Graham Williams and HRAudio.net give John Williams At The Movies ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for performance and multi-channel sonics in a new review:
“Each new release from the Reference Recordings label is anticipated with a tingle of excitement, promising not just an aural treat for audiophiles but also high musical values, and this latest sonic spectacular featuring the film music of John Williams is no exception. For decades Keith O Johnson, the doyen of recording engineers, and his team have been working their magic in recording studios and concert halls across Europe and the USA with consistently breathtaking results as can be experienced on this 5.1 multi-channel SACD recorded at the Meyerson Symphony Centre, Dallas, July 15-17, 2016. … The performers are the Dallas Winds conducted by their long-time Artistic Director Jerry Junkin who are no strangers to Reference Recordings as this represents their 18th album for the label. … There is little doubt that John Williams’s stirring and richly melodic scores are well suited to these arrangements for wind band and these marvellous players relish each and every opportunity the composer gives them. The stirring marches and brass fanfares of the ‘Star Wars’ excerpts have the visceral impact you might expect, but equally impressive are the performances of the more reflective music such as the noble Coplandesque ‘Theme from J.F.K.’ and ‘With Malice Toward None from Lincoln’ in which the haunting trumpet solo is is eloquently delivered by Christopher Martin, the Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic. … As always with Reference Recordings presentation is of a high standard. … It is worth pointing out that this album is available as a 2-channel download in various resolutions (44.1kHz /16bit up to 176.4kHz /24 bit FLAC) but the only way to experience to the full ‘Prof’. Johnson’s nonpareil surround sound mix is to buy the physical media. A future award winner? Without doubt.”