Forty-three years ago this month, the accomplished American composer John Williams began conducting the prestigious London Symphony Orchestra at Anvil Studios, Denham for the original scoring/recording sessions for what was then known as the singular Star Wars, from which an amazing, rousing and iconic set of emergent musical themes would soon be unleashed into the world by the following Summer. The grim realist movies of the early to mid-seventies had seen the loss of the great musical scores, but Star Wars would redress the balance- and then some! This was the music score that generations of people had been subconsciously waiting to listen to and enjoy all their lives, as millions of fans celebrated the glorious movie's soaring spirit with the must-have purchase of its resultant two-disc record set. A legend, and a franchise, was born. Now, in December 2019, after his further work on seven previous highly-successful sequels, Williams returns to 'a galaxy far, far away...' one final time, for the last epic journey/adventure of the Skywalker saga. And the listening results of this new contribution are simply splendid, as The Rise of Skywalker debuts in CD and online form from Walt Disney Records this December 20th, 2019.
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| Sequel Trilogy characters old and new bring closure to the nine-film saga. |
Wrapping up the saga more efficiently than the overall highly satisfying movie to which its work is such a symbiotic part, Williams mastery of composing and his clear love of the universe created by George Lucas shines through with every track - his musical verve having been magnificently reawakened with the arrival of the sequels from 2015. All of the rich themes of love, passion, inner and outer adventure, foreshadowed eerieness and thrilling battles he has lyrically created are encapsulated perfectly within EPISODE IX, notably in tracks like The Old Death Star and Approaching the Throne, with its ominous stirrings of the Dark Side of the Force, counterbalanced by the memories of its light and good side champions, especially brother and sister Jedi Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, in Destiny of a Jedi, We Go Together and A New Home. Of the sequel trilogy, the haunting theme for the lone heroine Rey continues to be used for both courage and darkness, whilst the operatic composition for galactic brat Kylo Ren takes on extra nuances, especially by the film's important game-changing finale - The Force Is With You. But despite the important, mythic grandeur there's also some fun, jaunty new tracks to make the most of, as Williams highlights the overall zippy nature of the film, especially during its first half (notably for The Speeder Chase and Fleeing from Kijimi).The all-new highlight for the film and the overall soundtrack must, however, be the genuinely emotional main theme - The Rise of Skywalker, which will bring tears to the eyes when you hear it/see it in relation to the arc completing heroism onscreen (and the way it concludes the overall nine-film arc), as well as in its separate soundtrack existence.
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| John Williams, bringing the musical magic with him. |
So now the saga is complete. And so too is John Williams' musical odyssey for it - a richly diverse and rewarding listening experience that will never die, for which we can all collectively, deservedly applaud his incredible, unbeatable contribution as the genuine emotional heart and centre of Star Wars. A forty-three year generational tapestry from an incredible, nuanced talent whose work will always bring out the adventurous, romantic spirit stirring deep inside us...
AFICIONADO RATING: Thank you, John Williams! 4 out of 5
Get the score here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Star-Wars-Skywalker-John-Williams/dp/B082BXFMGH/ref=sr_1_1?crid=39FM47BNZKAV4&keywords=the+rise+of+skywalker+soundtrack+cd&qid=1577966480&sprefix=the+rise+of+skywalker+soundtr%2Caps%2C226&sr=8-1
Williams talks EPISODE IX:
https://variety.com/2019/artisans/production/john-williams-star-wars-rise-of-skywalker-1203446034/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWY1DmM3JMk
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