 films for Spielberg, and is due to score the 30th for Spielberg in 2026.
Harrison Ford played his breakout role as the heroic Han Solo in Star Wars in 1977, and went on then in The Empire Strikes Back in 1980 and Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981. Williams composed the memorable scores for all of those films, and George Lucas was the director and visionary behind the movies. His special effects company, Industrial Light and Magic, created the lasers, spaceships, and weird creatures for the Star Wars films as well as the giant spiders, the giant rolling boulder, and the swarming nest of poisonous asps for Raiders of the Lost Ark and all of the Indiana Jones movies.
Before the movie started, conductor Tiberio had the trumpet, French horn, and flute play themes from the movie. The trumpet theme would play when Indiana Jones was chasing the bad guys or making an escape by the skin of his teeth. A motif of the main theme was played by the French horn, and a lilting flute played when the leading lady, Karen Allen, was in a romantic clutch with Indy or drinking a Nepalese challenger under the table.
Williams's music raised the emotional connection and suspense. I found myself screaming at the giant spiders in the underground crypt. The decayed bodies of archaeologists and explorers made me jump, to the blast of brass and thunderous drums. Slinky woodwinds accompanied the slithering asps and cobras.
The Chicago Philharmonic is another Chicago musical treasure that began in 1989 with musicians from the Lyric Opera Orchestra. Their profile has risen considerably under the leadership of artistic director Scott Speck. The Philharmonic partners with several musicians and groups. Kishi Bashi,Tank and the Bangas, and Met Opera star Ryan Speedo Green, among others. They are sublime players of many genres, from traditional classical and alt-rock to neo soul. One of my favorite ways to hear them is live with a movie, and I have covered several, including Blade Runner, Love Actually, and Batman 1989.
The '70s and '80s were a second golden age of Hollywood films. The Irwin Allen disaster flicks were pulling out the stops with special effects and "whatever happened to ___" casts. Take a look at The Towering Inferno, or Airport 1975, when Karen Black had to land the plane! Steven Spielberg and George Lucas raised the bar in filmmaking with Jaws and Star Wars. The soundtracks for those movies were composed by John Williams. He could bring tears with the soundtrack of a wrinkly and mysterious alien named ET, and make throats tighten with music from the Jurassic Park franchise.
The Chicago Philharmonic brought the audience inside the action of the movie. The audience was whooping when Nazis were melted by the wrath of God and the Well of Souls. It was pure escapism, where the bad guys are struck down, and good wins over evil. I sat there wishing that Indiana Jones and his whip were real and could beat back the discord and unrest that we face today in this country. For two hours and 30 minutes, including an intermission, it felt real. Raiders of the Lost Ark elicited exclamations of "Yeah, shoot him, and kick him out of the truck!" The orchestra got a standing ovation, with conductor Tiberio getting an extra call to the stage for more applause.
There are more Philms at the Auditorium are ahead in 2026. This year is the 50th anniversary of Rocky. Top Gun Maverick will be shown, and prepare for the bad guys getting set on fire and generally kicked around in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. The historic Auditorium is located at 50 East Ida B. Wells Drive. For more information on these movies and other programs, please visit www.auditoriumtheatre.org
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