"The Old Death Star" from Ep. 9 Appreciation Thread

[Falstaft 2,132]

Let's celebrate another cue from TROS -- "The Old Death Star" (or 5m10, "Landing At?")!

 

What strikes me most about this cue is how dense it is leitmotivically. It reminds me of certain cues from ROTJ where Williams really is approaching the level of thematic density of late Wagner. Not every second on this track is based on some preexisting theme, of course, but the way that he transitions into and out of familiar material, and how he allows musical tension to ebb and flow as a result, is pretty masterful.

 

The first 25 seconds give us this neat, twisted play on the Psalm of the Sith theme (with hints, intentional or not, to the middle section of Across the Stars). That builds to the first climax, pathetically dialed down in the film-mix, when the Death Star II wreckage is revealed. A missed opportunity to revive the original DS motif, I suppose, but what we get instead is quite cool all the same, with that hectic string figure in Ab-minor that suggests a sped-up version of the Imperial March. Then at 0:31 it's back to the ominous mood of the beginning, and a new spin on that Psalm's twisted bass-line, even more redolent to my ears of ATS at this point.

 

A second build-up section follows for Rey's use of the ridiculous Maguffin surveying-equipment, and for it we a quickly intensifying series of musical layers leading inexorably to the most famous villain theme of all time. First a Dotted Triplet Figure in the reeds (recalling an accompanimental gesture to ROTJ, R10P2, among other things). Then we get a swelling set of high polychords that are based on the new Sith Artifact leitmotif, terrifically orchestrated, all over a pounding C pedal. And finally, of course, the massive statement of the Imperial March at 1:04 in gloriously evil C-minor. This iteration of the March is clearly the most impressive statement of that theme in the entire Sequel Trilogy, and a contender for best version since AOTC in my mind. I love how it builds to its own internal climax with the rising trumpets around 1:15, and how Williams opts to support the penultimate chord with an F bass note (rather than the more standard Ab). It's a chance for last send-off for this iconic theme, and Williams milks it for all its worth.

 

I could go on about the rest of the cue/track, but maybe this is enough to spur discussion!

 

 

 

[Marian Schedenig 8,172]

On of my favourite bits in the score is the rhythmic ostinato that starts ca. 2:23. Reminds me of this:

 

 

[crumbs 14,300]

1 hour ago, Falstaft said:

That builds to the first climax, pathetically dialed down in the film-mix, when the Death Star II wreckage is revealed.

 

Indeed. What genius thought, "hmm, the waves should really be the loudest element in the mix here? Who needs to hear that obnoxious music anyway?"

 

 

[Fabulin 3,510]

I like the random reminiscence of the floating panama hat

.

 

This is not the first and not the last moment this score reminded me of previous Williams scores in a form of a false deja vu. This is part of the reason I liked the film very much on the first watching. The music was magical "classical Williams".

[crumbs 14,300]

16 minutes ago, Fabulin said:

I like the random reminiscence of the floating panama hat

This is not the first and not the last moment this score reminded me of previous Williams scores in a form of a false deja vu. This is part of the reason I liked the film very much on the first watching. The music was magical "classical Williams".

 

That section reminds me of this fragment from AOTC:

 

[Holko 9,499]

Reminds me of Keys' theme from E.T.!

[Seth 67]

I think my favorite bit of the cue is the exposed woodwind and horn writing where Williams intertwines the themes for Rey and the Resistance. It's a terrifically effective use of two themes I don't think he had let play together before. When I saw the film, though, my ears perked up the most at the ostinato pointed out by @Marian Schedenig, and I was struck by how fluidly Williams built out from that figure to drive the cue to a resolution. The trumpet figures near the end remind me a little of how he accompanied the very first statements of Kylo Ren's theme way back in Attack on the Jakku Village. It's all these little things that make me want to hear everything he wrote for this installment (and the rest of the sequel trilogy).

[crocodile 7,983]

1 hour ago, Marian Schedenig said:

On of my favourite bits in the score is the rhythmic ostinato that starts ca. 2:23. Reminds me of this:

 

 

You and your Bruckner again! 

 

Karol

[BrotherSound 2,242]

12 hours ago, Falstaft said:

Let's celebrate another cue from TROS -- "The Old Death Star" (or 5m10, "Landing At?")!

The last section is presumably 5M12 “Off the Waterfront”. And I suspect at least some of 5M10 was replaced with the unknown cue or insert “It Fits!”.

