Popular Post artguy360 1,843 Posted May 30, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted May 30, 2020 My appreciation for the piece The Rise of Skywalker, like so much JW music before it, has grown immeasurably since I first listened to it the day before the accompanying movie released. In it I hear not only two unique motifs suited to the ideas of friendship and victory in the movie, but also a meta-narrative farewell from JW to the entire SW saga that has so dominated his career and legacy. The piece opens with quiet, successive renditions of the victory theme here sounding almost as if meant to play over images of an old man slowly turning through the pages of a treasured photo album while sitting alone in his study, bathed in gentle sunlight. As the friendship theme unveils itself we hear strains of bittersweet reminiscence and familial bonds rising and falling with comfort, almost as if this theme had always been with us. In the swells of the friendship motif I hear JW reflecting back on his lifetime with Star Wars, with the characters, the stories, and the people, old and new, he worked along side over the course of 3 trilogies. The musical development that follows has a bit more tension and movement, perhaps suggesting that the journey has not always been easy or fun, but nonetheless endlessly compelling. The development continues until we are treated with the grandest, most heroic renditions of the victory theme. The motif that begins the piece with quiet intimacy now booms with a voice meant to fill theaters and halls of movie and concert goers. Finally the grand scale fades and we return to an old man sitting in his study, JW fondly looking over the pages of his SW scores as he bids them all a final farewell. I love The Rise of Skywalker concert arrangement. *Though the movie with the same title is quite bad. Holko, The Illustrious Jerry, Not Mr. Big and 10 others 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post King Mark 3,631 Posted May 30, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted May 30, 2020 I also made a thread specific to this track when the OST came out. I liked it instantly, it didn't have to grow on me. Overall one of Williams most beautiful tracks of all time. Williams should have played it in Vienna so we'd have an additional recording of it. But recently I noticed the Victory Theme is played better in the End Credits. So I wish the performance of the End Credit was was reversed with the concert version . The strings in THIS section are much more beautiful in the End Credits (maybe someone can describe the intonation difference better than me), and also the more pronounced woodwind accents of the climax that makes it sound more like a classic JW theme Compare with concert version eitam, bruce marshall and Chewy 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,012 Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 I just assumed it was the same performance. It clearly isn't! I love both new themes. My only regret is that we'll never get a full concert arrangement of the friendship theme. And I also like Anthem of Evil which used to great effect throughout the score (much better than all the other villain themes in this trilogy). Karol Joni Wiljami 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smaug The Iron 515 Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 15 minutes ago, crocodile said: And I also like Anthem of Evil which used to great effect throughout the score (much better than all the other villain themes in this trilogy). For me it is the opposite. I hardly notis it in the score to be honest. But I can recognize Kylo Ren, Snoke, First Order with no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crocodile 8,012 Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 3 hours ago, Smaug the iron said: For me it is the opposite. I hardly notis it in the score to be honest. But I can recognize Kylo Ren, Snoke, First Order with no problem. Yes, but that's not my point. Some of these stand out more but they never change and evolve that much. Anthem is more slithery and adaptable. That's why I like it. When I first heard Kylo Ren theme at the cinema my thought was "that's it?". The next day I got a soundtrack from The Hateful Eight, which came out on the same day, and bang this theme appears there as well. I warmed up up to it but it's not that special. Anthem, while not as instantly identifiable, is a more intriguing melodic line with interesting links to other themes. Karol eitam 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,511 Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eitam 364 Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 Friendship Theme is... ok I think, a little too meandering for me, lacking a clear form. Victory Theme is very good (best new theme in the movie IMO), it hooked my ear at first listen, but I'm still thrown off each time by the long note at 3:05. As for the track The Rise of Skywalker, it's good but I'm a little disappointed it's doesn't do more with the themes than what we can hear elsewhere in the score (and sometimes in a better arrangement, as King Mark pointed out). 