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TONIGHT IN WASHINGTON: “Jaws” to be shown at Wolf Trap while the National Symphony Orchestra plays score live

Conductor Emil de Cou discusses the score of the greatest fish story ever told

One of soundtrack composer John Williams’s great masterstrokes with the Steven Spielberg-directed “Jaws” (1975) was crafting a musical theme with just two notes, E and F. Recognizable the world over, that half-step interval instantly causes tension knowing that the monster great white shark is nearby. In fact, it’s arguably the first thoroughly-modern score, said Emil de Cou, who will conduct ... more >