The Six Star Wars Films: New Recordings of the Classic Scores

Music by John Williams

Performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra

1. A New Hope
2. Princess Leia
3. The Imperial March
4. Yoda's Theme
5. The Asteroid Field
6. Han Solo and the Princess
7. Forest Battle
8. The Flag Parade
9. Anakin's Theme
10. The Adventures of Jar Jar
11. Duel of the Fates
12. Across the Stars
13. Battle of the Heroes
14. The Throne Room / Finale

Total Time: 61:05

All Tracks @ MP3 VBR -V 0 (Extreme)
Sendspace (http://www.sendspace.com/file/gdv902)


Well this one is odd. There has been numerous Star Wars re-recordings over the time, but none of them had included before at least one piece of music for each episode, in this case the new piece is the concert version of 'Battle of the Heroes' from Episode 3.
But despite having this new recorded track included, it is odd that the two most important concert pieces of Episode 6 (Luke and Leia & Parade of the Ewoks) were set aside of this set, leaving only one track 'Forest Battle'.
Still, apart of the OST recording CD's, you can find them in the spectacular re-recording edition of Retun of the Jedi conducted by Gerdhart with the always great National Philharmonic Orchestra.

Enjoy :)

Thank you! This orchestra has been improving over time and I'm eager to see how this one turned out :D

Thanks !

Does anyone else feel like the Star Wars scores have been beaten to a bloody pulp? Release after release after release...

It's exactly like the films....just keep releasing newer editions

I'm not trying to be negative towards Sanico or anything (and thanks for sharing, Sanico - I'm gonna check this one out ;)), I just think I'v seen so many Star Wars releases over the years

Thanks for posting this!
I love the efforts of the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.

Wow! Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks for this new City of Prague recording ! Any chance to have the lossless version ?

Thanks.

Thanks!

Thanks Sanico. I�ll try it too ;)

Thanks, Sanico!

I will admit, I'm morbidly curious to see how horrific this is. Silva Screen never disappoint with their penny-pinching, under-rehearsed, poorly recorded re-recordings...

Would any kind soul be willing to mirror it at a slightly less abusive host, please? Depositfiles is... ahem... somewhat problematic in the United Kingdom.

Title:The Six Star Wars Films: New Recordings of the Classic Scores
Artist:John Williams
Year:2008
Format:MP3
Bit Rate:VBR-0
Size:104MB
Tracks:14


1 Star Wars: A New Hope The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Bateman 5:26
2 Star Wars: A New Hope - Princess Leia The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Bateman 4:46
3 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - The Imperial March The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Nic Raine 3:02
4 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - Yoda's Theme The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Bateman 3:52
5 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - The Asteroid Field The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Bateman 4:25
6 Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - Han Solo And The Princess The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Nic Raine 4:10
7 Star Wars: Return Of The Jedi - Forest Battle The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Bateman 3:54
8 Star Wars: The Phantom Menace - The Flag Parade The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Bateman 3:19
9 Star Wars: The Phantom Menace - Anakin's Theme The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Bateman 2:52
10 Star Wars: The Phantom Menace - The Adventures Of Jar Jar The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Bateman 3:27
11 Star Wars: The Phantom Menace - Duel Of The Fates The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Bateman, Crouch End Festival Chorus 4:09
12 Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones - Across The Stars The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Nic Raine 5:43
13 Star Wars: Revenge Of The Sith - Battle Of The Heroes The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, James Fitzpatrick, Prague Philharmonic Choir 4:25
14 Star Wars: A New Hope - The Throne Room / Finale The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Bateman 7:35


http://www.gamefront.com/files/22098723/TSSWJW08.rar

Does anyone else feel like the Star Wars scores have been beaten to a bloody pulp? Release after release after release...

It's exactly like the films....just keep releasing newer editions

I'm not trying to be negative towards Sanico or anything (and thanks for sharing, Sanico - I'm gonna check this one out ;)), I just think I'v seen so many Star Wars releases over the years

I tend to agree. The newer releases seemed so . . . refined! I love the original LP's ~> Digital with the LSO (London Symphony Orchestra). Overdriven with the brass I concede but it was that rawness that made the "original" series great. If you listen to the 1977 release (WOW that long ago?!) compared to the recent releases, the newer ones sound. . ."sissy" for lack of a better description. Just my 2�.

