*The Official Revenge Of The Sith Soundtrack Review Thread*

[Sandor 797]

Star Wars Episode III Revenge Of The Sith soundtrack review

Before I start my review I would like to reflect on Saturday, April 9 2005. For weeks I had been waking up very early, made my coffee and turning on my computer to see if a certain score (or parts of it) had already leaked. I will admit; I am a spoiler junkie when it comes to Star Wars. Waiting for the trailer to come online, finding the sources to download it to my hard drive, collecting all the pictures available. This has been an awesome time. The soundtracks by John Williams are an integral part of my love for Star Wars and I was waiting for his score for the last film more eagerly than anything else. Every time my alarm clock woke me up at 6:00 AM the thought that could get me out of my comfortable bed was something like: -Wake up you goon! The soundtrack may have leaked!- For weeks; I did not find anything except a crappy ring tone except, a cool TV spot with a snippet of great music and a short, somewhat insignificant preview from the official site.

But on April 9 2005 I felt that I won the jackpot! The score had finally found its place on the internet! The tracks came in all throughout the day and I was actively downloading, copying files to my mp3 player, making my own CD cover and all. Around 9:30AM CET about 4 tracks had made their way. I want to credit and thank Darth Psychotic from www.millenniumfalcon.com for this. That site has been my -place- for the last months and the spoiler-leakage from their sources has been amazing. While I was listening to the first tracks available (Main Title and The Revenge of the Sith, Battle Of The Heroes, Anakin vs. Obi-Wan and A New Hope and End Credits) I was following the reactions on MF.com and other Star Wars fan message boards. To sum it up: they LOVED the music. And so did I!

As a long time devotee to JWFan.net I decided to visit the message board there to find similar praise and excitement I found at the aforementioned Star Wars message boards. To my surprise the first post contributed after the leakage was -Does anyone know anything about Clint Mansell-. It obviously had nothing to do with the Episode III score. There were only a few comments given on the board and these comments lacked the enthusiasm I found at other places all over the Web. And then it hit me: the fans of John Williams at JWFan.net have become Williams harshest critics.

Don't get me wrong: I love this board. It has been my -home- for years. I highly value the opinions of most contributors even more than I do those of respected reviewers. But there is a small, very active, very vocal and very critical core to be found here. I'm not judging in any way; just observing.

Well; I had to get that of my chest. Now my review (spoilers included!):

I will just get it out in the open; I love Star Wars and the scores for all the films. It is, for me, the crowning achievement in any composers catalogue. The themes for Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, the Force Theme and so many more have been an essential part of my life. To me; it is perfection and in many ways simply stands beyond criticism.

Although the prequel scores did not -reinvent- the musical legacy the way I wanted it to, nor are they necessarily -on par- with the scores for A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, they did add impressive themes and musical ideas to the body of work for the Star Wars saga. Duel Of The Fates from The Phantom Menace and Across The Stars from Attack Of The Clones are the most obvious selections. Admitted; I was initially disappointed by the score for Episode I, but in retrospect Duel Of The Fates in particular is an extraordinary piece of music. I always loved Across The Stars and its usage in Episode II. It is the kind of theme I wanted a Star Wars film to have. Battle Of The Heroes from the Episode III score works for me in the same way: it is the kind of music I wished to hear on a new Star Wars soundtrack.

I love the score for Revenge Of The Sith. I expect the CD is lacking a whole amount of exceptional unreleased material (perhaps Sony and John Williams selected music with a Volume 2 type album in mind and saved many goodies for that. I for one cannot imagine that the duel between Palpatine and Yoda or the Calamari ballet sequence are devoid of memorable music). I am happy with the music that's presented on the soundtrack release though. I will go into a track by track analysis below.

1. Star Wars Main Title and The Revenge Of The Sith

After the familiar Main Title theme we are immediately pulled into action. More than any Star Wars film before, the third prequel film opens with the most expansive action set piece; the Coruscant space battle. The music reflects this. The moment the Force Theme is performed in a militaristic arrangement shortly after the Main Title theme I knew this score was going to -rock- to use a popular term. This 7+ minute cue may be slightly lacking a thematic backbone, but I do love it's continues rhythmic energy. It's a great way to open any Star Wars score!

2. Anakins Dream

The first minute of this cue truly shines! The melody that opens the piece, just one short melodic line before the Love Theme from Episode II is performed, is absolutely gorgeous. The Love Theme, with a counter melody played on violin, has never sounded better. The remaining of this cue is more atmospheric; the Love Theme returns, but the music remains more foreboding, unsettling and dark. The dream about the loss of Padme is essential in the film for it is the main reason Anakin feels obligated to join the Dark Side. The music perfectly captures this.

3. Battle Of The Heroes

I LOVE this new theme! Like I said earlier; it is the kind of theme I always wanted to hear in a Star Wars film. The only thing I find a little disappointing is the arrangement which is not as well build up or fleshed out as either Duel Of The Fates or Across The Stars. The first time the theme is performed by chorus is a breathtaking moment; after the 9 note melody is repeated twice (with slight variations) Williams adds a third melody line which is among the best things he has ever written. That third melody line, derived from the 9 note theme is so brilliant it brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it. Only Williams can write something THAT profound! The cue is very diverse, energetic, but I wish Williams would have given the piece a more formal structure. The piece includes a version of Force Theme with choral backing that is amazing. I love it!

4. Anakins Betrayal

The opening of the piece, a sort of adagio with choral backing, is absolutely gorgeous. Is this the -Lament- that we heard about? The piece ends with the same music; even more rich. I love this track. Highly dramatic and totally what I expected Episode III to sound like. Something like the choral parts from Hooks You Are The Pan meeting Evenstar from Howard Shores The Two Towers without ripping of either.

The first 4 tracks are brilliant. It is the best opening any soundtrack could wish for. The next four tracks however take a huge step back.

5. General Grievous

An interesting soundscape, but more impressionistic than thematic and, honestly, does not really work for me. I love the orchestration of this piece; its -robotic-, -mechanical-, but I would have preferred a little more accentuation on melodic structure than on sound. The Force Theme shows up near the beginning; that is always good.

6. Palpatines Teachings

The first minutes are very foreboding with low male voices (it reminded me of the Gyuto Monks music from Seven Years In Tibet). It takes a while before the music -comes to life-, but when the first fragments of The Imperial March are heard, followed by the Force Theme it turns out to be classic Star Wars. It ends with the Arrival At Coruscant music from Episode I in all its glory.

