Larry O

Again, I'm wondering if it's just the album version's editing that's dragging down Finale, or what. The version in the film is guaranteed to be different, it's a minute shorter for one thing. Whether that film version is better or worse is still up in the air but it's definitely NOT going to be what we got on this OST. Reunion sounds so much like a piece of the finale I'd be surprised if it wasn't in there. I also don't know how you cut a minute out of what we DO have on the OST without making it sound choppier than it already is?

I think just as importantly, if Disney legitimately campaigns for him from the perspective of "He started the saga, and now he's finished it" he's got a chance of people essentially voting for him as a de-facto special achievement/career retrospective award. The Oscar would be just as much a "we love you Maestro" award as it would be Best Score. Disney has to actually push it, though.

I do wonder if that medley section of it will appear in the film version of the end titles. The film version almost has to be different, because the end credits are only 9:25 long in the film, and the pre-finale bit (which I think is tracked from The Last Jedi?) is only 33 seconds. What's on the soundtrack is a minute longer than what's in the film.

Also, it only just now occurred to me, on my way through the second listen, that despite hoping for a new version/arrangement of Duel of the Fates, not only did I not get it, I didn't miss it, nor was I disappointed by its absence. If it shows up in the movie but not the soundtrack, it'll be a nice surprise, like Palpatine's theme in The Last Jedi.

I had my music player set to "repeat album" before I even hit play on the first listen

Is it me, or does it seem like every transition between themes in the finale would work better if you opened the file in a DAW, and manually moved each new theme (except for the Main Title reprise at the 8min mark) back about one second? it feels like the blending of the medley is weirdly prolonged at many of the joins. Also, that Main Title reprise at the end might be a soundtrack-only sort of thing, like Revenge of the Sith's was? It's kind of a strangely re-done version of the album version of the Main Title from 1977, much like the ROTS soundtrack had the concert suite version of that same program inserted into its End Titles through a few awkward edits. At least the Main Title (or Fanfare) on this soundtrack is VASTLY improved from the previous two films' soundtrack presentations.

Gut reaction is that this is the one that works best on first listen. I'm sure there will be a lot of nuances and hidden touches as there were with the prior two scores, things that don't really reveal themselves until a few listens are tucked under the belt, but as of right now, this one satisfies VERY quickly. There's no sense of delayed gratification at all.

I almost wonder if large parts of Reunion were meant to be in the Finale?

I haven't gotten there yet, but it sounds like he tried to split the difference between a ST sum-up and the Revenge of the Sith "victory lap" on the Finale?

I'm taking notes on what tracks should probably go where in order to make the best FYC + OST playlist, but I'm betting Jay's taking better ones

Listening to it, it seems sort of unlikely. It plays like underscore, and there's even, what sounds to me, like evidence of a post-production edit to the cue near the end. Unless whatever scene they're scoring had ALL of its music taken out very late in the game, I would be very surprised if that track wasn't represented in the film.

Whoever it was that said Destiny of a Jedi is going to be a concert hall staple in the future was absolutely right. What an amazing piece of work that was.

Also, he's not very uniform with the Finales, either: 77: End Titles 80: Finale 83: and Finale 99: End Credits 02: and Finale 05: and End Credits 15: /Finale 17: Finale 19: Finale I think, much like the creation of the films themselves, he just sort of makes it up as he goes.

It seems like it's a thing he does at the end of his trilogies? Probably purely by accident, but for ROTJ, it's "Main Title (The Story Continues)" which is, I believe, the only time a parenthetical is used in a title? For Revenge of the Sith it's "Star Wars and the Revenge of the Sith" And now for Rise of Skywalker it's "Fanfare and Prologue." (also weird - calling it a "prologue" when it comes after the title card)

Finale.

So... the whole movie can spoil itself months before the premiere but the score can't sneak out even AFTER it was supposed to have already been officially released. Figures the one thing they managed to secure tightly on this leaky Skywalker ship is what will likely be the best single element OF the whole thing.

it seems weird to me that "The Rise of Skywalker" Album Finale comes up - that's got to be a placeholder, right? Or maybe it's just that the title is simply "Finale" and that's how Shazam differentiates from other songs titled "Finale?"

Didn't think it would, but hell, worth a shot, while we're Shazam'ing things. The files are up somewhere on this here internet. Patience is a virtue but I'm feeling very not-virtuous at the moment.

Like the one that shows up before The Mandalorian starts?

LOL, I love the "weirdos at originaltrilogy" dart, like JWFan is some beacon of rationality and measured interest. We're all weirdos. We just come in different flavors sometimes.

Holkenborg is like Brian Tyler in that they each basically have the one film score they can do, and they just kind of gussy it up as needed for whatever disposable film they're asked to attach it to.

So far as I can tell, this is the first Star Wars tie-in that doesn't feature ANY John Williams motifs/themes in it, correct? At least so far. There will probably be a Force Theme statement at some point, I imagine. Although the fact they've gotten through the first two episodes without any recognizable Williams is still pretty remarkable. People keep mentioning Morricone across the internet but this really does seem more like if he's channeling anyone, it's Conti again.

edit: wrong thread!

Well this is a weird but welcome little surprise.

My bet: Matessino's work on Star Wars will be heard in the form of isolated (and alternate) score tracks on the 9 disc "skywalker saga" blu-ray set.