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The opening crawl of the Star Wars films has the same music for all eight Episodes. The iconic trumpet and brass fanfare ignites emotions and feelings amongst movie-goers like few other pieces ever have, and probably ever will. John Williams has had the privilege to write all eight scores over the last 40 years. He has already been commissioned to write the score for Episode IX, due in 2019. The Mississauga Symphony Orchestra (MSO) brings life to the galaxy we all love, full of X-Wing battles, evil Sith lords, and heroic Princesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are the original charts. Divided by episode for the concert,\u201d shares Denis Mastromonaco, Music Director of the MSO. He\u2019s joined me prior to their weekly rehearsal to talk Star Wars at the Living Arts Centre. The MSO returns to the Star Wars galaxy after a sold-out visit in 2016. Such an incredible demand two years ago has led to a repeat concert that now includes music from Episode VIII, The Last Jedi.<\/p>\n
Mastromonaco and I talk about the unique and masterful ability of Williams to create signature sonic experiences for the movie characters. \u201cThe great thing about these pieces is that they are descriptive,\u201d he shares \u201cThey are character themes. Not unlike Wagner. When you hear Leia\u2019s theme; you know it\u2019s hers.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe leitmotifs and character themes carry through to the movies if you listen very carefully. There are hints of these. Anakin for example in Episodes II and III, bits of Vader\u2019s theme are heard. You can really pinpoint \u201chere is Luke\u2019s theme or here\u2019s Leia\u2019s theme\u201d if you listen closely.\u201d If I were to sing Rey\u2019s theme to you, you\u2019d recognize the tune instantly, present throughout key scenes in Episodes VII and VIII. William\u2019s signature ability is to create these themes that are so ingrained on our movie experience, even if we aren\u2019t totally aware of the impact.<\/p>\n
There is so much interplay and listening required of the orchestra at any time. The thick orchestrations mean that even while so much is going on, the most important melodies must always be heard. \u201cWilliams uses strings to create this bed of sound,\u201d shares Mastromonaco, \u201ceither sitting softly beneath horn solos or other wind passages. At other places when the brass have the solos, the strings become percussive.\u201c Think about the famous \u201cDuel of the Fates,\u201d very much a song that features the brass with percussive strings. For most of the song, the strings are on a 5-note pattern that increases in dynamic range but the same percussive pattern throughout. Above this, grand articulations from the brass and other winds drive the action. Unfortunately, the MSO does not have a choir for these performances. The instrumentalists do make an effort though, bringing to life some of the voicings in the \u201cGreat Municipal Band\u201d sequence of Episode I.<\/p>\n
John Williams can create these difficult works because it is a film score, orchestras aren\u2019t expected to play through it all straight. \u201cIt\u2019s taxing on the players,\u201d says Mastromonaco, \u201cthe battle scenes in Star Wars are the most difficult. They look fairly straightforward on paper but putting them all together is challenging.\u201d \u201cHere they Come\u201d is one such piece that Mastromonaco highlights. It\u2019s when all the TIE fighters appear in the Death Star battle in Episode IV. And it isn\u2019t just the battle scenes, the \u201cParade of the Ewoks\u201d is a challenging piece to line up with all the percussion at play and even a toy piano.<\/p>\n
Star Wars music has it all: spine-tingling brass soaring over the \u201cMain Titles\u201d; jazzy fun in the \u201cCantina Band\u201d; hopeful love in \u201cAcross the Stars\u201d; the devastating \u201cBattle of Heroes\u201d; and the thrilling celebration of the \u201cThrone Room and End Titles\u201d of Episode 4. The MSO will bring all of this to life over its concert. This is an exhausting concert to play through. Fun and exciting, but a hard play.<\/p>\n
The Mississauga Symphony Orchestra is a community orchestra that rehearses and performs out of the Living Arts Centre. With so many high-calibre professional orchestras in the GTA, the MSO is not another TSO or COC Orchestra. It is as Mastromonaco describes, \u201can orchestra of humble roots. It\u2019s an orchestra that isn\u2019t based in Toronto. We\u2019re not a professional orchestra. The point is to bring music to the masses in Mississauga. That\u2019s an important part of our mandate, to bring high-quality music to our community. We have people from Hamilton, Oakville, Burlington, York Region, and Toronto.\u201d For trips to classical Europe or Yavin 4, the MSO means people in Peel region don\u2019t have to go very far to find good music.<\/p>\n
Also, we\u2019ve been told Han Solo, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and several Princess Leias might make appearances.<\/p>\n