7. Grievous And The Droids

Not really my kind of music. Similar to Jangos Escape and Bounty Hunters Pursuit from Attack Of The Clones, this cue has a lot going on, but does not focus on a thematic core. The last minute of it is more motif-orientated. Typical prequel action music.

8. Padmes Ruminations

One of the most discussed tracks. The (synthesized?) female wailing is reminiscent of Minority Report and Gladiator and dominates the first part of this track. The music is dark and brooding throughout.

These 4 tracks present some nice ideas, but are not nearly as strong as the first tracks on the album. From track 9 onwards is all glory (with the exception of one cue).

9. Anakin vs. Obi-Wan

The best track on the album? Perhaps. It is certain to become a favorite among Star Wars music collectors. I love the opening orchestral translation of the Battle Of The Heroes theme, followed by the Clash of Lightsabers/Duel music from The Empire Strikes Back. Is it a direct copy? Almost, but it works so extremely well that I am glad Williams did not alter the arrangement too much. The final part of the music; the highly exciting choral driven part from Battle Of The Heroes truly makes this track shine! I can listen to this over and over again!

10. Anakins Dark Deeds

The first seconds, a synthesized choral part, at first seemed to come straight out of The Fellowship Of The Ring score by Howard Shore. But thankfully Williams takes a different direction; the next part is relentless: a chorus singing aggressively over a highly dramatic orchestral score. The last part presents an entirely new theme which becomes very beautiful as it progresses. A great, great track!

11. Enter Lord Vader

When I read the title I thought this track would -own- the soundtrack. It is, however, my least favorite piece on the entire CD! It has some nice ideas, but it has no focus, no direction. We move from slow, solemn music to fragments of marches and all. A little bit of everything, but nothing expanded or really fleshed out. The Imperial March pops up, but only for a few seconds.

12. The Immolation Scene

A nice orchestral elegy which reminded me of Nixons more subtle music. Nothing spectacular, but I am sure in the film it will be do wonders!

13. Grievous Speaks To Lord Sidious

An almost joyous fanfare-like theme opens this track with some choral backing near the 1 minute mark. The piece ends dark. Again nothing spectacular, but a nice track, which should have been put more at the beginning of the album.

14. The Birth Of The Twins and Padmes Destiny

A fantastic track! The music for the birth is atmospheric, -alien- even, but it makes sense. The final part of this cue is a truly wonderful arrangement of the Gui-Gon funeral music. It is played twice and the last time the melody is performed it really soars. I was moved by the power and dignity this piece evokes. I love it!

15. A New Hope and End Credits

A one minute and a half finale? How can that be good? IT IS! In fact of all the Star Wars finales I may enjoy this one the most! It is basically Leias Theme, Lukes Theme and The Force Theme played in a short time, but the orchestration is dead-on perfect! The very A New Hope like performance of Lukes Theme, the beautiful performance of the Force Theme. Magic. The End Credits are great too! Lukes Theme, Leias Theme, Battle Of The Heroes and The Throne Room. The Throne Room happens to be my favorite music of all time, but besides that, its inclusion DOES make sense. Episode III is not a film about despair, about a horrible ending, it is a film about hope. The birth of the twins is an essential part of it. The Throne Room is a majestic version of the Force Theme and it suggests that after all that has happened in this film the Force, the light side, the good guys if you will, WILL prevail. It leads perfectly to the next Episode which is rightfully called A New Hope. Even The Empire Strikes Back, a film that is regarded as a dark, relentless film end with Lukes Theme.

To conclude: I LOVE this score. I LOVE Battle Of The Heroes and all the music developed around Anakin, his turn to evil and the things he does in order to save his beloved one. I cannot judge it fully, because, like I said earlier; I am convinced there will be a lot of very good music still unreleased in the film.

[Jeshopk 8]

great!

[krosstj 0]

WOW, AMAZING REVIEW!!!!!!

[Sandor 797]

Yeah thanks dude!

[deimos 0]

With this beggining I can imagine it's gonna be a loooooooong review.

Come on guy get it out. We all wanna read it.

[Sandor 797]

I really want to get it out too! But I've tried to copy and paste it. Maybe because it's a 5 page Word-document that it can't handle it or something.

Getting very irritated here....

[deimos 0]

Maybe because it's a 5 page Word-document that it can't handle it or something.

I guess you've tried splitting it into several posts then

[Sandor 797]

Yeah...didn't work either...

[Lurker 5]

You've really out done yourself this time.

Neil

[Hlao-roo 389]

I don't about you guys, but I'd like to see a review of this score in Lehman's terms...

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Roald, attach it to your email, then cut and past from there, I had a similar problem once and that worked.

[Sandor 797]

I tried it Joe. It didn't work. I found out it goes wrong with certain characters like - ' "

[bondo 33]

Is a 'complete' or 'Volume 2' ROTS album feasible/profitable? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for it! But would they still see it as an option, after the poor reception of Ep 1 and none for Ep 2?

[Sandor 797]

There it is! Finally!

Is a 'complete' or 'Volume 2' ROTS album feasible/profitable? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for it! But would they still see it as an option, after the poor reception of Ep 1 and none for Ep 2?

There is a faith in Episode III that is beyond words. Look at the merchandising for this film! I mean Episode II stuff didn't sell that good, but still Episode III seems to be bigger marketed.

[deimos 0]

The effort was worth Roald!

I pretty much agree with most of the statements in your review. The thing is that it took me a few listenings to get that enthusiastic about this album, after the dissapointing I felt when it leaked. I hope that good music is inspired by an, at least, decent movie.

These 37 days are gonna be sooooooo long!

[John Crichton 4]

Very nice Roald, and not just because I agree with a good portion of it.

[King Mark 3,631]

Nice work,I love reading reviews of this.I'm too impatient to write one myself.

As far as disagrements go.I'd say Enter Lord Vader is one of the better tracks on the album,while Birth of the Twins and Padme's Destiny is the one time I really ask myself if Williams ran out of time or ideas to finish his score.

K.M.

[nightscape94 965]

Decent review, but I don't know how you can LOVE a score in which you don't care for 1/3 of the music...

Tim

[THEfranz_conrad 0]

It would be nice if the unreleased music contained a brief French horn quote of Qui-Gon's theme as Yoda tells Obi-wan that he has a new master.

[Sandor 797]

Decent review, but I don't know how you can LOVE a score in which you don't care for 1/3 of the music...

Hey I care for 100% of the album. I don't all the tracks show the same level of intesity or quality, that's true. I still love the score. I love E.T. or Superman too, but also on those albums I don't enjoy ALL the tracks on the same level.

With Jurassic Park I love maybe only half the album, but that still makes me love the score.

