Incanus

Well this is sweet for those who missed it the first time around. I wonder what can be improved upon if this is indeed a remastered version and will this differ significantly from the programme of the JP scores set?

Wohoo! Great news! And the release coincides with my birthday!

Well I don't think I have something I should absolutely listen to over this new theme but yes I have listened to it quite a few times today if you count the live version before the official recording of the suite was released. I should probably go back to listening to A Gathering of Friends again. Just for a change.

This new theme is a perfect blend of the old and new Star Wars music reminding me very much of the Rise of Skywalker suite in its approach. Taking the Force theme as a starting point Williams sort of deconstructs it and weaves a new theme out of it that is more personal and indeed moodier music for Obi-Wan Kenobi, heroic but tempered at the same time. I love how the suite opens with that solo horn, evoking the Binary Sunset and Force Theme mood wise, drawing an immediate connection in the mind of a seasoned Star Wars (music) fan and then begins slowly spinning these different variations on the material from determined to elegiac and even heroic. Great stuff. I saw some comments how this theme wasn't hummable enough for some listeners but I couldn't disagree more. Williams has such a knack for writing memorable melodies and this is no exception. He certainly knows when to be direct and grab the ear of a listener. I haven't seen the show but usually you have to be doubly more direct with a TV show main titles when you aren't afforded time to present your music in long form.

A fantastic new theme! And the suite gives a nice set of variations and differing moods on the material. And it is indeed amazing that Wiliams at the age of 90 still keeps churning out this great new music for all of us to enjoy. And the first thing I thought (I saw this mentioned in the other thread) when I heard this new theme was Sigfried's motif from Wagner's Ring cycle:

Indeed! And the Planets type thematic suites programme on both albums works very well as a listening experience in these cases.

The Music Box Records had a single copy still available so I was able to snag it.

I expect it to be quite a while before I get to listen to this since I ordered from the Music Box Records and it takes time for them to get their shipment. It's very interesting to hear, will the film mix of the score change my mind about this music as to my ears this score has always been somewhat middle tier Williams and the original album recording sounded somehow subdued and dispirited. I think the music would have benefitted from a wetter mix.

Well I don't think you can call it a spoiler anymore. Back in the day maybe, but not now.

Ordered from the Music Box Records:

Ordered! An intriguing title from Varese to release but a welcome one and its interesting to hear basically the film version of the score for the first time (judging by the track titles).

I have to say that Music Box Records is the exact opposite experience in terms of delivery and service. With all my orders the delivery has taken 2 days to Finland from France without fail and always with up-to-date tracking. Plus they to my surprise in this latest package with HTTYD 2 even included replacement discs for my The Eiger Saction and The Sleepy Hollow sets I ordered via them without me even having to specifically ask for them.

Got my copy today alongside The Iron Giant. Damn I love this score, loved it in the OST album form which is a great distillation of the music but it is just that little bit more satisfying in complete form. This is how you score a sequel! Also it sounds awesome to my ears on this new release!

Several cues in the score feature the synths marked simply "animal sound" or "groan" which I believe is what you are hearing in this cue.

Again a fantastic interview Maurizio! Randy is such a great down-to-earth guy with such obvious love of the music of John Williams and music in general. I feel that these interviews are such important work, helping us to better assess and appreciate the legacy of Williams' music and his influence through the lens of the people helping to bring it to life and giving us these intimate glimpses behind the music making that really speak volumes.

My copy arrived just in time for the Maestro's 90th birthday.

Happy Birthday to the magnificent maestro John Williams!

Well nothing for me this year in the Black Friday batch. I was never too keen on the Fiddler on the Roof. Might get it later if the supplies last.

Yeah it is really puzzling as apparently they had rounded up Jed Brophy (Nori) from the Hobbit films and Royd Tolkien to work as hosts of the LotR concert. Originally Billy Boyd was supposed to be the host and perform but since the concerts were delayed twice, the schedules must not have worked out.

I am equally baffled but there have been these less than legit concert tours of e.g. the LotR music before where they perform what can only be described as "done-by-ear" arrangements of the music. One hopes that these are not sanctioned by the copyright holders or companies and that they keep track of this kind of stuff as these dodgy concerts do more harm than good to their reputation, even if indirectly. The Finnish newspaper also reported that many people (close to 200) had already contacted the Finnish promotion company of the concert tour which of course explained that the original German promotion company was the one responsible. Many concert goers were demanding their money back or filing complaints to the Finnish consumer ombudsman.

I hope so too. These half-baked concert tours feel like some awful hoax and people should be made aware about it. At least an all John Williams concert I attended three weeks ago here in Helsinki was fantastic, played by a professional orchestra and augmented by a great youth choir. Apparently you can count yourself lucky these days to hear this music performed well.

Sounds awful. And very familiar as there were a couple of similar concerts here in Finland this week, one for the music of Hans Zimmer and one for the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit and those were apparently so bad it even made the newspapers. I didn't go as the LotR one sounded dodgy from the start and certainly not one approved by Shore and his people in the first place, but one of my friends attended and she said it was sort of adequate even if badly mixed. The newspaper report with quite a few quotes from disappointed fans mentioned that the performing orchestra was changed twice before the concert as it had been postponed twice due to covid and the obscure Romanian one they had been able to book was apparently no good and half as small as it should have been. They seemingly didn't know the music at all and played the same stuff twice in some cases. The presenter of the Zimmer concert tried to rouse the audience in rock or pop concert style by making them shout and clap their hands but failed miserably as the stunned fans sat in baffled silence. People reportedly left in the middle of the Zimmer concert as it was so atrocious and the arrangements and performances so bad. And of course they didn't even perform some of the music promised in the promotional material. I wonder if these concerts are arranged by the same company. And I know that this HP concert it coming to Finland. And I will definitely be skipping it.

Brilliant work @crumbs!!! That musical sequence is indeed one of the best in the whole trilogy and this video further illustrates that. Williams really knows how to construct a dramatic arc while constantly expertly weaving in and out of the action thematically as we switch to different sides of it. And most of all he understands the dynamics of musical storytelling meaning that he (even though this aspect might be often dictated by the film, director and other demands) miraculously manages to make the music gradually more complex and louder and not have the score blaring on overdrive levels all the time from start to finish.