4 hours ago, crocodile said: When I first heard Kylo Ren theme at the cinema my thought was "that's it?". Sort of how I feel too. It's certainly noticeable and memorable, which is not nothing, but because it's loud and simple, rather than melodically or rythmically inspired. When I first heard it it stroke me as something serviceable Giacchino* could have written in 30 seconds (thinking of the bad guys theme in his first Star Trek). (*whose music I generally like) crocodile 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Dave 1 Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 Hi guys! New to this forum but was pleased to see others feeling the same way about this music! Crazy to see LITERALLY THE SAME THEME in Morricone's score - hilarious! I think that it might go back further than both of theme though - was listening to Massenet's Manon the other day for the first time (amazing stuff haven't finished it yet) and towards the end of the prelude the same motif suddenly sprang out of nowhere! I was pretty shocked and actually disappointed (once again) in John Williams ahaha. https://youtu.be/xsx3D7QCJnU?t=202 Hopefully that will play from the exact moment at 3:22. What do you guys think? Deliberate? Mistake? Coincidence? I will listen to the rest and see if the motif is used again! David Tydirium 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbellamy 6,287 Posted May 30, 2020 Share Posted May 30, 2020 Love this piece and was obsessed with both of these themes the moment I first heard them in the FYC score. My original reactions: On 12/10/2019 at 3:37 PM, mrbellamy said: I've started and I still haven't gotten past my fourth or fifth listen of We Go Together. Fuck this is good. On 12/10/2019 at 3:37 PM, mrbellamy said: Farewell is vintage John Williams, Jesus has risen Will and Joni Wiljami 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karelm 2,913 Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 I like the score but my only disappointment was the finale used to be magnificent symphonic statements where ROS feels like an edit of other scores and was a major missed opportunity to end the saga by wrapping it up musically having an original trilogy style ending with JW's contemporary sensibilities. That didn't happen and was a major disappointment for me. In contrast, it took Wagner 25 years to compose the 17 hours of his massive four operas of The Ring of the Nibelung. But the ending feels cataclysmic, everything from the first moment of Das Reinhold has come to its final cataclysmic conclusion since the creation of Valhalla happened in the opening and the final destruction happens in the last minutes. It's one great work spread across decades. The Star Wars team intended that approach and didn't reach those goals. I blame the director. JW could easily have done this but I get the impression JJ Abrams didn't have the grasp the weight at his control. Holko and Will 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 4,658 Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 I think if the piece is judged on its own musical merits, it is nearly flawless. I for one would have liked more concert pieces for the the final movie, particularly a high-energy heroic sort of thing. But, ROS is a perfect farewell piece with all of the notes (sure, intended) of late Williams' works. It will play nicely as the penultimate piece before the Throne room and finale in future SW concerts. Cerebral Cortex 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arpy 4,145 Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 Its appearance in We Go Together, starting off warm and friendly, then returning triumphant as the heroes depart is one of my all-time favourite Williams' moments in this score and others. It's a classic moment that gives a proper nod to let the score shine through. That cue also cycles through two other themes - the Force Theme and Rey's Theme in such a natural way, it reminds me of the way Howard Shore could run through several themes in a short space, ala The Grace of Undomiel/Minas Tirith. That's the power of thematic writing in that the themes become a language that underscores everything without ever drawing too much attention to itself. Not Mr. Big 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrotherSound 2,242 Posted May 31, 2020 Share Posted May 31, 2020 1 hour ago, karelm said: I like the score but my only disappointment was the finale used to be magnificent symphonic statements where ROS feels like an edit of other scores and was a major missed opportunity to end the saga by wrapping it up musically having an original trilogy style ending with JW's contemporary sensibilities. That didn't happen and was a major disappointment for me. Since both Episode VII and VIII had more than one version of the end credits written (we don’t know for certain if they were recorded), it’s not unlikely there could be an alternate version or two for IX. karelm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,363 Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 This is the first time I recall hearing about Kylo Ren's theme being in Hateful Eight. Which track(s)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Falstaft 2,132 Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 7 minutes ago, Jay said: This is the first time I recall hearing about Kylo Ren's theme being in Hateful Eight. Which track(s)? It's right there at the beginning, 0:13 and elsewhere. A fun little coincidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay 37,363 Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 Awesome Sounds like a true coincidence, an opposed to this from the year prior: Vs: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce marshall 1,315 Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 As a standalone piece it's wonderful. Easily his best in the final six films! Cerebral Cortex and Not Mr. Big 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattris 416 Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 The origin of Kylo Ren's Theme: and Rey's Theme, too: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerateWohl 4,368 Posted October 4, 2020 Share Posted October 4, 2020 My only slight dissapointment with the Rise of Skywalker theme is that it actually are two themes, the victory theme and the friendship theme, and I would have prefered one suite for each of them. Same issue with The Rebellion is Reborn. I would have liked to hear more development and variations for each of the themes in a suite of its own. But it is like it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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