Customer Reviews

John Williams Conducts John Williams: The Star Wars Trilogy

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This recording provides the best orchestral arrangements prepared by John Williams for his three original Star Wars motion pictures. It is a sort of suite of the best of his three suites. And the recording quality is excellent. Then, if you want in a single CD the best of the first trilogy, I recommend this work. If you want longer suites of the three initial movies, you can acquire the beatiful concert suites played by Charles Gerhardt and the National Philharmonic Orchestra (two on RCA Victor and one on Varese). It seems that the initial releases of John Williams (with the original Soundtrack arrangements) are no longer available. Finally, if you like the complete scores, without concert arrangements, following the story development, you can aquire the De Luxe editions of RCA Victor.

All I can say about this score is that it truely is Star Wars. The music in the original Star Wars Trilogy I believe is by far John Williams's greatest masterpiece. The music in this CD was performed at Skywalker Ranch by some of the greatest musicians in California. I have all three of the Special Edition 2cd albums, which contain practically all the music in the movies, but this cd is so powerful and moving that I still enjoy playing it occasionally for the slight differences in playing style. I especially love the extra long finale at the end. Only on this cd have I heard an extended version of the Throne Room/Finale. Other great themes include Leia's theme, Luke&Leia's theme, Yoda's Theme, and my all time favorite--The Imperial March! The cd is digitally mastered for superior sound and doesn't have a single crackle on the whole thing. If you are a Star Wars fanatic like me, buy this cd. You won't be disappointed.

I love this album. This is the first CD I ever bought. I would have probably bought the original soundtrack album had I found that, but I know I wouldn't appreciate it as much as I would now. Therefore, I am glad I came upon this gem. This disc features excellent music, all tracks are great selections from the trilogy. Each piece has been arranged into a concert suite, thus preserving the tonal quality omipresent in the original soundtrack albums. The Skywalker Symphony Orchestra triumphs in the challenging task of matching the talent of the LSO. What's nice about this release is that Williams actually conducts the music himself, so rest assured that it will sound just like it did in the movie, only better. This album is flawless. Every track is memorable. Slight variations do occur. There is a slight interlude featuring the oboe performing the force theme during Throne Room Finale, a nice touch, but don't worry, things have only been added, not taken away. Subtle things, like extra symbol clashes or mallet percussion enhancement. One thing most notable about this album is the fact that it is nearly ten years old, and sounds better than most of the modern film scores recorded today. It was mastered in 20 bit digital sound, creating a High Definition recording, which was, and still is, far superior to any other type of recording method available today. The entire album is symphonic, preformed by a full symphony orchestra, so those of you who are worried the music will be diminished in the form of a rock or pop version needn't worry. It's just how it was before, but even better. And this time, you don't have to go out and buy all the original soundtracks, (even though I already did) the best of the score can be found directly on this disc. Its sounds better too, but don't get me wrong, I love the other discs. This music is what inspired me to collect film scores, well, good ones, anyway. John Williams, I'm proud of you buddy, for releasing such an outstanding compilation. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The Star Wars Trilogy: John Williams Conducts John Williams is a 13-track "sampler" of selected orchestral arrangements from the 1977-83 "Classic" Episodes of George Lucas' space opera set "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away." Not to be confused with either the Varese Sarabande 1983 recording with a similar title, this 1990 Sony Classical offering showcases the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra under the direction of the composer.

While none of the material here is surprising - we HAVE heard all these themes before in the London Symphony Orchestra-performed original soundtracks in their various incarnations - the Skywalker Symphony (a group of talented musicians assembled especially for this performance) performs Williams' concert hall arrangements with clarity and love for the material. There was also an attempt to add more variety to the 13 tracks to further avoid confusion with the other "Star Wars Trilogy" single CD collection. The Cantina Band (that jazzy Benny Goodman style bauble from Star Wars) and the bouncy The Little People are here, as well as the more "traditional" Main Title, Princess Leia's Theme, Yoda's Theme, and the famous Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme). Particularly impressive is the concert hall arrangement of The Throne Room/Finale, which is very different from the film version.

While I prefer the individual film scores from either the Soundtrack Anthology or the Special Edition collections, for listeners on the go, younger music lovers, or newcomers to John Williams' music, The Star Wars Trilogy: John Williams Conducts John Williams is still worth a listen.

I don't usually write music reviews. I am a pastor, and most of my reviews are on theological and historical literature. But (a weakness shows), I have always been a Star Wars fan (despite some of the cultic overtones), and not least of all because of the absolutely breathtaking music. John Williams almost out-does himself (and definitely out-does virtually every other composer of the 20th Century) in the Star Wars score. These pieces are beautifully done and provide background music for me often. I'm especially fond of Leia's Theme (#2) and Yoda's Theme (#5)- you can tell I like strings! But The Imperial March is here, too, along with a lot of other familiar music from the original trilogy. If you like Star Wars, you'll like this CD. If you just like good music, you'll like at least parts of this CD. It's a winner!