Not taking anything away from the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. They have done some masterful recordings as of late (Dvoř�k in a live setting). I just like the originals better. ^^
~Cheers!

Thank you!

As for the album, what can I say...

Ouch.

Most of these recordings are from the CoPP's less-than-stellar era - not that they're particularly good now but they are at least today a competent ensemble. I've never heard such raggedy playing in all my life and that includes my experiences at the local amateur symphony orchestra of my home town. Right from the very first bar of the very first track, we know we're in trouble - the brass manage to hang together for all of three seconds. As the theme progresses, it begins to sound like the musical equivalent of a hall of mirrors; occasionally a player bursts through, by luck, the sludgy molasses of noise with a familiar phrase... but for the most part it's a hideously distorted, nightmarish, Star Wars-esque experience. Williams' precise, note perfect compositions are reduced to twisted, barely recognisable impressions filled with wrong notes, uneven and wildly fluctuating tempi, and appalling intonation. Urgent, piercing brass statements become stodgy, laboured screams of distress. Complex, rhythmic interplay is reduced to a humiliating jumble of noises that only rarely coalesce into a tune.

Music like this requires a well rehearsed orchestra of crack players. Rather like the London Symphony Orchestra. What a pity there aren't any recordings of Star Wars scores performed by the LSO.

...Oh, wait.

Does anyone else feel like the Star Wars scores have been beaten to a bloody pulp? Release after release after release...

It's exactly like the films....just keep releasing newer editions

I'm not trying to be negative towards Sanico or anything (and thanks for sharing, Sanico - I'm gonna check this one out ;)), I just think I'v seen so many Star Wars releases over the years

And none bar maybe one or two of them are complete.

Nope, we'll get reissues of OSTs and concert recordings, and that'll be our lot.

Somebody has to be working on a proper, and definitive release of the Star Wars series. Those master tapes aren't going to live forever...

tangotreats, you made me feel guilty for giving this record a chance in my collection :(. What is your opinion on "John Williams conducts music from the Star Wars Saga" with the Boston Pops Orchestra?

the new piece is the concert version of 'Battle of the Heroes' from Episode 3

Fascinating!

Thanks for this :)

tangotreats, you made me feel guilty for giving this record a chance in my collection :(. What is your opinion on "John Williams conducts music from the Star Wars Saga" with the Boston Pops Orchestra?

Don't get Tango started he may just give you the basis of a term paper on the subject.

I tend to agree. The newer releases seemed so . . . refined! I love the original LP's ~> Digital with the LSO (London Symphony Orchestra). Overdriven with the brass I concede but it was that rawness that made the "original" series great. If you listen to the 1977 release (WOW that long ago?!) compared to the recent releases, the newer ones sound. . ."sissy" for lack of a better description. Just my 2�.

I haven't heard the LPs, but for my money the best CD release of the original three Star Wars scores is the Anthology box set. There are a couple of weird snafus (stereo channels reversed in part of the Carbon Freeze suite?) and it doesn't match up with the best of today's mastering (LLL's ST:TMP!!!) but, for Empire and Jedi, it's vastly superior to any version released after 1997. Well worth tracking down until Lucasfilm gets off their ass and lets someone do it absolutely right.


tangotreats, you made me feel guilty for giving this record a chance in my collection . What is your opinion on "John Williams conducts music from the Star Wars Saga" with the Boston Pops Orchestra?

I'm not Tango and I don't believe I've heard much of that particular album, but I find that Williams's re-recordings often lack the verve of the originals. I can recommend Zubin Mehta and the LA Philharmonic's rendering of the Star Wars suite (although the track selection is a little wonky; throwing "Cantina Band" in there and hearing the "End Titles" twice in such a short period is a little jarring) which is a first rate performance and is usually coupled with some other niceties. The Gerhardt recordings of the trilogy scores are worthwhile; pretty much any album of Gerhardt's is gold as long as you care for the music.

Judging from Tango's response, it sounds like many of the tracks on THIS album are the same recordings featured on Silva's John Williams: 40 Years of Film Music set. A nice selection but the playing was so sloppy that I just can't stand to listen to it.

