John Williams’s music for Star Wars looks back to the Golden Age of Hollywood, particularly to the sweeping grandeur of Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s The Sea Hawk and The Adventures of Robin Hood. Korngold, himself an opera composer, drew upon the Wagnerian leitmotif technique of assigning a melody to each important character, and Williams followed this approach, creating a series of memorable themes developed throughout all the Star Wars movies, including The Phantom Menace. The result is a vast, surprisingly unified tapestry of music, a veritable space-operatic Ring cycle for our times. This rich, glittering, boldly orchestrated music is filled with rousing action, wistful reflective passages and moments of playful humour (including some witty retro-alien jazz for the Mos Eisley cantina band). Epic in scope and wearing it’s romantic heart on its sleeve, Williams’s music is a galaxy far, far away from the ecstatic, modernistic score he produced the same year for Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Although various Star Wars albums have long been available, this double-disc Special Edition at last presents the entire score in original running order. The performance of the London Symphony Orchestra is superb, and the remastered sound a significant improvement on previous issues. In 1977 Star Wars heralded a revival of traditional orchestral scoring which continues today, paving the way for such composers as David Arnold, Bruce Broughton, Patrick Doyle, James Horner and many more. This is the definitive presentation of perhaps the pivotal score in all film history, and an essential part of any collection.
Track Listing
Disc 1
1-01 20th Century Fox FanfareComposed By – Alfred Newman 0:23
1-02 Main Title / Rebel Blockade Runner 2:14
1-03 Imperial Attack 6:43
1-04 The Dune Sea Of Tatooine / Jawa Sandcrawler 5:01
1-05 The Moisture Farm 2:25
1-06 The Hologram / Binary Sunset 4:10
1-07 Landspeeder Search / Attack Of The Sand People 3:20
1-08 Tales Of A Jedi Knight / Learn About The Force 4:29
1-09 Burning Homestead 2:50
1-10 Mos Eisley Spaceport 2:16
1-11 Cantina Band 2:47
1-12 Cantina Band #2 3:56
1-13a Archival Bonus Track: Binary Sunset (Alternate) 2:19
1-13b Main Title (Take 16-20) 11:57
Disc 2
2-01 Princess Leia’s Theme 4:27
2-02 The Millenium Falcon / Imperial Cruiser Pursuit 3:51
2-03 Destruction Of Alderaan 1:32
2-04 The Death Star / The Stormtroopers 3:35
2-05 Wookiee Prisoner / Detention Block Ambush 4:01
2-06 Shootout In The Cell Bay / Dianoga 3:48
2-07 The Trash Compactor 3:07
2-08 The Tractor Beam / Chasm Crossfire 5:18
2-09 Ben Kenobi’s Death / Tie Fighter Attack 3:51
2-10 The Battle Of Yavin 9:07
2-11 The Throne Room / End Title 5:38
