John Adams, Philip Glass and John Williams’ Star Wars Suite

John Adams, Philip Glass and John Williams’ Star Wars Suite – a cinematic celebration of three American master composers. The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, under the energetic baton of Finnish‑Ukrainian conductor Dalia Stasevska (who debuted with them last year in The Planets), delivers a breathtaking program that marks the upcoming 80th anniversary of John Adams, the 90th of Philip Glass and the 95th of John Williams. The concert film captures the full artistic flourish of the evening, featuring the Amsterdam Student Choir and Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam. The show opens with John Williams’ electrifying Star Wars Suite, the instantly‑recognisable heartbeat of the galaxy‑far‑far‑away saga. The second piece, Philip Glass’s Violin Concerto No. 1, showcases a dazzling interplay between virtuosic violin lines and the orchestra’s shimmering textures, a quintessential example of the minimalist style that has defined Glass’s career. The finale is a cinematic triumph: John Adams’s Harmonium for choir and orchestra—his 1981 work that earned him international acclaim and which, for the first time, is performed in its newly‑published Dutch edition with the two choirs providing soaring counter‑point under Stasevska’s guidance. This concert film is an invitation to experience the emotional breadth of these living giants, witnessed by the vibrant sound of the Netherlands Philharmonic and the expressive voices of the choirs, and to celebrate their life‑work in a way that feels both intimate and monumental.