• Japan Program 2002

    MESSAGE

    Greetings to all of our friends in Japan! It is once again my pleasure to be conducting the Boston Pops here in Japan. Though it was one year ago, it seems like just yesterday that we were returning after a hiatus of four years. Happily, that is not the situation this time! This year we are celebrating two milestones in American music, which we are delighted to share with our Japanese audiences. The first is the centennary of the birth of Richard Rodgers, the preeminent Broadway composer whose tunes have been performed by the Boston Pops for more than 50 years. Classics from the Sound of Music, and Oklahoma, to name but a few, have been the cornerstone of our repertoire this season and have been recorded on our latest CD, My Favorite Things: A Richard Rodgers Celebration. We are thrilled to be performing them for you at our concerts.
We are also celebrating the 70th birthday of John Williams this year. As my predecessor at the Boston Pops, John performed the scores of many of his most famous movies for the first time with this orchestra. With more than 80 films to his credit, John shows no signs of slowing down.
This season saw the scores of Harry Potter and Star Wars II, both destined to be forever enshrined in our collective musical memories. Happy Birthday, John!
All of us at the Boston Pops extedn our gratitude to you for ypur support and we look forward to returning here very soon. Now, sit back and enjoy te music!
Sincerely,
KEITH LOCKHART
BOSTON POPS, CONDUCTOR