The score for, composed by, was recorded in 18 sessions at the and the over three days in December 1979 and a further six days in January 1980 by the. Between and The Empire Strikes Back, Williams had also used the London Symphony Orchestra for the film's score of,. The score won another nomination for Williams.The soundtrack was first released as a 75-minute double LP five days before the premiere of the film but the first compact disc release ran only half the length of the 2 LP set. Re-recordings of the score even included music that was not on the original CD soundtrack. Contents OverviewIn 1980, the disco label RSO Records released the film's original soundtrack in a double-album, with two long-playing (LP) records. Combined, the two records featured 75 minutes of film music. This double LP package also included a booklet presentation with pictures of the main characters and action sequences from the film.
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Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) John Williams 1997 N°12: The Rebel Fleet / End Title. Star Wars-Empire Strikes Back. Music By Jonh Williams. BMG/RCA VICTOR 0068773.
Featured at the end of the booklet was an interview with John Williams about the music and the new themes, such as the iconic 'Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)' and 'Yoda's Theme'. It also included a brief explanation of each track. The front cover artwork featured the mask of Darth Vader against the backdrop of outer space; and the back cover featured the famous 'Gone with the Wind' version of the poster art. As a side note, this package marked the final time a double LP soundtrack set was ever issued (Episode VI, the final movie to have an LP soundtrack released, had only a single disc, also released by RSO Records). A double-cassette edition was also released.In 1985, the first Compact Disc (CD) release of the soundtrack was issued by Polydor Records, which had absorbed RSO Records and its entire music catalog. This CD release, however, reduced the music content from the 75 minutes featured in the 1980 double-album down to 42 minutes.
The tracks were also re-arranged differently. For instance, the first track on the CD is the 'Imperial March' instead of the 'Star Wars/Main Theme'.In 1993, 20th Century Fox Film Scores released a special four-Compact Disc box set: Star Wars Trilogy: The Original Soundtrack Anthology. This anthology included the soundtracks to all three of the original Star Wars films in separate discs.
The disc dedicated to The Empire Strikes Back restored the original 75 minutes from the 1980 LP version and included new music cues never released before for a total of nineteen tracks. On the fourth bonus disc, five additional tracks from Empire were included in a compilation of additional cues from the other two films. This CD release also marked the first time that the famous '20th Century Fox Fanfare' composed by Alfred Newman in 1954 was added to the track listing, preceding the Star Wars Main Theme.In 1997, RCA Victor released a definitive two-disc set coinciding with the Special Edition releases of the three movies of the original trilogy. This original limited-edition set featured a 32-page black booklet that was encased inside a protective outer slipcase. The covers of the booklet and the slipcase had the Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition poster art. This booklet was very detailed, providing extensive notes on each music cue and pictures of the main characters and action sequences from the movie. The two discs were placed in sleeves that were on the inside front and inside back covers of the booklet.
Each disc had a glittery laser-etched holographic logo of the Empire. The musical content featured the complete film score for the first time. It had all of the previously released tracks, including extended versions of five of those tracks with previously unreleased material, and six brand new tracks of never before released music for a total of 124 minutes.
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All the tracks were digitially remastered for superior clarity of sound. They were also re-arranged and re-titled from the previous releases to follow the story of the film in chronological order. RCA Victor re-packaged the Special Edition set later in 1997, offering it in slimline jewel case packaging as an unlimited edition, but without the stunning presentation and packaging that the original 'black booklet' version offered.In 2004, Sony Classical acquired the rights to the classic trilogy scores since it already had the rights to release the second trilogy soundtracks ( The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones). And so, in 2004, Sony Classical re-pressed the 1997 RCA Victor release of the Special Edition Star Wars trilogy, inlcuding The Empire Strikes Back. The set was released in a less-than-spectacular package with the new art work mirroring the first DVD release of the film.
Main article:In 1993, Twentieth Century Fox Film Scores released a four CD box set containing music from the original Star Wars Trilogy. This release marked the first time that the complete contents of the original double-LP releases of the scores from the first two movies became available on CD.
Disc two in the set was devoted to The Empire Strikes Back, with further tracks on disc four.Track listing for the complete scoreIn preparation for the 20th anniversary releases of the Special Editions of the original trilogy of films, Twentieth Century Fox spent four months, from April to July 1996, transferring, cleaning and preparing the original soundtracks for special two disc releases. The original release, by RCA Victor in 1997, consisted of limited edition books with laser etched CDs inside the front and back covers with each book. In the case of The Empire Strikes Back, the discs are etched with the logo for the Empire.
The discs were given an unlimited release in a two disc jewel case, also by RCA Victor later that year.
This may be my favorite film score of all time. Not because the movie is the best I've ever seen, but that its musical elements add up as one of the most emotionally well-rounded and satisfying. In the John Williams library. Is more heartwarming and Superman may be more boldly heroic, but the score to The Empire Strikes Back has the widest emotional range of my favorites. It has one of the greatest love themes ever written ('Han Solo and the Princess'), one of the greatest villain marches ('The Imperial March') and a series of the greatest action cues even written ('Asteroid Field', 'The Battle of Hoth', the last four tracks of Disc 2). All in the same score.Like the movie, the score is darker and richer than its predecessor's. The youthful innocence of Leia's theme has been replaced by the more passionate and mature 'Han Solo And The Princess', which reaches Aram Khachaturian levels of opera in ' The Clash of Lightsabers'.
The darkness of Vader's theme is much more foreboding and merciless than the simple four note Imperial motif from Star Wars (others can call it A New Hope, I'll call it Star Wars). And rounding it out is the whimsical yet melancholy Yoda theme, which anticipates Williams' work on E.T. Two years later. In the 'End Credits', the heroic, romantic, magical and tragic elements all play out in the proper proportions and the finale's closing statements complete the score with appropriately full-bodied maturity. It's the best that Star Wars ever got, which is why it is this version that one hears most in Star Wars trailers.The little details of musical subtext are what add up.
Han Solo's daring flying exploits ('Asteroid Field', 'Mynock Cave', 'Attacking A Star Destroyer') have a wild uncontrollable romanticism to them, emphasizing both the desperate nature of the Millennium Falcon's escapes but also connect Han slowly winning the Princess' heart (as revealed in 'Imperial Fleet Deployed'). Boba Fett's two-note bassoon motif suggests his nefarious nature with incredible simplicity. Lando's Bespin theme reveals an idealism in his character ('Lando's Palace') that darkens through his dealing with the Empire ('Betrayal at Bespin') but is then rekindles when he rebels (briefly in the middle of 'Clash of the Lightsabers').If you go through the tracks, there's a large amount of music that was not used in the movie, primarily in the first act (tracks 2-4, and track 11 on disk one). The edits are often small pieces here and there.
The fact it was cut has nothing to do with the quality of the music rather I assume to allow the character and atmospheric moments to breathe early in the film. Williams' score takes over for the last 30 minutes of the movie with the exceptions of small suspenseful sections of silence.
This sequence (from Han's Carbonite scene through the credits) is one of the best composed two reels of music I have ever heard vacillating expertly between the doomed romance ('Carbon Freeze'), dark foreboding danger ('Darth Vader's Trap'), triumphant escape ('The Clash of Lightsabers'), Vader's shocking reveal ('Rescue from Cloud City') to a desperate last minute escape ('Hyperspace') and the final statement of hope ('The Rebel Fleet/End Title'). That is thirty minutes of perfect music.This edition is just a commercialized up version of the 1997 RCA/Victor versions only without the fantastic liner notes so I reserve recommending picking this new edition up, perfect as it is. Get the 1997 editions.
They are perfecter or more perfect.
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