Bring back The London Symphony Orchestra for John Williams' Star Wars Episode VIII Score
The Issue
Star Wars: The Force Awakens shattered box office records last year and is regarded by many to have reinvigorated a familiar spirit from the original trilogy alongside brand new characters. Likewise, audiences across the globe are eagerly expecting to follow Rey, Finn, Poe, and Luke Skywalker's further adventures in next year's Episode VIII, directed by Rian Johnson.
While The Force Awakens was undeniably a major success, many fans will agree that something was missing. The opening theme ('Main Title & Attack on the Jakku Village') lacked the BAM that Star Wars main titles usually set the scene with, the kind audiences first fell in love with in 1977 when the title blasted into space.
What distinguished The Force Awakens from the other Star Wars films was that it is the only Star Wars score not to be orchestrated by the London Symphony Orchestra. It was instead performed by a 90-piece freelance orchestra, with sessions continuing on and off over that five-month period.
The London Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1904, has been associated with film scores since the silent film era; besides the first six Star Wars films, it has also been involved in the orchestrations of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Harry Potter films, and last year's Cinderella. Named by the Gramophone as one of the top five orchestras in the world, the orchestra performs 120 concerts a year with a wide variety of strings, woodwind, bass, percussion, and harp players.
With the news yesterday that John Williams plans on returning as long as he can "write music for Daisy Ridley," how incredible it would be to hear the elegant "Rey's Theme" performed by such a grand orchestra? Or the drumming notes of Kylo Ren's, the soaring strings of "March of the Resistance", or even the classic themes we associate with the characters we know so well?
Returning The London Symphony Orchestra is Disney's last step in restoring the glory of the Star Wars franchise as it has set out to do since their deal with Lucasfilm in 2013. Let's make it happen: bring Star Wars back to Abbey Road.
The Issue
Star Wars: The Force Awakens shattered box office records last year and is regarded by many to have reinvigorated a familiar spirit from the original trilogy alongside brand new characters. Likewise, audiences across the globe are eagerly expecting to follow Rey, Finn, Poe, and Luke Skywalker's further adventures in next year's Episode VIII, directed by Rian Johnson.
While The Force Awakens was undeniably a major success, many fans will agree that something was missing. The opening theme ('Main Title & Attack on the Jakku Village') lacked the BAM that Star Wars main titles usually set the scene with, the kind audiences first fell in love with in 1977 when the title blasted into space.
What distinguished The Force Awakens from the other Star Wars films was that it is the only Star Wars score not to be orchestrated by the London Symphony Orchestra. It was instead performed by a 90-piece freelance orchestra, with sessions continuing on and off over that five-month period.
The London Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1904, has been associated with film scores since the silent film era; besides the first six Star Wars films, it has also been involved in the orchestrations of Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Harry Potter films, and last year's Cinderella. Named by the Gramophone as one of the top five orchestras in the world, the orchestra performs 120 concerts a year with a wide variety of strings, woodwind, bass, percussion, and harp players.
With the news yesterday that John Williams plans on returning as long as he can "write music for Daisy Ridley," how incredible it would be to hear the elegant "Rey's Theme" performed by such a grand orchestra? Or the drumming notes of Kylo Ren's, the soaring strings of "March of the Resistance", or even the classic themes we associate with the characters we know so well?
Returning The London Symphony Orchestra is Disney's last step in restoring the glory of the Star Wars franchise as it has set out to do since their deal with Lucasfilm in 2013. Let's make it happen: bring Star Wars back to Abbey Road.
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Petition created on June 10, 2016