[Sandor 797]

I really want to thank Neil, Ricard and Joe for all their effort in putting my review on the board. I won't forget that.

[King Mark 3,631]

RotS,save for the last track,is one of Williams least cheerful albums.There are no "beauty" tracks really,no "happy" heroic fanfare sand everything is dark,brooding,serious...etc...Maybe he just re-recorded the Throne Room so it feels less like a downer in the end.

K.M.

[Sandor 797]

I agree King Mark. And again; The Empire Strikes Back is also a dark film; it had a downbeat ending, but STILL it rounded of the End Titles with Luke's Theme, a positive, optimistic piece of music. Why? Because we all knew the "good guys" would win in the end.

The same can be said for ROTS. Despite the horrors that has been displayed for two hours we end with the birth of Luke and Leia; the "new hope". In essence; that birth is a central plot element of the entire film. A triumphant version of the Force Theme is, for me at least, a logical conclusion (ESPECIALLY after Battle Of The Heroes!)

[King Mark 3,631]

Hmm,the beginning of Anakin's Dark Deeds does sound like The Treason of Isengard.Maybe that was the temp track

Also,as good as Anakin's Betrayal is ,I think I know what's missing from it.I think somewhere in there should have been a mournful version of Anakin's Theme,sort of like when it's played on the horn at the end of AotC,except here with the full strings and choir interpolated with the rest of the music.Wouldn't have this been awsome?

K.M.

[homiealex 1]

Hello all,

I've listened to the score to "Revenge of the Sith" a few times now!!!

I have been waiting for this soundtrack ever since I listened to "Attack of the Clones" for the first time. I got hooked on "Star Wars" when I saw "The Phantom Menace" came out, believe it or not-I in about the 7th grade! I got the soundtrack (even though it was butchered horribly!), and I fell in love with "Star Wars", saving up for months to buy the Special Edition 2-CD releases of the Origina Trilogy. I was a complete nut about it all once "Attack of the Clones" came out.

I love just about every single note of the Original Trilogy scores, and the 2 prequel scores definately have positive points with me too. I can't sit and listen to the 2 early prequel scores straight through and enjoy myself as much as when I do it with the 2-CD OT sets, but many parts of them are excellent. "Across the Stars" is my favorite piece of all time. John Williams is one of my favorite film composers. I was so excited when I got a copy of this score early that I was about to wet myself. (Ok, not really)

All that being said, I'm honestly a little disappointed with the score, as much as I HATE to admit it!!! Of course, I'm just disappointed with the part of the score that we get to hear on the OST release. Here's a summary of how I feel about the score:

1.) Star Wars and The Revenge of the Sith

The same recording of the "Main Title" from the other 2 prequels, except the last few seconds are cut off as another piece just interrupts. That made me really mad. On the better side, there is some really cool hardcore action music for the next 6+ minutes! The Force Theme is used early on. This action music reminds me of the chase sequences in "Indiana Jones".

2.) Anakin's Dream

This piece is GORGEOUS! It starts out with a touching harp and viola duet, with the Love Theme entering behind as a violin takes over. It's very gentle and loving. The only thing that bugs me about that rendition is that instead of a i-iv-i progression for the first few chords, it goes i-IV-i and to me unbalances the first few beats of the theme. The Love Theme ends, and the music grows more intense and, takes a break, then builds back up to a smaller climax. After a little eeriness, thick strings take over that remind me of "The Patriot". The first part of the Love Theme returns, and the rest of the track gradually grows dark and unsettling.

3.) Battle of the Heroes

I love the first minute and 10 seconds of this track!!! It's huge and epic and tragic!!! The rest of it is just ok to me ... I was expecting something more like "Neodammerung" from Don Davis' score to "The Matrix Revolutions" or something, I guess. This piece starts out like "Everybody Runs" from "Minority Report". The Force Theme is heard about halfway through, a really intense rendition with orchestra and choir. I love the pounding brass and timpani near the ending!

4.) Anakin's Betrayal

This piece is just ... wow. Awesome stuff. It's the most emotionally tugging piece on the score to me. It's very dramatic and heartbreaking, full orchestra and chorus used, but not thematically driven.

5.) General Grievous

This piece is just kind of here ... some pretty cool action music, but it doesn't seem to have much direction. The neat percussion at the beginning reminds of "Dennis Steals the Embryo" from "Jurassic Park". About 45 seconds into it there's a weird cool rendition of the Force Theme, probably for Obi-Wan.

6.) Palpatine's Teachings

It starts out with some weird ambience of a really deep male voice singing and some really high tones. Reminds me of some of the moments in "Seven Years in Tibet". Not a lot happens until about halfway through, and we get a really low rendition of Darth Vader's Theme. More ambient stuff until the very end, and there is a repeat of the triumphant Coruscant motif from "The Phantom Menace" as Queen Amidala, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Anakin jump into hyperspace going back to Naboo.

7.) Grievous and the Droids

More kind of cool action music, but not thematically driven. It's really busy, of course, because it's Williams! Nothing really memorable though. Upon further listening, I heard a rendition of the Main Theme/Luke's Theme buried in there!!!

8.) Padme's Ruminations

This track is just weird. It doesn't sound like "Star Wars" to me at all, especially the first part. There are some weird electronic tones, and a female singer (either edited or synthesized) with a pulsing bass. The second half is dark and more mysterious. Again, nothing really catchy. And again, upon further listening, high above at one point I heard the first phrase of the Love Theme on some synths!!!

9.) Anakin vs. Obi-Wan

I have many mixed feelings about this track and the last track too. It starts out fast-paced with the Battle of the Heroes theme. A rendition of Vader's theme that sounds heavily influenced by "The Empire Strikes Back" takes over, and the Battle of the Heroes theme comes back for 2 more great renditions. The last part of Vader's theme from "The Empire Strikes Back" and the swirly music following it from when Vader uses the Force to throw stuff at Luke and he falls out the big window ("The Duel" or "Clash of the Lightsabers", whichever you want to call it) takes over. It gets kind of busy for a while, then this entire renditions takes over again, with a measure or two left out between phrases of the theme. Instead of ending with the swirly music this time, Williams tacked on an extra measure that ends it like Vader's Theme (concert version) does. More fast-faced music, and the Battle of the Heroes theme returns. After a while, the Force Theme is heard. This piece doesn't have a slamming ending or anything, it just fades off ...

This is a great piece, but I was expecting more new music. Half this track is note-for-note "The Empire Strikes Back".

