Star Wars Orchestral Medley (Eps I, II, III, VII) - DPops

Tour de Force (A Star Wars Medley)
Original Score by John Williams
Arranged by Kevin Nguyen, ES '16
Conducted by Michael Wang, JE '17
Performed at 'DPops Gets Wired' at Battell Chapel on February 19th

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Program Notes:

Tour de Force arose from the visions and ideas of a lifelong Star Wars fanboy, one who spent most of his youth devouring spinoff novels, repeatedly watching the movies (yes, even the prequels), and daydreaming of becoming a Jedi. This arrangement highlights memorable selections from John Williams’ legendary soundtrack for Episodes I, II, III, and VII while taking the listener through the narrative arc of these movies.

After the main theme concludes, “Duel of the Fates” instantly recalls the fateful battle between Jedi and Sith at the end of The Phantom Menace. “Anakin’s Theme” then introduces the innocent, yet conflicted, young protagonist of the trilogy, subtly foreshadowing his eventual turn to the dark side through hints of the melody from the “Imperial March.”

The arrangement moves into Attack of the Clones, in which the forbidden romance between Anakin and Padme Amidala develops. The love theme melody presents itself boldly at first in “The Meadow Picnic,” then more emotionally in ”Across the Stars.”

The heavy, percussive “Arena” cue concludes Episode II, and Revenge of the Sith opens with “Anakin’s Betrayal.” The subsequent sequence depicts the final duel between Obi-Wan and Anakin, resulting in Anakin’s fiery defeat and near death.

The arrangement concludes with the introduction of Rey’s and Kylo Ren’s themes from The Force Awakens, as well as two very special motifs from the original trilogy.