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A Humble Appreciation Thread for The Rise of Skywalker Theme by John Williams


artguy360

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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

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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. 

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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

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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)

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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

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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

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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.

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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.  

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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.

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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.

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  • 4 months later...

This is the first time I recall hearing about Kylo Ren's theme being in Hateful Eight. Which track(s)? 

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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.

 

 

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Awesome 

 

Sounds like a true coincidence, an opposed to this from the year prior:

 

 

 

Vs:

 

 

 

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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.

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