What I want to know is-this piece is 3:54. The duel is going to be about 12 minutes. Either there is lots of great music missing on the OST from the duel, only a third of the duel will be scored, or Lucas plans on tracking previously recorded music for the duel. Or any combination of those. Or maybe even all 3, knowing how things worked out with the other 2 prequel movies. None of that makes me happy.

10.) Anakin's Dark Deeds

This piece has full orchestra and choir too. It's really dramatic, but not thematic. And not particularly dark.

11.) Enter Lord Vader

For a track with such a cool name, the piece doesn't do it much justice. It starts out pretty quiet, then the low brass and percussion come in, because it's Williams More quietness, with a few swells ... a really "Indiana Jones"ish sounding section right in the middle, and we hear Vader's Theme about 3/4 of the way through the piece. The upper brass voices get kind of busy, and the piece ends with the first part of the Force Theme followed by the first part of the theme for Palpatine/the Sith/the Dark Side.

12.) The Immolation Scene

This piece is wonderful! Very heavy, thick strings. Again, reminds me a lot of "The Patriot" (the last part of "Remembering the Wilderness/First Ambush" and the last part of "Martin vs. Tavington"). But again, nothing thematic.

13.) Grievous Speaks to Lord Sidious

More typical Grievous music, apparently. Not so much action music I don't think, but it's definately well-paced and militaristic. Awesome few moments with the choir about a minute into it. The music fades off for the latter 2/3 of the track. Sadly again, nothing much worth noting ...

14.) The Birth of the Twins and Padme's Destiny

The first part of this track sounds otherworldly. Not Tatooine or Dagobah or Otoh Gunga kind of otherwordly, but more like the beginning of Danny Elfman's "Edward Scissorhands" kind of otherwordly. Starting with the low brass, "Qui-Gon's Funeral" from "The Phantom Menace" is reprised twice in a row, almost note for note. A fantastic performance, too!

15.) A New Hope and End Credits

This track is one of my favorites, but a big disappointment to me

It starts out with a sweeping horn melody that sounds to me almost completely ripped off of James Horner's score to "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (after the Main Titles are over and the really high cellos play that sweeping, sad melody)

We're then presented with Leia's theme, followed by a very gentle, loving rendition of Luke's theme in the upper strings. About this-up to this point, in all 5 other movies, we've never heard Luke's theme/Main Star Wars Theme played in its major mode in the string section. Maybe it works ok though because he's just been born and that's something that happens only once

After this, we hear the Force Theme almost note-for-note as we hear it in Episode IV in "Binary Sunset"-the horn solo and strings taking over. However, 1 chord is different! It's like this throughout the entire CD!!! It drives me crazy!!! I hate it!!! It's ok in action pieces or when the theme isn't very tonally centered, but all the time just bugs the heck out of me. The different chord is in the second phrase of the theme. It has always been i-IV-i up to now, but the way he harmonizes it in this score is instead of going to major IV in minor mode, he uses the Neapolitan chord every single time. I hate it.

An if-fy brass transition raises our spirits to the End Credits, which is a fantastic performance, and the first full performance of the OT (IV and VI) End Credits-the full fanfare, along with Luke's Theme instead of the brass whole notes and strings runs in I and II. The music fades off nearly note-for-note as in the End Credits to Episode IV and we hear, note-for-note, the second half of the concert version of Leia's Theme.

This is taken over by "Battle of the Heroes", which is very good

However, "Battle of the Heroes" just stops and the arrangement of "The Throne Room/End Credits" from Episode IV that the Skywalker Symphony plays just jumps in unexpectedly. And then, this piece stops and we go back to the film versions' End Credits, which in turn are taken over by the arrangement of "The Throne Room/End Credits" from Episode IV.

This piece, while containing awesome music, doesn't flow very well at all, I don't think. It is really exciting to hear another recording of all this stuff though!!!

This score really does have some awesome moments, and it's definately a must-buy for any "Star Wars" and/or Williams fans. Just don't expect another knock-you-off-your-feet "Star Wars" score, in case you were, or you'll get disappointed. There is no Yoda's Theme, no Anakin's Theme, very little new Vader's Theme, next to no Love Theme, only a little Palpatine/Sith/Dark Side theme, no discernable General Grievous Theme or Mace Windu theme. However, the performance is really good, and the parts of the CD that are good are REALLY good!!! Just love it for what it is

A few days later ... this score has really grown on me. It didn't make much of a first impression, and it's still my least favorite "Star Wars" score, but I'm not quite as cynical about it It just took a while I guess ...

[King Mark 3,631]

I think this is a fair review of the c.d.Not making it better than it actually is but noting the strong points.Yeah,that last chord of the Force Theme bugs me too.

k.M.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

I've noticed others have pointed out that they hear musical similarities between ROTS and other scores like Aliens, Edward Scissorhands, The Lord of the Rings, Crimson Tide, Troy, The Lost World: Jurassic Park and now Star Trek III: The Search For Spock.

Any other scores on ROTS we haven't heard yet?

[MAG-SI 10]

Braveheart.

Oh, sorry not James Horner....

I don't hear any of those....

[nightscape94 965]

Also,as good as Anakin's Betrayal is ,I think I know what's missing from it.I think somewhere in there should have been a mournful version of Anakin's Theme.

Not only that, but Anakin's theme should be spread intermittently throughout the whole score. Even a more mature version. Heck, I'd even settle for a small quotation, maybe only a few notes. But as far as I heard, it's nowhere to be heard...to me, it's the only thing missing from this score.

Wouldn't you think that at this point, with all of the possible Star Wars music, that any temp music would be taken from those previous scores instead of borrowing from other composers?

Tim, who does realize there is another hour of unheard music.

[Richard Penna 3,684]

Personally, I can hear snippets from Towering Inferno, Treasure Planet, Polar Express, Angela's Ashes, Schindler's List, The Village and Fellowship of the Ring.

That's not a bad thing IMO though - I love how fresh and un-Star Warsy it sounds

[Rogue_Leader 2]

So I guess EVERYONE has heard the score by now? I wonder if there are any holdouts left who can make it to the CD release.

[Falstaft 2,132]

First off, great review Roald. I agree with most everything you wrote.

I don't about you guys, but I'd like to see a review of this score in Lehman's terms...

In time, in time... Once I see the movie, in other words.

But I can tell you it will be a positive review. After my initial astonishment upon hearing the OST for the first time, I had a bit of a bout of dissapointment, much like many of the people on this board. But with each subsequent listen, it grows on me more and more and more and more.

I'll say this much -- everyone should give Grievous and the Droids another chance. Except for the first 17 seconds, the cue is not standard JW action writing fare. The meat of the cue, including that pounding rhythm and the awesome trombone theme enters in at 1:17, and from that point it is relentless, awesome, motivically driven fun.