I was never a fan of rerecordings. They're usually too slow or exaggerrated as if the composer never even heard the real piece before. Fortunately, with John Williams conducting, these problems can be set aside mostly and the suprise is refreshing. The new recording technologies used in the rerecording give the orchestra a more vibrant and vivid sound, though at times it sounds distant or muffled on quiter tracks. The "Main Title" (which includes some of the credits from New Hope) is grander than before as well as "Throne and Finale". Trust me, you're hardly notice the difference between the London Symphony Orchestra and Lightwalker Symphony Orchestra on these two tracks. "Imperial March" sounds better than the LSO's version on The Empire Strikes Back. The brass, and especially the lower brass, have more edge and aggressiveness on the track and this score. "The Parade Of The Ewoks", "The Forest Battle", and "The Little People" are more delightful than ever and the small distinct details stand out better due to the mastering technology. For some reason, however, Yoda, Luke And Leia, and Leia's themes don't sound any better than the original. I have a gripe though about the rest of the tracks. "Asteroid Field", and "Here They Come" is played at a slower, less exciting tempo. They don't have the same momentum as the originals. It must have been so long ago for John Williams that he forgot how it sounded. Forget about "Cantina Band" it sounds more like synthesized music and the clarinets and saxophones don't stand out as well. "Jabba The Hut" should have stayed off the release. It is not exactly the most beautiful piece I've ever heard or settling either. I highly recommend this rerecording to anyone that doesn't have the Star Wars albums or wants a sampler of it, but for people that have the complete editions already, this rerecording has nothing new or desirable.

Anyone who has listened to the 3 special edition rendition CDs of the Star Wars trilogy (with John Williams conducting the London Symphony Orchestra) knows that many tracks sound similar. That is because Williams composed the soundtracks using the "Organic" technique, where many pieces are developed "organically" from a single motif. This is why the Vader theme (aka Imperial March) can be heard on half of the tracks in the Empire Strikes Back Special Edition CD. However, "The Star Wars Trilogy" is composed of only the most memorable pieces in all of the SW trilogy. Distinct differences between SW classics like "Yoda's Theme" and "The Cantina Band" help keep this CD fresh for many hours of enjoyment.

If you don't want to fork out for each separate film of the original trilogy, then this CD is the best. It contains a mixture of the original score and re-recorded suites. One advantage of having this CD over the soundtracks is the inclusion of two suites not found on the film scores.

Track 1, the Main Title is the only track from the original soundtrack. All other tracks are re-recordings of the suites that appear on the original soundtracks. They are not exactly the same, but this is not noticable unless you're a massively dedicated fan.

The great thing about this CD is there are three suites not found on the soundtracks:
3) The Little People. This is the theme that accompanies the Jawas heard predominantly on "The Moisture Farm" from the Star Wars soundtrack.
10) Here They Come. This is taken from the space battle at the end of Star Wars and features the rebel theme.
11) Jabba the Hutt. This is a suite based on Jabba's theme which echoes through a number of tracks alongside other themes on the Return of the Jedi soundtrack.

As far as the sound quality goes, this CD is great. It is conducted by John Williams himself with the orchestra that is familiar with Star Wars. 20-bit technology was used for 'high definition sound'.

The only drawback is that it is missing some of the themes from the trilogy:
1) "Han Solo and the Princess": the amazing love theme from the Empire Strikes Back. This is the theme that was used when they first kissed on board the Falcon and also right at the end when Luke and Leia stare out the window of the medical ship just prior to the end credits. This picture is ironically on the cover of the CD. This suite can be found on "John Williams - 40 Years of Film". However, it is not conducted by John. If this suite was included, the CD would receive 5 stars. This is a glaring omission.
2) "The Emperor's Theme": written for the appearance of the Emperor in Return of the Jedi. I haven't come across a suite for this piece, but "The Emperor's Throne Room" is probably the best rendition in the film. This theme, which employs a men's choir, is used again in the prequel trilogy; making it much more of an important feature.
3) "Lando's/Bespin Theme": first heard when the Falcon lands at Cloud City and Lando appears. "Lando's Palace" is the track on the original Empire Strikes Back soundtrack.

Despite these disappointments, this CD is still worthwhile as it contains extra suites from the soundtracks which should please the Star Wars fans and just about all the great themes from the movies which sould please the casual listener or a John Williams fan.

We used the CD for a "Star Wars" birthday party. As guests walked up to the door we had it playing to set the mood. Then when we went to the "Cantina" we had the music from the bar scene playing. The musical light saber game we played was done to the triumpant end song. The music played a great part in making the party fun!

I picked this up for $20AUS and was totally blown away. The quality of the tracks are excellent, and it is just the thing to flick on while you are reading a good star wars book. Its good music at a great price. If i could i would give it 6/5 stars