Legendary composer John Williams wrote an original theme for ESPN‘s College Football Playoff National Championship, airs at 7:30 p.m. ET Monday night before the TCU-Georgia game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
Titled “Of Grit and Glory,” it lasts three and a half minutes and will feature a series of specially created visuals that convey “the feeling behind the night, the fear and anticipation, the triumph and failure,” said the co -ESPN director and producer, Martin Khodabakhshian. tell Variety.
Williams’ new music – previewed for Variety late Thursday — plays like a joyful overture, opening with fanfares and moving smoothly from martial urgency to anthemic splendor, all richly orchestrated and instantly memorable.
Williams said, “College football has been the heart and soul of the life of our country for so long that the opportunity to musically salute this great tradition was a particularly meaningful joy for me. I was thrilled and excited when ESPN suggested I write a theme for the championship game on January 9th.
“The games themselves always spark collective spirit and, ultimately, competition brings us all closer to a place where the concept of winners and losers dissolves into mutual respect and admiration. The invitation to write this music constitutes a great honor for me and I feel particularly privileged to make a small contribution to one of our country’s most treasured traditions.
Khodabakhshian and his co-director and editor Michael Sciallis of Victory Pictures had dreamed of asking the world’s most famous film composer to write the music for their opening sequence. So three months ago, at the request of the game’s lead producer Bill Bonnell (who had worked with the composer on past Olympic events), they wrote what Khodabakhshian calls “a love letter” to Williams, outlining their thoughts and kindly inquiring about the possibility of an original piece.
“There’s no better person on the planet to write about the emotions and things that come with the biggest night on ESPN’s biggest stage, our Super Bowl, than John Williams,” Khodabakhshian said. Sciallis adds: “We wrote about the emotions of bringing people together, not just the competition aspect, but also how the audience is affected.”
Two days later the news came back: “He started writing something. » The ESPN team took action, designing a visual sequence that would feature “college football heroes and legends from all eras” but also add “the beauty of Hollywood and California “, where the match would take place, notes Khodabakhshian.
Williams led a 96-piece orchestra on the Sony stage on December 21. And ESPN was there with seven cameras, filming the entire three-hour recording session, parts of which will be interwoven throughout the opening segment – ​​“so you feel the emotion.” The energy of these orchestra members and John, playing this music for the first time, so the audience can feel that too,” says Sciallis.
The “giddiness and excitement” associated with a new Williams anthem for their big college football game was palpable throughout ESPN’s executive suites, Sciallis said. However, this has remained top secret until today. On Saturday, ESPN will tease Williams’ opener and score during its NFL Wild Card Doubleheader.
Williams’ new music will be heard throughout the TCU-Georgia game. He recorded several takes of the main piece as well as briefer excerpts, “a cover piece and a vamp,” reports Sciallis; “Cutdowns and stingers,” shorter pieces that might be useful during the game itself, were edited in the days following the December 21 session.
“He captured the spirit of the night,” says Sciallis. Khodabakhshian admits that he burst into tears after meeting the maestro. “I’m so overwhelmed and grateful because he’s the GOAT!”
It is believed to be the largest music commission ever for the sports network. What will happen with the play after Monday night is unclear. ESPN could theoretically use it in future college football broadcasts; no plans for a commercial release have apparently been discussed.
In terms of music for sports competitions, the five-time Academy Award winner has written four Olympic fanfares, a grid march for NBC’s football coverage and music for Kobe Bryant’s Oscar-winning short film, “Dear Basketball.” He has not written music for television since his Emmy-winning “Great Performances” theme for PBS in 2009; his theme for “Obi-Wan Kenobi” debuted last year on the Disney+ streaming service.
Williams, 90, is currently on the Oscar shortlist for his score for Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” and has been working for several months on the score for “Indiana Jones and the Clock of Doom,” which is due for release. scheduled for June 30.