[Lurker 5]

All reviews of the new prequel score should be posted in this thread only.

Neil

[igor 0]

So I guess EVERYONE has heard the score by now? I wonder if there are any holdouts left who can make it to the CD release.

Holding out, easily.

Igor

[Elmo Lewis 6]

So I guess EVERYONE has heard the score by now? I wonder if there are any holdouts left who can make it to the CD release.

Yes, that's a question worthy of a thread.

[MrScratch 294]

Am I the only one who doesn't like RotS's action music? BotH and all of the dark duel/Anakin music is great. But cues like "Revenge of the Sith" "General Greivous" "Greivous and the Droids" where the action (presumably) isn't totally light saber oriented are just dull. After the Force theme is heard in track 1, the rest of that cue is just repetive/rhythmic drum beats, frenetic strings and brass flourishes. That pretty much goes for the other aforementioned tracks and it also my main problem with "Chase through Coruscant" from AOTC. They don't really have a beginning or an end, the music just starts and stops.

Otherwise, I love almost every track. Anything with a chorus on this CD is great. "Anakin vs Obi-Wan" and "Immolation" are my favorite two cues. I'm really glad Williams laid off the chorus for "Immolation", it's a wonderful elegy for the dead. I can't wait to hear it in the movie, if it wasn't butchered that is.

I'm utterly disappointed with "New Hope and End Credits" though, there is not a single note of original music here. And the performance of all this great classic music seems a bit flat. The Star Wars fanfare after the iris out seems slowed down and the Throne Room music is on par with the Skywalker Symphony. Couldn't Williams write a new arrangement of the Force Theme for the Finale? Granted, we haven't seen the movie yet but I think we all have a pretty good idea what it's going to be like. Couldn't Williams have used "Luke and Leia's Theme" at all. If I were Williams, I'd use L&L's theme for the twins when they are born (if only a brief quote of it) and after their seperation use Leia's theme and Luke's theme seperately. I'm still holding out hope that L&L's theme is in Episode III.

[The Prick vs The DD 0]

I love the score for Revenge Of The Sith. I expect the CD is lacking a whole amount of exceptional unreleased material (perhaps Sony and John Williams selected music with a Volume 2 type album in mind and saved many goodies for that. I for one cannot imagine that the duel between Palpatine and Yoda or the Calamari ballet sequence are devoid of memorable music). I am happy with the music that's presented on the soundtrack release though. I will go into a track by track analysis below.

To conclude: I LOVE this score. I LOVE Battle Of The Heroes and all the music developed around Anakin, his turn to evil and the things he does in order to save his beloved one. I cannot judge it fully, because, like I said earlier; I am convinced there will be a lot of very good music still unreleased in the film.

I agree that there's a lot to be thankfull for. There's great music on it. And I'm hoping this CD indeed lacks exceptional pieces. So we will have another treat waiting for us.

Still, my biggest problem right now is that it all sounds like a suite. I was expecting a Star Wars opera but instead am treated to a Star Wars mix. Like I said in some other thread, it's a jungle of sounds. As if Williams didn't had the time to correct some problems in his amazing piece of work. The quality is there, but the time to perfect is not, and with it some of the performances lack as well.

And so many themes and motifs from other sources are used that it leaves little room for new motifs and themes, also it leaves you with the feeling of an overall lack of thematic material. Return of the Jedi was the third movie made, but it certainly had a wealth of themes, motifs and melodies. But this could be a wrong assumption about this new score. I'm hoping there's more, and at least we now know the background music is certainly not sub-par. And of course, I'm gonna buy it. I've loved almost everything Williams has done so.

Still, I'm also hoping for some reason the soundtrack CD is gonna be slightly better. Oh well.

[CyclonusArmada 0]

Great, insightful review Roald, thanks for taking the time! I have also been enjoying the tracks, though have not had the time yet to listen to them straight through - I need 70 uninterrupted minutes!

Hey, does anyone know if there are higher quality versions available somewhere, something other than 128kps but perhaps 256?

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

Its just me or this end credits fanfare is different from the cut n paste TPM and AOC?

[Jeshopk 8]

Am I the only one who doesn't like RotS's action music? BotH and all of the dark duel/Anakin music is great. But cues like "Revenge of the Sith" "General Greivous" "Greivous and the Droids" where the action (presumably) isn't totally light saber oriented are just dull. After the Force theme is heard in track 1, the rest of that cue is just repetive/rhythmic drum beats, frenetic strings and brass flourishes. That pretty much goes for the other aforementioned tracks and it also my main problem with "Chase through Coruscant" from AOTC. They don't really have a beginning or an end, the music just starts and stops.

I sense structure to them. I enjoy the way they build the tension. From a pure music perspective, these pieces are certainly very interesting to listen to all the little things going on in them. They aren't static or unemotional to me. They "travel". Since I was weaned on Close Encounters and , I LOVE whenever Williams goes nuts like this. Some people have said this style sounds "random", but to me it is the sound of danger, turmoil, anger, evil, relentlessness, etc. Although some new thematic action cues would have been nice, I am surprised and happy that this style became so prevalent during the Prequels. There was some of this sound in Epire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, but there were more leitmotifs interwoven in the Original Trilogy.

[MrScratch 294]

I sense structure to them. I enjoy the way they build the tension. From a pure music perspective, these pieces are certainly very interesting to listen to all the little things going on in them.

I'm no music expert and probably don't have the greatest ears for this sort of thing... but, tracks like "Into the Trap" and "Attack Position" from the OT seem to work in the same manner, yet there is progression from beginning to end. This also happens in TPM cues like "Anakin Defeats Sebulba" (the Gungan battle portion) or "Sith Spacecraft and Droid Battle". The music is driving, there is a buildup and a musical climax. If you played for me two 10-second snippets of "Into the Trap", I could definitely tell you which comes first in the piece. Not so with "Chase Through Coruscant" and these new RotS pieces.

Maybe with more listenings I'll appreciate them more, but it hasn't happened yet with "Chase through Coruscant."

Jeff

[King Mark 3,631]

Anybody has any idea what the second half of Anakin's Dark Deeds scores in the movie(the rising horn motif leading to the wild brass chords)

K.M.Who sees no usual "reply" button in this thread

[John Crichton 4]

Its just me or this end credits fanfare is different from the cut n paste TPM and AOC?

The end credits fanfare was a new recording for Episode II also, at least on the CD. And this one is also new.

Anybody has any idea what the second half of Anakin's Dark Deeds scores in the movie(the rising horn motif leading to the wild brass chords)

I don't know, but that sounds like another new theme to me, and I'm really getting to love it. Anyone find it anywhere else on the CD?

