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

[Chewy 1,978]

What a cue, another fantastic standalone Star Wars composition from John Williams after The Adventures Of Han. And also thanks Disney for releasing it! I hope they will release a full album with all the other park music :)

[Disco Stu 15,475]

I wish I heard what others are hearing.  I keep losing interest halfway through.  But I'm going to continue to let it steep over the next few days and see if it grows on me.

[Holko 8,222]

Yeah, I'm not finding anything to hook me either.

 

Unpopular opinion: it'd fit perfectly fine into Gordy's Battlefront score and wouldn't even be a standout piece.

[mstrox 5,876]

I listened to this once in the car this morning and thought it was pretty good.  Not as in love with it as some of you seem to be, but it was only a first listen.  Even the new TFA themes had to grow on me before I loved them.

[Tom 3,707]

I find it to be a very satisfying hybrid of Williams' 80's and contemporary styles.  The A theme is a perfect adventure theme, but he doesn't let it soar quite like he would have in the 80s.  But the complexities of the orchestrations and interactions with the B and C theme/motifs give the piece a coherence and excitement on their own. 

[GlastoEls 419]

3 minutes ago, Tom said:

I find it to be a very satisfying hybrid of Williams' 80's and contemporary styles.  The A theme is a perfect adventure theme, but he doesn't let it soar quite like he would have in the 80s.  But the complexities of the orchestrations and interactions with the B and C theme/motifs give the piece a coherence and excitement on their own. 

 

+1

[Disco Stu 15,475]

The always insightful @Falstaft weighs in!

Read the entire thread, it's great stuff.  I'll definitely be keeping all this in mind when I listen next!
 

 

[Nick Parker 3,034]

2 hours ago, Disco Stu said:

I wish I heard what others are hearing.  I keep losing interest halfway through.  But I'm going to continue to let it steep over the next few days and see if it grows on me.

 

For myself it's a little reactionary. I'll try not to state too much what I've said before: I like the two Disney scores Williams has done, there's some very good music in both. But for whatever reason they sound flat and diluted, the sonic equivalent of Sphagettios sauce. Honestly part of me worried if Williams lost a certain layer of musical depth--such as his unique harmonic palette--that he's established countless times over.

 

But here we have a piece that sounds _alive_. I'm hearing those trademark Star Wars harmonies, that crystal-clear sparkle Williams is known for. And here it sounds like he's gotten into character in a way that he hasn't often with the new movies. This is not the kind of piece you would hear him do many places else.

[Disco Stu 15,475]

I think I'll like this piece more with time, but I'm really not on board for defining it against other Disney era compositions.

 

And every person that says "Ah the LSO!  Now it truly sounds like Star Wars!"  gets blocked!  Outta here with that uninformed nonsense!

[Nick Parker 3,034]

1 minute ago, Disco Stu said:

And every person that says "Ah the LSO!  Now it truly sounds like Star Wars!"  gets blocked!  Outta here with that uninformed nonsense!

 

I haven't seen anyone say that recently. 

[Disco Stu 15,475]

It's coming.  You know it is.

 

(I know you weren't saying that)

[mstrox 5,876]

You can really tell that they ponied up for the London Symphony Orchestra for this one.  It finally has that "Star Wars" sound, for the first time since Disney and Jar Jar Abrams and Ruin Johnson got their hands on Star Wars.

[Disco Stu 15,475]

Just now, mstrox said:

You can really tell that they ponied up for the London Symphony Orchestra for this one.  It finally has that "Star Wars" sound, for the first time since Disney and Jar Jar Abrams and Ruin Johnson got their hands on Star Wars.

 

Farewell mstrox, farewell.  I am a man of my word.  I'll miss you most of all, Scarecrow.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,256]

What?

[Chewy 1,978]

Ah the LSO! At last it truly sounds like Star Wars!

[Disco Stu 15,475]

I'm just like Tigger in the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh when he agreed to stop bouncing if he got out of the tree.

[Datameister 1,691]

9 hours ago, Will said:

@King Mark and @Datameister, the fanfare is on here! It sounds like it actually wasn't an alternate but was just edited out from the original video. 

