Search - John Williams, The Skywalker Symphony Orchestra :: John Williams Conducts John Williams: The Star Wars Trilogy

The best compilation of the original Trilogy

Juan Alberto Diaz Wiechers | Santiago Chile | 05/30/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

Star Wars -- 'Nuff Said

sithlordvader | North Carolina, USA | 02/15/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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."

THE SCORE NEVER SOUNDED BETTER!!

Dick Luzenski | Troy, Michigan United States | 09/08/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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!"