Review: Yoda’s Theme (From ‘Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back’) – John Williams & Berliner Philharmoniker
- by Nicholas Gaudet
- in Reviews
Last year, in November, John Williams himself held a concert in Berlin, orchestrating the Berliner Philharmoniker, giving a new life to his greatest work. That concert was luckily recorded, giving new life to the songs that we all know and love, such as this newest release, ‘Yoda’s Theme’.
John Williams is a name that everyone either knows, or doesn’t know they know. The man has composed the soundtrack to our childhoods and adulthoods alike, and those of our parents and even some of our grandparents. Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Superman, Home Alone, and arguably most famously, Star Wars. He’s without a doubt one of the most important musicians of our lifetime, and so it always feels like such an honor seeing the man himself either write new music, or revitalize the ones we already know. ‘Yoda’s Theme’ is quite the theme, known across over three generations of people. The melodies are clung into our minds from the moment we meet the green little alien in ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, and so hearing it in a detached form, recorded anew, is truly breathtaking. The production is absolutely insane – the clarity of each instrument and the room in which they were recorded is as clear as being physically present in the auditorium. The new methods of production and recording almost make the song unrecognizable in some respects, as we’re all so used to the version recorded in the late 70s. Everything sounds so huge in this recording, yet it’s all the same from when we all first heard it. It’s truly tear-jerking hearing the passion and love for music and this franchise put into a song, conducted over forty years after it was first put out into the world.
Hearing ‘Yoda’s Theme’ played in such a modern setting reminds us of how valuable John William’s music is to all of us. It’s brought us together, gave us such vivid and bright memories, and will be loved and cherished for generations on. So put on some headphones, listen to the newly recorded version of ‘Yoda’s Theme’, and take a moment to appreciate all the man has given to us as fans of both his music and their respective franchises.