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

I need to re-evaluate my judgment on the final track. I noted that I really liked the last 3 minutes of it, but it's mainly the arrangement of the Throne Room with the snare drums I really dig. I'd never heard it before. Is it part of the concert suite or is it new?

But the track is very long and out of the 13 minutes it runs, only 1:30 is the actual finale. What follows doesn't really flow. The Throne Room seems to come out of nowhere and then starts again, and again, and again, seemingly. And after that it's still not finished when we get a reprise of the RotJ finale. Are they trying to make an end credits sequence longer than RotK's? :?

[King Mark 3,631]

Like I said,that's just to make the album more cheerful.I've heard in the actual film,the End Credits will have this dark piece that slowly morphs Anakin's Theme into the Imperial march with DotF playing in counterpoint

K.M.

[THEfranz_conrad 0]

For my part the things I most like about this score are the elegiac pieces - Anakin’s Dark Deeds, Anakin’s Betrayal, Immolation - and the action pieces centred around Grievous - the Revenge of the Sith suite in track 1, General Grievous, Grievous and the Droids and Grievous goes to Palpatine. I love the new orchestrations of the love theme in Grievous Speaks to Palpatine and Anakin’s Dream.

If the Gyuto Monks at the beginning of Palpatine’s Dark Teachings and Padme’s Ruminations are for what I think they are, then Williams has been very clever here and the departures are more than acceptable. The organ at the end of Padme’s Ruminations is a great bit of psychology scoring that links nicely to Williams’ Herrmann references in AOTC. The brass trills and suspense material in Enter, Lord Vader is a lot of fun if you like that side of Williams. The moment when Anakin cuts off Mace Windu’s arm is probably that reference to the Vader theme. I’ll admit there is a passage there that sounds rather like a boy choir intoning to seduce Anakin to take the Ring for himself... but it doesn’t really bother me. Just like it didn’t bother me when AOTC referenced the drumming of Tan Dun’s Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon or Herrmann’s Vertigo motif.

For the things I’m not crazy about - the Force theme suite in the end credits, the final roll-down at the end is far too positive, and the pre-credits finale is far too short when you think of how long AOTC pre-credits sequence was. (Obviously there’s only so much Williams can do about that - but the only time you start worrying about a soundtrack fan is when he stops bitching.) I’m not crazy about the use of Imperial March in Anakin vs Obiwan - the whole track feels like bits and pieces chopped up and put together in a way that just doesn’t feel right.

Battle of the Heroes... I don’t know... I really have to see it in context. I didn’t really like Anakin’s Theme or Across the Stars when I first heard them on the other OSTs, but in the film they were fine. The Dies Irae aspect is quite attractive. The harmonisations are all great. No question as to who wrote this. It’s just a question of whether he could have done more with the melody, and we’ll know soon enough if the film could have given him room to do that.

I’m missing hearing references to Yoda, more of the Emperor, Duel of the Fates and Anakin himself. And where on earth are Jabba and Jar-Jar’s themes? And I had my heart set on hearing Ewok theme return for trombone when the wookies enter the story!

While I like the return of the Lament for Qui-Gon, I think in place of horns counterpointing with the Force theme we might have heard a reference to Across the Stars instead - it would have given the cue more variation, and respected the fact that to sleep with a Jedi is not to become one.

I do think the CD works a lot better in the following order: 1, 13, 2, 6, 7, 8, 5, 11, 10, 4, 3, 9, 12, 14, 15 (edited out Force theme and conclusion - replaced with a suite made from the Grievous theme and closing with part of the Lament).

[King Mark 3,631]

I thik the Force theme in the Finale should have been elaborated a bit more so it didn't end so abruptly into the End Credit Fanfare music.I don't know.I was hoping for this elaborate finale that featured music for a sort of elaborate "montage" that sets up Ep 4.

K.M.

[Henry B 50]

I'm not one for fancy introductions, and it's not like there'd be much point to one (Williams is a talented and accomplished composer, huh-WHA?!), so I'll just go right into the track-by-track portion.

1. Star Wars and the Revenge of the Sith

This is a pretty good opener to the soundtrack. The main title recording is the same as TPM's, but at least the mix is good, which was not the case last time. I like the abrupt transition following the titles. Sort of jerks you out of your seat - "BOO! That's what you get for falling asleep during the main title...!" Then there's the battle march. It sounds rather good, though a touch on the generic side. A lot like parts of "The Desert Chase." Strong, complete statements of the Force Theme have become as rare as gold these days, so it was nice to hear the thing played all out. Could have been better, though; it was basically horns playing the theme, drums crashing beneath it, and trumpets spluttering about. After this there's some more of the march, which is starting to get grating... Fortunately, a new motif takes over - the 6/4 bass drum beat. This reminds me of the bass drum in the theatrical trailer, and I could definitely picturing it accompanying the Battle of Coruscant... Great starships carreening out of control and such. Sounds nice. After a while, the music gains more chordal structure, sounding almost Battle of Endor-like, before giving way to Grievous' Theme. This selection sounds wonderfully ominous. It does borrow a lot from Hedwig's Theme in melody, but the way it's orchestrated, I just don't hear any real resemblance; that is, it doesn't feel like Harry Potter. The strings join in with Grievous' Theme and it turns into more action music, none of which is particularly interesting. Then a quick string motif enters. The beginning of this sounds almost exactly like a bit of the "Dementors Converge" music from Prisoner of Azkaban. The Potter-ing continues, distinguished only by the snare drum, which gives it a more militaristic feel. The music never goes anywhere, and eventually it just stops on a string note. Despite these weak two minutes, the track, overall, sounds good. It's above-average action music, certainly easier to stomach than the strange percussion of Attack of the Clones.

2. Anakin's Dream

This starts out with sweet string music and a viola solo, followed by a treatment of "Across the Stars" with the viola and woodwinds. Very nice overall. After that, the alarming dream music starts. I find that it follows predictable patterns, and might have done better with some sort of contorted version of the love theme. After that is some melancholy music, followed by a more traditional statement of the love theme. After that the music meanders for a bit, sounding like the dull underscore in Attack of the Clones. The Force Theme livens it up with a performance that sounds more like Empire in style. The track finishes up with a brass fanfare and some more foreboding music, neither of which jumped out at me.

