VOTE! Galaxy's Edge by John Williams - how do you like it?

[Fabulin 3,511]

.

[Yavar Moradi 2,593]

LOVE IT! Don't know what's wrong with people who don't.

[Fabulin 3,511]

I am equally puzzled, @Yavar Moradi

 

For the sake of @Borodin, who as always puts lots of verbal effort into his critical appraisals:

 

This is a list of impressions I had while listening to this piece:

 

0:00 woodwind start calls back to the underscore for the imperial scenes in Star Wars

0:05 fluently changes into a rising drum tension

0:10 begins an oldschool news fanfare

0:19 (news music)square

0:24 Ankh-To

0:27 Low brass in The Phantom Menace / Goldsmith's Universal style

0:27-0:48 Both of the above, interchangeably

0:48 Escape from Naboo / ROTS

0:52 enter the first theme, remniscent of the March of the Resistance

0:53 sparkles of Disneyesque magic, tastefully done

0:57 Trade Federation

1:01-1:14 new material

1:15 stringwork that manages to capture the magical feel of the 1977 end credits and Naboo Renaissance, especially with woodwinds and later horns

this goes on for 20 seconds

1:37 a buildup starts, on a now recognizable theme

1:46 Young Indiana Jones finds the Cross of Coronado, I can feel the gold reflecting warm rays of sun at me. This poetry goes on for some time

2:00 return of the main theme, nagging to move on

2:05 bass strings recreate the ROTS Coruscant feel

2:07 different section juggle the main theme, which sounds like... royal court music

interesting amalgamation of the PT and ST feel, done on the new theme

2:16-2:40 feels like a new, unique Star Wars movie in terms of specific harmonies. Something tells me this is going to be the TROS sound

2:40 prequelisms intensify (the symphonic theme of the piece still playing around! It is present whole the time at this point)

2:56 jumps into lightspeed. What a skillful use of this musical moment. JW needs only a second to evoke a feeling. Talk about capturing things in short musical phrases

3:00-3:17 Cross of Coronado moment again, this time toned down

3:18 Phantom Menace optimistic fanfare 

3:27 even more of the Naboo squares and parks theme 

3:41 1977 again, and again it passes fluently to 1999

3:57 News fanfare returns

4:07 buildup to the finale starts, even closer to the March of the Resistance

4:22 climbing to the work's musical peak

4:25 reaching an apex in a full Beethoven mode

4:25+ and then a couple more thematic statements, ending in such a way, that you know it's not the end

 

So to sum up what appears to be the general characteristics of the piece:

 

1. Call-backs to some of the sweetest musical moods Williams has blessed us with

2. The structure of the piece is wonderfully planned through.

3. The fluency of how Williams does all of that is a show how to merge ideas within the Star Wars soundscape. Compared to how other Star Wars composers fail at this, it's a great display of skill. 

4. Introducing a novel merge of musical landscapes, possibly heralding TROS.

5. The symphonic nature and thematic development is on a theme that is actually very melodic, the way the short themes by Bernard Herrmann are. It is not unreasonable to think that Williams might develop this motif into something bigger in TROS. It's a perfect middlestone to a grander melody, as far as my knowledge of how are melodies built allows to understand. 

 

Maybe I like TPM and the prequel sound in general a lot.

Maybe I have been listening to short themes by BH a lot recently. 

And to a lot of symphonic works of the early romanticism.

Maybe I like fanfares in film logos, news etc.

Maybe I like a bit of kitch.

 

Or maybe the Galaxy's Edge is a damn good composition!

 

Btw. What a curious reversal of roles. Typically I am the skeptical gadfly in the talks about JW's Disney Trilogy compositions, and now I am the one defending the merit of something new? 

[Jay 37,337]

2 hours ago, Fabulin said:

2:16-2:40 feels like a new, unique Star Wars movie in terms of specific harmonies. Something tells me this is going to be the TROS sound

 

Quoted for future reference! 

 

Seriously though I just listened while following you analysis. I enjoyed the experience, thank you for that! 

[Fabulin 3,511]

17 minutes ago, Jay said:

 

Quoted for future reference! 

 

Seriously though I just listened while following you analysis. I enjoyed the experience, thank you for that! 

The pleasure is mine. 

[Tom 4,651]

Just to interject some over the topness: I think in 20 years time, this piece will be considered by most John Williams fans as one of his top 20 pieces (SW or otherwise).  The main melodies (particularly the adventure melody), while not his best ever, are very strong.  The structure, orchestrations, complexity, and just pure JW goodness combine for a brilliant, vibrant, and engaging five-minute acoustical odyssey.   

[Fabulin 3,511]

.

[Oomoog the Ecstatic 314]

I think the hype with some may be a little much (his top 20 best pieces?) but it's certainly a great piece. Maybe for you it's your top 20 favorite, feel free to claim it. I'm not meaning anything negative by this post. Williams says his favorite soundtracks are Close Encounters and some others, and by this I mean, I don't know if he would consider the level of Galaxy's Edge as a 'top creation'. People may benefit from appreciating more subtleties and craftiness in music, and in the end, taste is wholly subjective and not bound to public opinion, it's up to you. Even I don't agree with Williams, my favorite composer. My personal rating system is more based on my subjective tiers of all his works.

 

Williams is my favorite musician of all time because he has countless astonishing soundtracks in his oeuvre which range in idea. I don't think this type of composition, to me, will sufficiently supersede his already achieved genius, but I'd never say (like the OP example) GE is objectively bad in any regard. To make a simple, quick association, in some sense, this piece is mainstream in style and effect (or, as some would falsely attribute "epic"). Some of my least favorite Williams pieces are very mainstream in effect ie. Battle of the Heroes, Imperial March, many themes from the new SWs. So, it's definitely something that rightfully belongs in a movie.

[Tom 4,651]

I never said his top piece.  I said in the top 20.  So, for instance, the recent Dudamel collection featured his greatest hits in terms of typical fans.  What I am saying is that down the road, I think Galaxy's edge will be on such albums.  Heck, I think it would be middle-tier piece on that album right now. 

[Disco Stu 15,495]

The Dudamel album should’ve had Rey’s Theme

[Oomoog the Ecstatic 314]

4 hours ago, Tom said:

I never said his top piece.  I said in the top 20.

 

I could read what you said (I had my eyeballs in.) If you mean it will be in the Top 20 most popular, that could very well be a different argument. Many of the most brilliant pieces by Williams are not popular. Galaxy's Edge on the other hand is written in a popular style people might recognize more, suited for those gimicky albums or whatnot.

 

Anyway, this subtopic is too boring. I'll let someone else take the last one.

[crocodile 7,999]

It didn't leave any impression at all, sadly. Doesn't feel or sound like anything to me. 

 

Karol