Besides rock music, I'm a fan of classical music, too. I usually go see the Elgin Symphony a couple times a year, but have paused because of COVID. But now I would go back for sure. If anyone's not familiar with this symphony, they play at the Hemmens Cultural Center in downtown Elgin. The sad thing is that the Elgin Symphony no longer has Andrew Grams as their conductor, I don't think. He might be on sabbatical. Graham has a great personality, good taste in classical music (except for Mahler, ah hem, not my favorite) and, of course, excellent control over his musicians. The last concert I went to there was the music of John Williams, where they played pieces of all the great scores of John Williams from the past, like Jaws, Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, etc. People might think that Beethoven was the greatest symphony composer of all time, but I really think it is John Williams. His production of symphony masterpieces far surpasses Beethoven's. They didn't play Star Wars, unfortunately, that day which could have been a whole show unto itself.
If you were to ask me what his single greatest piece of music is, it's this piece from Raiders of the Lost Ark---the Miracle of the Ark, which comes at the end of the film, when the Nazi's are opening the Ark of the Covenant on the island. The passion, beautiful strings and counterpoint brilliancy in this music will never be eclipsed. Williams was truly at the top of his game here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diq1-cpk8Q4
