The Philharmonic wound up this season’s ‘The Art of the Score’ series performing alongside an HD presentation of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, the second installment in the original Star Wars trilogy. Set three years after the events in Star Wars(1977), it depicts the battle between the Rebel Alliance led by Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, and the Galactic Empire ruled by the Emperor. Following the destruction of the Death Star, the Empire’s moon-sized space station and superweapon, Skywalker begins training in the ways of the Force with Jedi Master Yoda so he can confront the evil Darth Vader, a disciple of the dark side.
The score plays almost continuously over the 2-hour span, from Alfred Newman’s ‘20th Century Fox Fanfare’ through to the final blast of the Star Wars main title during the end credits. The greatest demands are placed on the brass, most noticeably in the numerous battle sequences.
The most recognizable piece is the ominous ‘Imperial March’, a menacing marcia del terrore with all the instruments in their lowest register delivering dark harmonics and dissonances. Heard throughout the film, it was most-threatening in ‘The Duel’, when Skywalker and Vader face off with lightsabers. The excitement reached its high point when the villain summons the Force to hurl objects at his opponent.
Some of the more touching musical moments included the serene strains of ‘Yoda’s Theme’, heard whenever the legendary Jedi Master appeared. One of Williams’s most sublime motifs – heroic, mystical, and melancholic – it perfectly conveys the little green alien’s reserved nobility and wisdom. It was most dramatically rendered by the swelling French horns where he summons the mysterious Force to lift Skywalker’s massive X-Wing fighter out of the Dagobah swamp. Another poignant melody is that associated with the Han/Leia love story, heard not only in romantic moments between them, but in some action sequences, such as the escape from Cloud City, the NYP building a roaring crescendo, part of a thrilling performance, vigorously conducted,, thrillingly conveying all the power and emotion in Williams’s music and reminding how much it contributed to the success of the movie.
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