GALAXY'S EDGE - New John Williams composition (2018)

[tranders65 58]

Uh...what the heck?!? Just saw this on the Entertainment Weekly site!!

 

https://ew.com/movies/2018/11/17/john-williams-new-music-disney-star-wars-theme-parks/

 

 

[Arpy 4,087]

Sounds awesome! Williams is a busy man!

[Holko 8,226]

What a surprise! Even if on first listen it sounds a bit nondescript and forgettable - Botanicus it ain't.

Is there a poorly done edit at 0:47?

[Will 2,130]

Ayy Bill Ross conducting! 😀

 

(Can't actually listen now but very surprised and excited. I think we'd heard he *might* be writing something but we had absolutely no idea it was actually happening, much less already recorded!!) 

 

Also, I guess this shows Lucasfilm isn't done with the LSO, which will make many of you happy!

[Cerebral Cortex 3,148]

5 years ago, I never fathomed that over the course of 4 years we would be getting more John Williams Star Wars music than we ever did during the OT and PT eras. Great to see the man continuing to fill this universe with his musical sensibilities. Thanks for the scoop, Tranders.

[Balahkay 626]

I think it sounds pretty good! This makes me very excited for Episode IX!

[Will 2,130]

Just listened! Sounds kinda predictable - this is definitely "auto-pilot Williams" as some here like to say, and at times it sounds like he is aping "The Flag Parade." 

 

Nevertheless, it's as usual very well done, and harkens back to his 80s sound in parts. I particularly like the little trumpet interlude midway through - sounds like something out of Amazing Stories. 

[MrJosh 763]

What a cool surprise! I like it quite a bit!

 

Can't wait for the Mike Mattesino expansion of Galaxy's Edge! Will be much easier to locate than Botanicus.

[Loert 2,331]

Interesting, but...is it just me, or does it sound like it's being played slower than it should?

[karelm 2,641]

I like it alot!  I hear what you mean, Loert, it could be faster but still great to hear some new space adventure music from The Maestro!

[Chewy 1,978]

Nice!!! Hopefully it will be released as a full album

[SteveMc 2,672]

Ooh, rather like it.  Methinks the speed suits the piece just fine.  

[Taikomochi 904]

I think it's awesome, but I do hear the edit @Holko mentions.  I bet this piece was longer as Williams wrote it and was perhaps cut for the video.

[Datameister 1,691]

I'm seriously so excited right now. I've come to accept that I'm never going to enjoy Williams' more recent output quite as much as his classics, but new Williams is new Williams. Plus I've been wanting to hear what he would come up with for a theme park setting for ages. This piece is a cool start - again, nothing that I would say rivals his best work, but I still really like it.

 

Thank you so much for sharing the link!

[Kendal_Ozzel 33]

Very cool!

 

Here's a direct link to the Brightcove video, to do with what you will.

 

EDIT: It's officially on YouTube now too.

[fommes 133]

Nice surprise. It's like a Star Wars news theme.

 

[SteveMc 2,672]

5 minutes ago, fommes said:

Nice surprise. It's like a Star Wars news theme.

 

*theme plays* 

This is a Galactic Breaking News Update

"Good Evening.  This report is just in.  Emperor Palpatine had dissolved the Imperial Senate.  We go live now to our reporters on the ground in Coruscant."

[Nick Parker 3,034]

6 minutes ago, Steve McQueen said:

*theme plays* 

This is a Galactic Breaking News Update

"Good Evening.  This report is just in.  Emperor Palpatine had dissolved the Imperial Senate.  We go live now to our reporters on the ground in Coruscant."

 

"What's your take on this drastic political move, sir?"

 

"I don't know, man, this is the work of midichlorians or some ----."

 

-----------------------------

 

Can't listen to it now, but excited to soon! 

[King Mark 3,223]

It's awesome. Instantly the best theme of the year so far. It might be a better than Adventures of Han

 

i hope there's more themes like this one in episode iX

[GlastoEls 419]

Lovely little weekend treat!

 

That'll be on repeat for the next few days. 

[King Mark 3,223]

And we get a video with the sound in perfect quality

 

I miss the old days when we get to hear a few seconds of  from a cell phone of someone who went to the park ride and the thing never being released officially ever

 

but now....how much music did he actually compose and will that be released>

[Thor 5,963]

Interesting.

 

There is nothing thematically/melodically memorable with the cue, but I like the slightly "cleaner" sound of it, which makes it closer to the prequel music than the last two scores in the saga.

 

If someone makes an audio rip of the track, I'd love to get it.

 

Does anyone know when he wrote this?

[Dr. Know 255]

"Disney tells EW there will be even more music for the 14-acre park expansions from Williams, who is also working on director J.J. Abrams’ Episode IX for next December."

[King Mark 3,223]

I used videodownload helper on firefox

[Thor 5,963]

7 minutes ago, King Mark said:

I used videodownload helper on firefox

 

Yeah, just discovered the Youtube link earlier in the thread. Converted and downloaded now!

[Balahkay 626]

There are a few passages in there that could make for some excellent themes. 

[Thor 5,963]

It's typical of Williams post-2005 sound. Lots of chords and "whimsical" orchestrations, but rarely any real setpieces, melodies or themes to latch on to.

 

But regardless, I like this cue more than anything in THE LAST JEDI.

[Obi 387]

It's not really sounding like Star Wars, but it's good.

