STAR WARS: Symphony for a Saga

A New Hope Suite

ANH-Suite.jpg

Download and Listen

MP3       FLAC     Apple Lossless     Vimeo

Release Date: 07/01/2016

 

Tracks Compiled and Edited 09/28/2008 – 05/14/2016

(A total of 61 edits have been made)

 

All music composed by John Williams

Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra

 

A New Hope Suite

 

01 – Princess Leia’s Theme

(00:00 - 04:03)

02 – Luke on the Homestead

(04:03 - 05:35)

03 – Rebellion (The Rebel Alliance March)

(05:35 - 09:08)

04 – Tatooine, the Desert Planet

(09:08 - 14:27)

05 – Rendezvous with the Death Star

(14:27 - 16:56)

06 – Escaping the Battle Station  

(16:56 - 19:00)

07 – The Battle of Yavin

(19:00 - 23:12)

08 – The Force (Victory March)

(23:12 - 25:08)

 

 

Total Runtime

25:08

 

=================================================================================

                    

Original recording sources are:

 

STAR WARS - A NEW HOPE Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Special Edition)

STAR WARS - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (The Ultimate Digital Collection)

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Personal Track Interpretation

 

"Princess Leia’s Theme"                                   (00:00 - 04:03)

 

How do you begin a STAR WARS Symphony without the main title? After many different attempts, the answer seemed to be clear: with the most beautiful STAR WARS music John Williams has ever composed.

 

The original concert suite of "Princess Leia's Theme" has grown to become my favorite piece of STAR WARS music, and I had previously included the entire track in the original Symphony for a Saga. After revisiting the prequel trilogy, I realized how successful the edit of "Duel of the Fates" was.

 

Additionally, I wanted to move away from the reliance of concert compositions and create unique experiences for familiar themes. This is why I decided to try tweaking my favorite theme and highlight the strongest sections of the piece.

 

We musically enter the classic trilogy gradually, if not cautiously, with an extended opening of "Princess Leia's Theme. The subtle strings and peaceful flute should communicate the beauty of Princess Leia. But more than beautiful, the Princess is a complex character, and filled with strength, as shown when her theme swells to crescendo.

 

The majority of this theme captured the first single for the suite in "A New Hope," where it was blended at the apex of her theme with Luke Skywalker's triumphant "Main Title" theme.

 

“Luke on the Homestead”                                  (04:03 - 05:35)

 

Similar to the concept of the single for this suite, we move from musically introducing Leia to her brother, Luke. "Luke on the Homestead" should evoke images of the Lars homestead.

 

Luke is innocent and naive, and the music embodies this perfectly--turning the triumphant "Main Title" into a peaceful, calming theme. "The Force" theme enters with the classic "Binary Sunset" cue from the film, perfectly promoting the longing in Luke's heart for a more fulfilled life.

 

Luke seems to let this calling from the Force pass through him, as he returns to his life, hopeful that one day, he will join his friends off planet. For now, there is work to be done on the homestead.

 

"Rebellion (The Rebel Alliance March)"        (05:35 - 09:08)

 

Rebellion is calling, and not just to our hero, Luke. Growing up, the "Rebel Fanfare" always seemed to be the Empire's theme in the original STAR WARS. It took reading the liner notes from the "Special Edition" soundtrack to realize how this fanfare captures fighting against the Galaxy's oppression.

 

"Rebellion (The Rebel Alliance March)” is mined almost exclusively from the cues of the Imperial attack on the Tantive IV, as it seems to capture the most desperate manifestation of the brief theme.

 

Here we are clearly surrounded by images of Stormtroopers hunting the Rebellion, and blocking progress at every turn. The launch of the escape pod toward Tatooine signifies the Rebellion reaching out toward what seems like the last thread of hope for their cause: "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

 

Of special note, the "Rebel Fanfare" was chosen to be the title cue for the recent animated TV show, STAR WARS: Rebels.

 

"Tatooine, the Desert Planet"                           (09:08 - 14:27)

 

The fading brass from "Rebellion" captures the reality of being marooned on a desert wasteland. We are introduced to the quirky and bizarre life on "Tatooine, the Desert Planet," not only with the faceless Jawas and Tusken Raiders, but with oddities like moisture farming and landspeeders.

 

These unpredictable traits are at the heart of what made STAR WARS so captivating to audiences and young minds in 1977. The concept of a used future filled with bizarre details such as a cantina filled with alien creatures envelopes the audience in the universe.

 

But Tatooine is a dangerous planet, after all. With the meeting of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the desert, knowledge of who he is, and the Empire's hunt for the droids--a warning in Luke's heart awakens as he flees home, too late to ensure the safety of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru.

 

"Rendezvous with the Death Star"                  (14:27 - 16:56)

 

Running from the tragedy of the homestead toward the Rebellion leads our heroes to a "Rendezvous with the Death Star," the Empire's greatest weapon.

 

Williams chose to model his score after Holst's "The Planets" with the approach to the Death Star cue. The space station's fanfare is a magnificent and overpowering theme, seeming to communicate the hopelessness of the Rebellion.

 

Within the station, our heroes face great peril beyond overwhelming odds as the walls of the trash compactor begin to converge.

 

"Escaping the Battle Station"                           (16:56 - 19:00)

 

A triumphant and memorable moment with STAR WARS is the famed swing across the chasm with Luke holding on to Leia as they fly toward freedom. There is no better way to symbolize our heroes "Escaping the Battle Station." It is the moment we begin to believe luck is in their favor.

 

But quickly enough, the conclusion of Obi-Wan Kenobi's fateful duel with Darth Vader destroys that hope for Luke. We can almost hear his disembodied voice plead, "Run, Luke. Run!" just before the Millennium Falcon departs the Death Star. We only have a moment to mourn the loss of the Rebellion's 'only hope' before battle draws near again.

 

“The Battle of Yavin”                                          (19:00 - 23:12)

 

While the gun turret sequence is not explicitly part of "The Battle of Yavin," it does resonate with preparing for confrontation, as time quickly collapses into the need for action.

 

The battle on the Death Star has glorious, desperate and ultimately triumphant music. In this battle Luke will say goodbye to his closest friend, before feverishly speeding toward the exhaust port in the trench. We can feel Darth Vader on his tail as the music builds to a fever concluding with the successful destruction of the super weapon.

 

As the xylophone strikes mirror the shimmering exploding remains of the space station, Luke is reminded that "the Force will be with you. Always."

 

"The Force (Victory March)"                              (23:12 - 25:06)

 

"The Force (Victory March)" is the most triumphant composition in the saga, when good conquers evil and all is right in the galaxy. Some of the concert version of this theme made its way into the finale of the "Revenge of the Sith Suite."

 

Here we celebrate our heroes' victory with ceremony and awards. We have shared in Luke's coming of age and moving from an innocent farm boy to a rebel hero, surrounded by friends and the hope of following in his father's footsteps to become a Jedi Knight.