3. Battle of the Heroes

Now the album begins to pick up... This starts with some viola work and brass fanfares of the new theme. Could be the MP3 compression, but I don't like the sound of the horns here. They sound distorted. However, after the fanfares, the track gets real good. The choir bursts in with the Battle of the Heroes Theme, giving it more grounding than the horns did. The choir sounds, for lack of a better word... tragic? Sorry for the lack of insight there. After that the whole brass section plays the Battle of the Heroes Theme, and well, I might add. After that is some classic-sounding brass work, then a secondary theme on the strings, vaguely similar to "Duel of the Fates," but it's a very generic motif, really. Next, a brass-choir union plays the Battle of the Heroes Theme. Following that is the kind of pitched percussion that figured heavily into Attack of the Clones. A wonderfully dark chord progression in the brass leads to a menacing statement of the Force Theme accompanied by the choir. If I remember correctly, this is the first time it's been done with choir (not counting Shadows of the Empire and "Knights of the Old Republic"), and it is pretty remarkable. After that the Battle of the Heroes Theme comes in again with choir. The strings and choir swirl upward to a point of tension, then a rhythm similar to the end of "The Trench Run" begins, only to be interrupted by desperate strains of the Battle of the Heroes Theme on brass and strings. The "Trench Run" motif comes in again, followed by the strings from the beginning of the track, which are then joined by variations of the Battle of the Heroes Theme on clarinets. The track ends with a gigantic drum roll and orchestral crash. Overall, very strong, definitely worthy of being the new concert piece for the soundtrack.

4. Anakin's Betrayal

This track is four minutes long, but I think a detailed description would be rather dull. Basically, it's sad, sad music. The choir comes in later on, and there's the occasional brass work, but it's mostly strings. It doesn't quite sound like Star Wars, but this is "Lament," the music for the destruction of the Jedi, and I'm glad Williams didn't just twist the comforting and familiar Force Theme around. You want to hear the theme for the Jedi? You can't! They're all dead! Very tragic stuff. Also, the secondary Battle of the Heroes theme plays a bit in this track.

5. General Grievous

Like the action music in Clones, but better. Very interesting and menacing percussive work throughout. The Force Theme shows up, but not in a way that brings much comfort. Menacing, like the rest of the track. There's some low, ominous underscore before the action music comes in again. After a while, the trumpets start getting Patriot-like, which irks me, but no matter, the music's still good. There are some dramatic brass chords, then more action music... Hell, it's confusing. The percussive motif from the beginning comes back in near the end and plays to the conclusion of the track.

6. Palpatine's Teachings

Mostly an underscore track. But it's good underscore. The first minute and a half of this is creepy male choir music. In a way, it's more frightening than the Emperor's Theme, because there's no familiar melodic structure to cling to, only the monks of the Dark Side... Ooooooohhhhhhh... Then the orchestra pipes in with some more underscore, followed by a quiet but spot-on statement of Vader's Theme. It is followed by the monks again, seemingly trying to warn Anakin of Palpatine's true nature by hinting at Sidious' Theme. However, it is quickly overtaken by the Force Theme (a rather straight-forward rendition). Before long, the ominous underscore is back, this time with the contrabass section trying to play Sidious' Theme. It is overtaken by foreboding music that sounds very much like the mystery music in Clones. A dissonant horn melody follows. Strings rise, and rather quickly, the departing Coruscant motif from The Phantom Menace is reprised. Added to the orchestration are some bells, and it's extended a bit... Still, it otherwise sounds like it was literally tracked from Episode I. There is not enough new about the orchestration to make this truly interesting, and I wonder why Williams used it. I suspect ideas weren't coming to him, and he needed something to fill the space, and quick. Still, it's interesting to listen to.

7. Grievous and the Droids

Action music. While I've heard duller, this is not an absolute thrill to listen to. What is interesting, though, is the statement of Luke's Theme. It's been a while since that theme has played for the good guys in the prequels, so it's nice to hear, however short and restrained it is. Following Luke's Theme is a dark march for Grievous' bodyguards. The trumpets are in all-out Patriot mode, but otherwise it sounds pretty good. The brass and strings swirl around a bit, then the dark march returns. It then quiets down, allowing the Force Theme to slip in before the track ends. This is a decent track... Did I mention I love the statement of Luke's Theme? But otherwise, there's not much going for it.

8. Padmé's Ruminations

Um... Ah... Um. This is tough. My instinct is to hate this music, but it's sort of interesting... sort of. For the first one and a half minutes, synthesizers wander about the place. A female soloist joins in, probably given the synthesizer treatment herself. If you're listening closely, you might hear one of the high synthesizers play the love theme, but only for a measure. After the synths retreat (thankfully... I think) low, brooding strings finish off the track.

9. Anakin vs. Obi-Wan

Battle of the Heroes kicks in right away. Before it can really get going, though, the music pauses, and a sinister statement of the Imperial March plays. It sounds similar to in "Clash of the Lightsabers." Battle of the Heroes comes in again, played mournfully by the strings. But it's abrubtly interrupted by a direct quote of "Clash of the Lightsabers." The tempo shifts suddenly; not the best incorporation of existing music. After, though, the racing strings develop in original ways, becoming more dissonant. Then another direct quote from "Clash of the Lightsabers" plays, distinguished only by more aggressive trumpets and a cut measure here or there. A brutal measure of Vader's Theme is added to the end. Battle of the Heroes finally resumes it course, kicking off its return with the secondary theme (and some more of the main one as well). The rest of the orchestra freezes while the strings trill for a few seconds. This is followed by a melancholy statement of the Battle of the Heroes Theme on horns. Then, the choir comes in screaming as the strings, at first obscured by the overwhelming power of the choir, play the Force Theme accompanied by brass accents. The track draws to a close with the Battle of the Heroes Theme. Aside from the awkward incorporation of "Clash of the Lightsabers," this is a very good track, pretty much everything I was hoping for concerning the duel.

10. Anakin's Dark Deeds

We're off to a bad start. This sounds like Lord the Rings... No, choir... Stop singing monotonously! All right, now we're doing all right. The choir's screaming "Duel of the Fates"-like, and the rest of the orchestra is in. The choir drops off, and the orchestra plays sad action music for a while... All right, the choir's back. Some dark brass chords. Sounds like the Imperial March without actually being it. The choir comes back, and the music gets less interesting... But no matter, it's gone, and the orchestra is mourning the loss of... whoever just died. There's a sad horn motif playing here. Strings join in, and we're in full tragic mode. Not as good as "Anakin's Betrayal," but we shall see. The brass section heralds more "dark deeds," and the track ends. Nothing particularly striking, but it's, for the most part, good, solid music.