 

JKMS happened to post a photo from the section that underscores lining up the dagger on November 15th, just a few days after the November 11th cut:

 

 

[Ludwig 1,120]

One thing I noticed is the music as the heroes approach the cliff and see the Death Star wreckage. The harmony follows a pattern @Falstaft identified in a musicology blog post a couple of years ago for TLJ. It's a pattern of keys rising by 5ths, the most spectacular instance he cited being that in "Escape" from TLJ's OST, which goes on for a full minute! The pattern is notable because going up by 5ths has long been associated with rising tension in the classical world (just as the opposite, moving down by 5ths, has been associated with the opposite - a resolving effect). So Williams seems to be using the harmonic device to build tension or suspense, which certainly fits the bill in the old Death Star scene, as it's the moment of its discovery by the gang.

 

In the music, it's those eerie minor chords we hear after the first bit of twisted string lines. They go F#m - C#m - G#m to form the pattern of rising 5ths. Notice the brass melody rises up through a minor chord as well (C# - E - G#) to double the effect of it being an "aha!" moment:

 

 

[Nick Parker 3,040]

13 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

On of my favourite bits in the score is the rhythmic ostinato that starts ca. 2:23. Reminds me of this:

 

 

 

It was so badass in theaters!  Honestly one of the few moments where the score really got to have an impact on my viewing. 

 

14 hours ago, Falstaft said:

This iteration of the March is clearly the most impressive statement of that theme in the entire Sequel Trilogy,

 

Not that high of a bar to clear, but it just occurred to me after you mention it that it's been so, so long since we've gotten the Imperial March in a majestic setting. I love all of the tortured and brooding statements we get in Revenge of the Sith, but the last time we got a regal Imperial March was in the Attack of the Clones finale as you mention it, and and the last time before that...Return of the Jedi?

 

The statement we have here reminds me most closely of the one on Aboard the Executor, which too has a rising internal figure. In the words of Martha Stewart..."it's a good thing."

 

 

[Falstaft 2,132]

10 hours ago, Ludwig said:

In the music, it's those eerie minor chords we hear after the first bit of twisted string lines. They go F#m - C#m - G#m to form the pattern of rising 5ths. Notice the brass melody rises up through a minor chord as well (C# - E - G#) to double the effect of it being an "aha!" moment:

 

Awesome catch, @Ludwig. I need to give the score a more thorough listen to see if there are other instances of that rising 5th idea.

 

 

8 hours ago, Nick Parker said:

Not that high of a bar to clear, but it just occurred to me after you mention it that it's been so, so long since we've gotten the Imperial March in a majestic setting. I love all of the tortured and brooding statements we get in Revenge of the Sith, but the last time we got a regal Imperial March was in the Attack of the Clones finale as you mention it, and and the last time before that...Return of the Jedi?

 

Exactly! And this is the primary reason I'm okay with JW using the Imperial March here in such an unsubtle way -- he's been super restrained with it for 3 or so movies before hand, it's due a big, bold statement. I'm a little less thrilled with the use of the theme for the rising Star Destroyers at the beginning of the movie, though it's another cool arrangement. I love the sheer percussiveness of the final few measures, around 2:07-2:11.

 

 

[BrotherSound 2,242]

6 hours ago, Falstaft said:

I'm a little less thrilled with the use of the theme for the rising Star Destroyers at the beginning of the movie, though it's another cool arrangement.

Though, it would seem that statement was intended for a deleted shot of Vader’s castle, where it would have of course been more thematically appropriate. The November 11th cut appears to have covered the same shots of the rising star destroyers with 1M15 Vader’s Castle and 8M4 Psalm of the Sith.
 

Thanks to the sheet music that turned up in the documentaries, we know now that the section of ‘Join Me’ used in the scene is also from 8M4. While we have no way of knowing absolutely for certain that the imperial march statement is from 1M15, it’s the exact same length down to the frame (thank you @crumbs for figuring that one out!), and combined with the title, I’d say makes it extremely likely!

 

6 hours ago, Falstaft said:

And this is the primary reason I'm okay with JW using the Imperial March here in such an unsubtle way

I’m curious why you like this use more than that other scene, when the Death Star doesn’t really have any more reason to be scored with the Imperial March than a Star Destroyer, right? Or is it just that you happen to prefer this version, quite apart from extra-musical associations?

[Arpy 4,145]

On 5/9/2020 at 1:36 AM, crumbs said:

 

Indeed. What genius thought, "hmm, the waves should really be the loudest element in the mix here? Who needs to hear that obnoxious music anyway?"

 

 

That ostinato mimics the waves, but as we know, music isn't allowed to illustrate something anymore, only linger in the background.

[crumbs 14,300]

It seems JJ was such a big fan of this cue, they tracked the Death Star reveal into Rey's journey to Exogol! They tried to hide their adoration with more pitch-shifting  but nothing slips past these ears

 

 

...and straight after a lengthy section tracked from You're Han Solo! from TFA, no less.

[Smeltington 1,436]

We should figure out who on JWFan has the most free time on their hands, and force that person to make an as-intended iso score edit of the entire film.

[Fabulin 3,510]

.

[Smeltington 1,436]

We'll make a version with subtitles!