[Nick Parker 3,034]

I agree with everyone who says it's alright. The most "Star Wars" sounding bit for me is

Spoiler

 

 

especially those low strings at :51.

[Holko 8,226]

It's a bit like Gordy Haab's Battlefront - gets across the atmosphere but doesn't dig deeper into memorable melodies or have too much heart.

[Dr. Know 255]

Give it time, people.

[Nick Parker 3,034]

Just now, Holko said:

It's a bit like Gordy Haab's Battlefront - gets across the atmosphere but doesn't dig deeper into memorable melodies or have too much heart.

 

I can hear that actually.

[Andy 2,557]

It would be so easy to just recycle old motifs.  It might even be more "popular" for the park visitors.  But this is absolutely wonderful.  It's fresh and exciting, and it is undeniably Star Wars music.  I can't believe we are so lucky that he is still doing this sort of thing.  Bravo, Maestro!

[Balahkay 626]

4 minutes ago, Obi said:

It's not really sounding like Star Wars, but it's good.

 

I remember people saying the same about TFA and about the PT before that. 

[King Mark 3,223]

Just now, Hedji said:

It would be so easy to just recycle old motifs.  It might even be more "popular" for the park visitors.  But this is absolutely wonderful.  It's fresh and exciting, and it is undeniably Star Wars music.  I can't believe we are so lucky that he is still doing this sort of thing.  Bravo, Maestro!

  yeah listen to it a few times and it could mix right in with the other SW themes

 

BTW the actual theme park under construction looks really awesome too

[Thor 5,963]

I'd still be curious to know if anyone knows when he wrote this (and presumably the other themes for the attraction), exactly?

[toothless 955]

It background music, sure. But great background music. Thanks! Does not sound like star wars, but who cares

[Nick Parker 3,034]

Along with other events such as his arrangements for Annie Sophie Mutter that span a huge amount of time in his work, his greenlighting of all these specialty releases, and all of this Star Wars music, I get the impression John Williams has entered a more self-reflexive stage of his career in the arena of film scores. With the Star Wars music we've gotten these past few years, it sounds to me like he takes these assignments on with a sense of "Oh, how fun will it be to do more Star Wars!" Like there's more of a distance between himself and what he's doing for these things, if that makes sense.

[King Mark 3,223]

3 minutes ago, Nick Parker said:

Along with other events such as his arrangements for Annie Sophie Mutter that span a huge amount of time in his work, his greenlighting of all these specialty releases, and all of this Star Wars music, I get the impression John Williams has entered a more self-reflexive stage of his career in the arena of film scores. With the Star Wars music we've gotten these past few years, it sounds to me like he takes these assignments on with a sense of "Oh, how fun will it be to do more Star Wars!" Like there's more of a distance between himself and what he's doing for these things, if that makes sense.

 

I think he's just writing as much as he can while he still can .He can't wait several years for Spileberg to make a movie anymore

[Thor 5,963]

Indeed.

 

It's a mystery to me why Spielberg has "slowed down" in a period he said he would up the frequency.

[toothless 955]

 

[mrbellamy 5,710]

24 minutes ago, Holko said:

It's a bit like Gordy Haab's Battlefront - gets across the atmosphere but doesn't dig deeper into memorable melodies or have too much heart.

 

Yeah not really feeling it on this one. 

[Andy 2,557]

Slightly off topic.  Here's a fun arrangement to add to your Disney Park playlist.  I would love to get a clean recording of the music without dialogue for this.  Now this is, of course, repurposing, but damn if it isn't catchy.  If you've not experienced it live over the park audio and with the live parade of troops, it's amazing.

 

 

[Quintus 5,394]

Oh goodie, more ancillary Star Wars music... yay

[igger6 772]

This is fantastic!  And—ahem—not totally out of the blue...

It's not OT- or TFA-level stuff, to be sure, but I agree, it beats much of The Last Jedi and stands pretty comfortably alongside "The Adventures of Han," which it resembles in places.  The high-strings ostinato sounds very contemporary and threw me at first, but actually has some roots in the Hook "Prologue", I think, and no matter what, it works brilliantly to build anticipation, as does that opening engine rumble from the percussion.  That's something I haven't heard from Williams before.  The real Star Wars sound kicks in with the low strings at :49, as @Nick Parker pointed out, and from the 1:00 mark on.  I also heard hints of "March of the Resistance" in the fugue-y buildup around 1:30.

 

What glorious times indeed for a JWFan, that we can hear and analyze new Star Wars music in high quality and compare it to other new Star Wars music that, as recently as six years ago, we never thought we'd get.

[Thor 5,963]

Yeah, I knew I had read something about this before. But I think, at that time, Williams' personal involvement was not confirmed.

[toothless 955]

Surely, you don't hire the LSO to record one piece of music, right ? So there's more ?

[King Mark 3,223]

of course...but will we ever hear it?

[Dr. Know 255]

13 minutes ago, King Mark said:

of course...but will we ever hear it?

Of course we will!

[Will 2,130]

13 minutes ago, igger6 said:

The high-strings ostinato sounds very contemporary and threw me at first, but actually has some roots in the Hook "Prologue", I think, and no matter what, it works brilliantly to build anticipation.

 

Yeah, I was surprised to hear that as well. But I actually really like it because it shows how JW can make his sound a bit contemporary without sacrificing his classic orchestrations.