 

--------

 

OK, just finished listening. Past midnight here but I had to stay up for this. 

 

Really great to hear it in proper quality. I remember feeling disappointed in the piece when we got the original video a few months ago, but the full version definitely more than redeems it. 

 

Nope, still an alternate intro that was edited in. Even that opening swell is part of it - the one heard in the very first video Disney put out sounds similar, but it's the slightly different original version.

 

EDIT: Oh yeah, and...WOO HOO OFFICIAL RELEASE! Even I am surprised it came this early, but delightedly so. It's a beautiful piece. The original edited-down video omitted most of the development of the themes, instead presenting each musical idea only once, which is probably why it did sound a little "random." But hearing each idea developed a bit more really makes the whole thing so much more memorable and interesting - not to mention the fact that the variations themselves are great to listen to.

[Disco Stu 15,475]

How do you know what's original and what's alternate with a piece like this?

[Datameister 1,691]

1 minute ago, Disco Stu said:

How do you know what's original and what's alternate with a piece like this?

 

The sheet music in the original official video. You can see enough of the cues titled "Galaxy's Edge" and "Galaxy's Edge Alt. Beginning" at 0:29:

 

 

Even though it's just a low-res glimpse of one of the horn parts, it's enough information to piece together how each cue started.

[crumbs 12,961]

This was recorded at Abbey Road, right? It sounds distinctly like the prequels to my ears. I wonder if Murphy recorded it. 

 

It seems like a hybrid of that regal scoring he did for Coruscant in the prequels, with more of his layered, modern orchestration as heard in the sequels. Yet it is distinctly Star Wars in its accents. Rather delightful surprise. 

 

Now, we just need to know when he starts writing TROS... 

[Dr. Know 255]

It will be interesting to find out how this is used in the park, if at all.

[The Illustrious Jerry 3,355]

Awesome!

 

Could this mean there will be more of these released eventually (other things Williams was writing for the park)?

[SteveMc 2,672]

I like this one quite a bit.  It is intricate, not all that straightforward.  As @Falstaft has pointed out, it is based quite prominently on structure, and as others have noted here in the thread, in interactions in the orchestration.  

So, it seems here that Williams is taking parts of the adventurous OT stylings, the more sophisticated (if you will) PT elements, and bringing them together in his more structurally introverted 2010s style.  Definitely a striking mix.

[Bayesian 1,067]

I hear in this suite just the kind of music that you’d want to hear in a noisy, immersive setting as I imagine Galaxy’s Edge will be. It’s loud, catchy, but also simple enough that it can cut through the din of the crowd.

 

The complexity of the piece is a definitely a step down from JW’s usual rarefied level (someone earlier talked about how intervallic the melody is, for example, and I agree) — but that’s likely precisely what he was going for. It suits the environment perfectly. It’s music that promises high adventure. It’s a mood-setter rather than a story told in music. And judged on those terms, it’s aces.

[King Mark 3,223]

4 hours ago, Holko said:

Yeah, I'm not finding anything to hook me either.

 

Unpopular opinion: it'd fit perfectly fine into Gordy's Battlefront score and wouldn't even be a standout piece.

 

 

I've listened to Gorty's music and it's really bad. EVERYTHING is based on a modified JW cue but made a lot worse. I don't know what the hype for it is

 

This JW piece is on another level

 

[Nick Parker 3,034]

1 hour ago, King Mark said:

I've listened to Gorty's music and it's really bad. EVERYTHING is based on a modified JW cue but made a lot worse. I don't know what the hype for it is

 

That's been his MO since Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings ten years ago!

[Jurassic Shark 9,776]

Even his name is an indication of badness.

[Tom 3,707]

1 hour ago, Bayesian said:

I hear in this suite just the kind of music that you’d want to hear in a noisy, immersive setting as I imagine Galaxy’s Edge will be. It’s loud, catchy, but also simple enough that it can cut through the din of the crowd.