In terms of presentation the RCA albums are the best made for the original recording, but in audio quality alone the Anthology set is superior by a great margin, and remains to today the most satisfactory way to hear the original recording. Really the sound dynamics of the Jedi album in the RCA editon are so distant, that it's like listening through a can underwater, especially the second CD :whatever:

As for the re-recordings, the Gerhardt are all of them nothing short of spectacular. His version of 'The Asteroid Field' is amazing, so that i even like to hear it more than the original version!
The Williams re-recording version lacks something. It's Williams doing his homework basically. It's not bad by any means, but it doesn't have the same level of enthusiasm that you feel when you listen the Gerhardt recordings.

There's also the trilogy recording conducted by Kojian. I've never heard that one, but i wouldn't mind to hear this version someday if anyone have ;)

Found all three of the Gerhardt recordings. Gonna take a good listening to them. I concur than the Trilogy recording, with all it's technical flaws, is the best around. Have any of you checked the audiophile edit some people have done?

Indeed... if I had to chose a re-recording I'd go with Gerhardt's. Williams in Boston is, as Sanico says, a little lifeless... The trilogy recording (with the Skywalker Symphony) is nice enough but a little sterile for my taste.

But I really can't fault the original recordings. Sound quality on the most recent release is somewhat variable but even at its worse, the atmosphere is just incredible (but Tomlinson is just my favourite engineer of all time - and Tomlinson, LSO, Williams, in the late seventies/early eighties... miracles happened in them there studios, folks, miracles) and the performance is DEAD ON PERFECT. With the exception of a handful of cues which were recorded in a different studio - Olympic in Barnes (now closed, but there's a GREAT curry restaurant opposite on Church Road!) which was a fine studio but wasn't at all suited to symphonic recording. It was booked in a rush due to a scheduling conflict and Williams remarked that the acoustic was so terrible that he essentially conducted the whole session deaf to over half the orchestra. The cues recorded there are easily identified as they sound like they were recorded in a huge tin box and have more wrong notes than right ones!

On the whole, though... the original recordings all the way. Not because I'm opposed to re-recordings or because I slavishly demand that nothing but the exact performance as heard in the film will do... but because they're just superior. Even considering their issues, they still rank as some of the finest film music recordings ever made. :)

I really love the "Pop in Space" album!
(my very first CD in the 80's)

Does ANYONE have the trilogy CD by Kojian and the Utah Symphony? I can't find it anywhere, and I'm not having any luck with torrents.

Any chance this can be re-uploaded? Both links are gone now.

please re-up!

I would also like this. Re-up anyone?

I guess nobody has this now to re-up?

Yes, please, a re-up would be appreciated!

thanks. Anyone got Prague's Harry Potter one?

please re-up!

Hoping for a re-up. Also looking for Kojian and the Utah Symphony if anybody has it.

Tangotreats is right! I'm always listening to the concert versions and can always with ease tell the slight offset of the players. During the sessions, Williams had many takes to get particularly the brass parts just right, or exactly as he envisioned it. Often during these philharmonic performances, you have the sort of haphazard brass blaring milliseconds after they should have as they are quite frankly, very demanding notes, where here, they record it once or twice and give it the thumbs up.

The same goes for the horrid recordings of Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings scores in concert versions and every time the brass is offset or the percussion hasn't had the proper studio mixing so it's all over the place. So I always treat these recordings as a test to see if they could match up to the original recordings.

---------- Post added at 07:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:05 PM ----------

(Note: the recordings for the LotR Symphony are exempt from my verdict on concert versions probably because Shore rehearsed with them and conducted it)

Thanks!

Please ReUP

This, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings is what I am looking for

Added new link, enjoy :)

Thanks.

Thanks much Sanico!

thanks Sanico

Thanks for this recording!!

Sanico,

First,I also want to thank you a whole bunch for this short and sweet compilation of these films.

Second,I only have seen Star Wars and the Empire Strikes Back,so I had nothing to reference how this orchestra measured up compared to listening to the other OST's. My opinion is this is a most of this compilation is impressive,and this one is a keeper for me. I'm not ashamed to say I like it a lot.

GRACIAS���

Thank You very much for the Music. C: <3