11. Enter Lord Vader

A dark horn motif begins the track. Then, the strings and woodwinds, and horns play some melancholy music. A militaristic march begins, and no, it's not the Imperial March. As quickly as it began, it disappears in favor of more brooding music. More Imperial music plays (No... not the March!). Then comes a surprisingly upbeat fanfare. It quickly turns darker, though, as we start to realize what's around the corner... A buildup begins in the drums. After a pause, the Imperial March finally arrives in the brass section, followed by tragic music. The Force Theme comes in, but it is pushed out of the way in favor of Sidious' Theme. More dark fanfares end the piece. Overall, very fun to listen to. And three great themes in a minute? Not bad, not bad at all.

12. The Immolation Scene

Pain, pain, pain. The strings mourn the destruction of Anakin Skywalker, at times recalling the epic tragedy of "Epilogue" from The Fury. The second half of the track is more low-key than the first; nevertheless, it's very nice music. A variation on the Force Theme ends the piece.

13. Grievous Speaks to Lord Sidious

What you might call a concert version of Grievous' Theme occupies the first minute of this piece. Toward the end, the choir lends a hand. Low, foreboding music follows, then Grievous' Theme on the trumpets and horns accompanied by swirling strings. "Across the Stars" is hinted at, giving way to melancholy fanfares.

14. The Birth of the Twins and Padmé's Destiny

A tender, yet dark and mysterious, melody begins the track, with cymbal hisses adding to the tension. This gives way to celesta music that sounds like it's straight out of Harry Potter. The Imperial March is hinted at. The tension rises again with brass and swirling strings. Then begins a reprise of "Qui-Gon's Funeral" from The Phantom Menace. Though the orchestration is enhanced, and the performance is strong, there's no excuse for this seemingly irrelevant music playing... TWICE. Some brass chords take over and end the track.

15. A New Hope

A fanfare for the paradise of Alderaan begins this track, quickly giving way to Leia's Theme. While I don't find the arrangement of it thrilling, what comes next is amazing. Luke's Theme is played tenderly by the strings, and with it, all the spirit of the original Star Wars comes flooding back... just like *that*. Following Luke's Theme is a celesta melody. Finally, the last Star Wars soundtrack ends with - what else? - the Force Theme. It begins in similar fashion to "Light of the Force," but the orchestra quickly comes together and finishes off the theme spectacularly. Roll credits.

15. End Credits

I want to differentiate between the two parts to this cue because my opinion of each is completely different. Well, the credits go like this: "Luke's Theme," "Leia's Theme," "Battle of the Heroes," "The Throne Room (Concert Version)," and the end to the credits from Return of the Jedi. There are perhaps ten seconds of original transition music in all this. The opening arrangement of Luke's Theme is the same as that in Star Wars, but Leia's Theme is the concert version, not the credits version. After about a minute, the music makes a pretty cool transition to "Battle of the Heroes" (the opening fanfares are skipped). Then comes some quick original ending music for "Battle of the Heroes" in order to get into the right key for "The Throne Room." Other than the original transition music, it sounds like the same recording of "Battle of the Heroes," and there's a messy edit between the two. Then there's "The Throne Room." Now, this was the first time I'd heard the concert version, so naturally I was thrilled. But there are two things to keep in mind: 1) This concert version was written years ago, along with everything else in the credits (sans "Heroes"), and 2) once you get used to it, it's not that great. Let me explain: the concert arrangement stumbles along forever, with endless permutations of the Throne Room motif and the Force Theme. I like some of these, but it just gets tiring after a while. Finally, the concert piece draws to a close, and after a quick timpani roll, the end credits "Luke's Theme" ostinato begins. From here on, it's the finale from Return of the Jedi, which was in fact written for a concert arrangement of the Luke's Theme in 1997. The last drum roll is ridiculously long. It sure as hell builds tension, but it may just be too long. The major problem with the end credits, if we even discount the fact that very little original music was written for it, is the presence of "The Throne Room" and the absence of "The Imperial March." Sorry, but this movie's all about Darth Vader; his theme is mandatory for the credits, no matter how you look at it (that includes playing the March, then Luke's Theme to still end on a high note).

Overall Thoughts

The action music is good, but most of it lacks the strong battle motives that permeated the first four scores. The dull underscore? There's not too much of it, fortunately. Not on the album, at least. As for treatment of previous themes: I couldn't ask for more as far as the Force Theme goes. Spectacular. Luke's Theme is well-employed, as is "Across the Stars." Still, the ultimate, evil-to-end-all-evil statements of the Imperial March and the Emperor's Theme are not here. Might they be in the full score? Probably. Also missing is Yoda's Theme and Duel of the Fates, which is *probably* in the full score somewhere. But just off the top of my head, the Hyperspace reports mentioned a cue where Obi-Wan departs in a starfighter to an incredible statement of the Force Theme, a dark juxtaposition of Vader's Theme and Across the Stars, and a Battle of Coruscant cue that includes both the Droid March and the Rebel Fanfare. I think we've got plenty to look forward to.

[King Mark 3,631]

The tension rises again with brass and swirling strings. Then begins a reprise of "Qui-Gon's Funeral" from The Phantom Menace. Though the orchestration is enhanced, and the performance is strong, there's no excuse for this seemingly irrelevant music playing... TWICE. Some brass chords take over and end the track.

to.

I can't come to a logical conclusion as to why it is this way except that Williams was ultimately rushed to finish this score(same goes for the Empire snippets in track 9 and the Naboo fanfare ending Palpatines Teaching).What's striking is that the Force theme playing over the funeral music isn't so appropriate,and the second time around that Force theme snippet is STILL there ,and the repeat sounds looped even.Now if he had developped this second rendition of the Funeral music into some more elaborate rendition I might forgt about it,but I can't find any excuse for this.

k.M.

[Jeshopk 8]

I can't come to a logical conclusion as to why it is this way except that Williams was ultimately rushed to finish this score

I think its quite a nice way to have the Prequel Trilogy come full circle. I enjoy the variations, though slight. And whenever I used to listen to it on TPM I would play it twice, so I'm happy it is extended.

The words in Sanskrit mean "Death's long, sweet, sleep" which is a lyric by Williams. tying together the deaths of QuiGon and Padme will have some significance when we learn some secrets from the film. The meaning of death features in the film, and it seems appropriate to revisit the concept again musically at the close of the trilogy.

I am more upset about the Empire Strikes Back music being interpolated. It is so specific to the onscreen action of ESB, I feel it should have been kept for that unique moment in the saga. The only reason Williams wouldn't just variate with the Vader theme would seem to be his experience with Lucas and Burtt, and perhaps their silly assertion tracking the tried and true is preferable to accepting unpredictable new compositions by their eccentric resident genius.