Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

by John Williams
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

by John Williams

CD

$16.99 
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Overview

Widely regarded as the finest film in the series, The Empire Strikes Back found composer John Williams in complete control of the Star Wars universe. Having already established a wide berth of memorable character motifs and notable hero/villain cues, he fleshed out the old and brought in the new with special attention paid to the movie's darker themes, resulting in one of the most cohesive and fully realized scores of his career. Beginning with the unmistakable main titles, Williams launches into "The Ice Planet Hoth," a peerless battle theme that utilizes the composer's vast orchestral arsenal to great effect. Pounding percussion, brass, and the intricate weaving in and out of familiar themes from the previous installment engage the audience from the very first note. All of this cacophony is really just a setup for the introduction of the series' most coveted piece of music, "The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)." Williams had hinted at this Prokofiev-meets-Mars, the Bringer of War death march throughout portions of A New Hope, and to hear it in its completed form is exhilarating. Also notable are the romantic cues for Han Solo and Princess Leia ("Han & the Princess") and the expansion of the wistful "Jedi" melody, which is used to great effect on "Yoda's Theme" and "The Training of a Jedi Knight/Magic Tree." The Empire Strikes Back is epic, romantic, and powerful. It is George Lucas' world at its most uncompromising, and Williams' score treats its themes of heroism and betrayal like the Shakespearian tragedy that it is. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date: 05/04/2018
Label: Walt Disney
UPC: 0050087364267
Rank: 3978

Tracks

  1. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back~Star Wars (Main Theme)
  2. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back~Yoda's Theme
  3. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back~The Training of a Jedi Knight
  4. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back~The Heroics of Luke and Han
  5. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back~The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)
  6. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back~Departure of Boba Fett
  7. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back~Han Solo and the Princess
  8. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back~Hyperspace
  9. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back~The Battle in the Snow
  10. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back~The Asteroid Field
  11. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back~The City in the Clouds
  12. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back~Rebels at Bay
  13. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back~Yoda and the Force
  14. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back~The Duel
  15. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back~The Magic Tree
  16. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back~Lando's Palace
  17. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back~Finale

Album Credits

Performance Credits

John Williams   Primary Artist,Conductor
London Symphony Orchestra   Primary Artist,Orchestra

Technical Credits

John Williams   Composer,Producer
Alfred Newman   Composer
Ken Wannberg   Editing,Music Editor,Supervising Music Editor
Eric Tomlinson   Engineer
Lionel Newman   Supervisor,Recording Supervision
Nick Redman   Producer
London Symphony Orchestra   Performer
Tom Cavanaugh   Project Coordinator
Michael Matessino   Editing,Assembly,Supervisor,Liner Notes,Editorial Supervision
Brian Risner   Transfers
Michelle Errante   Product Manager
Richard Dombrowski   Art Direction
Daniel Hersch   Editing,Mastering,Digital Editing,Digital Mastering
Sean Evans   Design,Art Direction
Meghan Foley   Design
Laura Kszan   Editorial Production
Herbert W. Spencer   Orchestration
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