Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (Original Soundtrack)

Musically, Episode IX was a round up of SW music, and thus lots of emotional grounding and nostalgia needed. Thus lots of familiar cues thrown in. You will hear especially in the final 20 minutes JW weaving a tapestry of musical hits from the original trilogy as well as VII. Yoda's theme, Luke & Leia, Darth Vader's March, Emperor's theme, the Force theme, Luke's theme, Leia's theme are all there with Rey's theme, Poe's theme, March of the Resistance all weaved in to tug those memories.Apart from the main title, the musical grounding of the film is very much the Force theme. "Destiny of a Jedi" binds the characters in the Force theme and ends with a huge finale reprise of Yoda's theme last heard in the swamps of Dagobah in V. The Force theme is prevalent through out, and as this is the final segment of the saga, it is the Force that binds it all. It serves the film and completes the musical saga.Additionally, JW builds on the canon of SW themes. His creative genius continues to grow at 87 and beyond. As he described these are now more "grown up" tunes. Examples include track "Rise of Skywalker" which combines two main tunes. Warm and lyrical themes play on the side of the heroes throughout the film. There is also a Sith theme which sounds like a derivation of the Emperor's theme, with arrangements ranging from spooky choral to martial orchestral. Maturity in colour and orchestration. Action scoring is brisk and orchestration is lush and clear, as only JW knows how. He certainly understands every orchestral instrument well. Choral mix is largely lost on screen but is more appreciable on recording. No bright chorales but a sombre and mature undercurrent lending pathos to the score.For those wanting every single recorded note from IX, it won't be here. But remember that he wrote and rewrote well over 3 hours of music. Not even the whole film could contain all the music he wrote for IX, not to mention scenes already recorded and then cut out. No doubt they will eventually release the complete SW music by JW to cover all the 9 episodes, and hopefully themes from Solo and Galaxy's Edge, but for now, appreciate the album in its own right. JW has extracted and cut an album for our enjoyment away from the cinema screen, put into some musical sense away from the distractions of the screen which he also finds himself in when trying to tap into the musicality of the story. Recording is crisp and lush, so the details are never more apparent in a JW conducted SW score.It has taken over 40 years to complete the musical saga, at 87. True master at work. JW said of the closing scene he wrote for IX: "For me...a perfect finale" to the saga. A momentous conclusion to the saga and contribution to film music history. True dedication and creativity. Well done and thank you JW!

Arrived 27 December, as per target. Copyright dictates I cannot post any more stills from movie. Excellent condition and highly recommend buying this CD. 19 tracks, mixture of brooding, menacing scenes, and fast-paced full of action portions. Presume there are battle scenes in abundance. John Williams wrote music to fit the various scenes so, from the titles and orchestrations, I and we can imagine what the movie is doing. 2 conductors used on this CD, incl JW of course. JW weaves long established motifs into the new material. Listened to CD 3 times today. Superficially, the brash brass signifies 'baddies', the lush strings 'goodies'. There's also a piano (only on one track i think, somewhere about the middle). Enormous list of players, presume a studio orchestra. JW essentially uses brass for volume irrespective of side..... I assume 'baddies' don't reflect on anything although the menacing choir we associate with Palpatine occurs. Hope the movie is as strong as the music suggests.

J.J. and his team had a tough ask - how to wrap up a monumental saga (spanning 42 years) and, perhaps, right some wrongs - all in 142mins. Scoring this was going to be a challenge for anyone - as if anyone else would or could do the job. It was always going to include themes that we all know and love but Williams has managed to weave them beautifully throughout the soundtrack (the last track is an excellent example). For old fans like myself it represents a fitting time-capsule of memories. For those relatively new to Star Wars or Williams, it is a masterclass in film scoring you will not regret. Bravo Mr. Williams.

The ninth Star Wars soundtrack by John Williams and the last apparently. This man is solely responsible for sparking my interest in soundtracks and sound in general. The album is full of familiar musical cues that takes the listener back in time. I cannot say that the movie matched the grandeur of this album, as it is full of dysfunctional claptrap that steer away from what has been previously established in the first 6 movies. That said I am glad they made another Star Wars movie only for the privilege of hearing John Williams do what he knows best. Interesting titbit: Someone that looks suspiciously like John Williams appears in the movie as a bartender.

A good solid bookend to the soundtrack saga, John Williams has left his stamp on the series for evermore. Not the best score as it's treading old ground but competent. Not happy that the CD was not packaged like ep 7&8 in Digi PAC seems Disney put little effort into soundtrack release which is a shame, as Rise of Skywalker looks out of place in my collection. They do not seem to like physical releases, as I've seen with Antman 2 & captain marvel & now the mandalorion. Shame on you Disney.

Every one of the John Williams star wars soundtracks is a strong addition to the massive opus that is Star Wars score music. This score is deeply satisfying, hearkening back to many of the themes which have populated the last 8 films. But not only that, it adds to the huge collection of themes and motifs which make these scores so wonderful. The two main new themes for friendship and for victory are wonderful.

Great Music

What is there not to like: The rise of Skywalker theme is classic John Williams at his best. This musical master never turns out a dud score. He is a legend in the film score business and quite rightly so. His ideas and juxtaposition of old and new themes give this score a stamp of greatness. A beautiful and movingly dramatic symphonic opera from the one and only John Williams.