 

The complexity of the piece is a definitely a step down from JW’s usual rarefied level (someone earlier talked about how intervallic the melody is, for example, and I agree) — but that’s likely precisely what he was going for. It suits the environment perfectly. It’s music that promises high adventure. It’s a mood-setter rather than a story told in music. And judged on those terms, it’s aces.

It is big and loud with respect to its main arc, but not in its entirety.  In fact, out of five minutes, I would say the loud parts are cumulative less than the non-loud parts.  Plus, it is as complex in terms of theme interaction and development as most of the SW concert pieces. Also, plenty of little fugal moments throughout make for a nice touch. 

[JohnnyD 1,150]

Released the day before May the Fourth, otherwise known as Star Wars Day. Instant purchase! Phenomenal!

[Remco 669]

5 hours ago, Nick Parker said:

 

For myself it's a little reactionary. I'll try not to state too much what I've said before: I like the two Disney scores Williams has done, there's some very good music in both. But for whatever reason they sound flat and diluted, the sonic equivalent of Sphagettios sauce. Honestly part of me worried if Williams lost a certain layer of musical depth--such as his unique harmonic palette--that he's established countless times over.

 

But here we have a piece that sounds _alive_. I'm hearing those trademark Star Wars harmonies, that crystal-clear sparkle Williams is known for. And here it sounds like he's gotten into character in a way that he hasn't often with the new movies. This is not the kind of piece you would hear him do many places else.

 

JW’s style has changed, but please allow me to say that his writing really didn’t loose any complexity, color or any of that - the only reason his two recent SW scores might sound a little flat is because of the room they were recorded in (or is Shawn Murphy to blame?) If you pay attention to the musical content itself, I find it’s still as rich as ever. In fact, when I heard TFA’s concert suites live alongside the older ones, they were in fact the most colorful suites of all. @crumbs also repeatedly said how hearing TFA live was like a revelation. The fact that this piece sounds more ‘alive’ to you, being recorded in Abbey Road, says it all I think!

 

By the way, does anybody else think this  sounds like Williams writing for a videogame? Very interesting to hear that from a 87 year old composer!

[Nick Parker 3,034]

49 minutes ago, Remco said:

the only reason his two recent SW scores might sound a little flat is because of the room they were recorded in (or is Shawn Murphy to blame?) 

 

That's the most likely conclusion, especially considering that they are literally the only two Williams works ever to give me the impression I listed. In The Last Jedi, the action music came through a lot clearer, thankfully, but most of the quieter material still sounds pretty mushy and bland. To me it just sounds like a lot of those rich, pungent chords we're accustomed to with Williams laid more by the wayside for super-close voicings and very "midrange" writing, know what I mean? A lot of the dissonance came out to be more "standard movie dissonance" , or streamlined  ( like minor chord with the added 6th-- A C E F for example--such as in Rey's Theme and Rebellion is Reborn), and it just comes off as very constricted and thin-scoped. 'S'this all make sense? 

 

 

I really want to hear a re-recording or LTP concert of these scores.

[Loert 2,331]

Maybe I'm the only one but I feel like Williams was asked to write a piece of music that was 5 mins long, only it ended up being 4 mins and Williams thought to himself "Let's just cut the tempo a bit to make up for the lost time!"

[Disco Stu 15,475]

12 minutes ago, Loert said:

Maybe I'm the only one but I feel like Williams was asked to write a piece of music that was 5 mins long, only it ended up being 4 mins and Williams thought to himself "Let's just cut the tempo a bit to make up for the lost time!"

 

I just played it 15% faster and can confirm  

[crumbs 12,961]

I'm definitely no fan of how TFA sounds but TLJ Is a huge improvement. I think Murphy took a few lessons from how he did TFA and made amends, so credit to him (shame they kept the ordinary sounding TFA Main Title though).

 

I think TPM and ROTS sounded perfectly fine though. AOTC is very hissy but that might just be a mastering issue rather than a recording one. Point is, it's not like the sequels were his first rodeo in the series, but the change of recording studio would be a huge factor. I know people rave about how good Sony sounds but nothing captures that classic Star Wars sound like Abbey Road, to me. Just something about the reverb and warmth of the brass that seems lost in the sequels.

