John Williams Strikes Back

S, with Arthur Fiedler in Boston

In 1980, composer John Williams replaced Arthur Fiedler as conductor of the Boston Pops after his scoring of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. The following is the last conversation to take place between the two musicians:

John Williams: I saw a city on the Charles.
Arthur Fiedler: [nods] Colleagues you have there.
John Williams: They were in rehearsal...
Arthur Fiedler: It is the future you see.
John Williams: The future?
[pause]
John Williams: Will they tank?
Arthur Fiedler: [closes his eyes for a moment] Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.
John Williams: I've got to conduct for them.
Arthur Fiedler: Decide you must, how to serve them best. If you leave now, conduct them you could; but you would end all that they have played, and diminuendoed.
John Williams: That's not true. That's IMPOSSIBLE!
Arthur Fiedler: The possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1.