 

And yeah, TFA absolutely sounds infinitely better live than on the soundtrack (or in the film, where it's practically inaudible). There is depth to the orchestration that just isn't on the soundtrack, it blew me away. All those missing Star Wars-ian jW touches are in that score, they're just completely drowned out by the obnoxiously mixed brass in Murphy's dry recording.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,479]

I like how TFA sounds.

[Disco Stu 15,475]

I do too but I do think TLJ sounds better.  I like the less reverby sound of the Sony stage compared to Abbey Road which can sound like a freakin’ echo chamber sometimes.

[Gruesome Son of a Bitch 6,479]

I really enjoy the sound of the prequels on the remastered Disney OSTs.

[A Farewell to Kings 3,786]

Anvil > Abbey Road > Sony "Metallic" Stage.

[Disco Stu 15,475]

Disagree

[A Farewell to Kings 3,786]

Sony makes the sares sound like trash cans sometimes (Indy 4)

[Amer 1,814]

Wasn't this supposed to be recorded by Williams after the London concert? Williams falling ill and not doing the concert probably messed up the plans and allowed Ross to step in as the Conductor.

 

I mean it would have sort of a reunion with the LSO doing STAR WARS yet again. 

 

BTW can anyone confirm if Disney will do the cd release of this when the rides open? 

 

 

[King Mark 3,223]

I suppose Williams was going to record it himself

44 minutes ago, Amer said:

 

BTW can anyone confirm if Disney will do the cd release of this when the rides open? 

 

 

 it's already released yesterday

[The Five Tones 292]

Unpopular opinion: high grade JW source music.

Ah, but you know I don't really think that way. I can't not love it. I note the minor-key dominant treatment the main theme receives at 1:47 and 3 min (the "Leah" chord, a very classical half-diminished 7th chord that resolves to a major chord a fifth below). And the invoking of TPM's Arrival at Tatooine is a nice touch and in grand style here, with its hint of that augmented "it's outer space, guys" chord that ends the Main Title. Yes, it's a mood piece more than a narrative of any kind, but it's fun. Not unlike AoH, also with a constant tempo, though a moderate one. I wish I could hear it in something better than 320.

[A Farewell to Kings 3,786]

28 minutes ago, The Five Tones said:

Unpopular opinion: high grade JW source music.

Ah, but you know I don't really think that way. I can't not love it. I note the minor-key dominant treatment the main theme receives at 1:47 and 3 min (the "Leah" chord, a very classical half-diminished 7th chord that resolves to a major chord a fifth below). And the invoking of TPM's Arrival at Tatooine is a nice touch and in grand style here, with its hint of that augmented "it's outer space, guys" chord that ends the Main Title. Yes, it's a mood piece more than a narrative of any kind, but it's fun. Not unlike AoH, also with a constant tempo, though a moderate one. I wish I could hear it in something better than 320.

Like the lossless files sold by high res sites..?

[Arpy 4,087]

Love this piece the more I listen to it - certainly has a lot of traits that would suggest Williams was still in the mindset of TAoH and Rey's Theme and the little melodic hook - which would make perfect sense as both of those themes represent Star Wars looking forward (with Rey's Theme) and looking nostalgically back (TAoH) to both eras of Star Wars whilst using the same musical vocabulary.

 

It will be interesting to see how and if this piece lines up with The Rise of Skywalker and if there may be hints of what's to come with this piece - or not...

[pete 736]

59 minutes ago, Arpy said:

Love this piece the more I listen to it - certainly has a lot of traits that would suggest Williams was still in the mindset of TAoH

 

What’s TAoH??

[Arpy 4,087]

The Adventures of Han @pete

[pete 736]

Cheers, it came to me just a second or two after I posted^ 

 

 

[Arpy 4,087]

49 minutes ago, pete said:

Cheers, it came to me just a second or two after I posted^ 

 

 

All these acronyms get to me sometimes! 

[Amer 1,814]

4 hours ago, King Mark said:

 

 it's already released yesterday

On cd?? Please share the link.