ESB 17: Pomp Without Circumstance (Minutes 81-85 with Alex Ludwig)

Musicologist Alex Ludwig (Dies Irae guru) returns to the show to discuss minutes 81-85 of The Empire Strikes Back! We talk about the form, orchestration, and rhythm of the Lando's Palace cue, the stern parenting of Yoda and Obi-Wan, and how the music paints the text. Video version of this episode is here: https://youtu.be/tdJUdPsUQBQ  Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro. 10:30 - Meeting Lando with some exhaust, a ship, and a clarinet glissando reminiscent of Rhapsody in Blue or Salome. 16:02 - So many pedals! 19:36 - Old-fashioned but unbalanced ABA-ish form. 24:14 - Jocular cello pizz for Han's laugh. 29:06 - Dotted rhythms are hard. 36:50 - Echuta. 43:08 - Transition from Cloud City to Dagobah. 51:00 - Woodwinds on a bed of strings. 56:04 - Bad cop, bad cop. 1:03:43 - Solo horn, perfect text painting. 1:06:54 - Do you ever fudge the minutes? 1:14:53 - Does Obi-Wan's voice sound unusually deep here? 1:21:15 - Last-minute pep talk. 1:23:49 - Thrawn tangent, Wayland, Joruus C'baoth 1:28:34 - Two very distinct atmospheres in the same cue. 1:32:27 - Dies Irae. 1:39:34 - SWMM Questionnaire Things to Check Out: Rhapsody in Blue (by George Gershwin) - https://youtu.be/TDZWLP7TgBM Salome (by Richard Strauss) - https://youtu.be/50rnWQvIK2I Field of Dreams (score by James Horner) - https://youtu.be/4qyVehgTxtA Pavane for a Dead Princess (by Maurice Ravel) - https://youtu.be/DVtNt-6OTM8 Complete Catalogue of the Musical Themes of Star Wars (by Frank Lehman): https://franklehman.com/starwars/. Cues: 8M3 "Lando's Palace" Musical Themes: 15a. Cloud City 1 (Lando's Palace) 1a. Main Theme (A Section) 3. Force 10a. Imperial March (Theme) 12a. Yoda (A Section) Where are we in the soundtrack?: "Lando's Palace" --------------- STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE: 1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like? New answer: Stories in sound. Solo season answer: Soaring searching strings. ANH season answers: Triumphant brass fanfares. Ominous contrapuntal warblings. 2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about? New answer: What were the spotting sessions like for this film in particular? Solo season answer: Who's gonna write the next paradigm-shifting Star Wars score? ANH season answer: What it's like for new composers (Michael Giacchino, John Powell, Ludwig Göransson, etc) to play in the playground of Star Wars music -- to have all these themes at their fingertips, get to use them and take them to new places. "What is it like to get the keys to this kingdom as a composer?" 3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars? New answer: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (composed by Disasterpeace AKA Rich Vreeland) Solo season answer: The Matrix trilogy (composed by Don Davis) ANH season answer: The Social Network (composed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross) and Sunset Boulevard (composed by Franz Waxman) --------------- Guest: Alex Ludwig Website (including the Dies Irae List): https://alexludwig.net/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/celexo YouTube channel: Film Music Tropes - https://www.youtube.com/celexo22 ------------------ If you want to support the show and join the Discord server, consider becoming a patron!  https://patreon.com/chrysanthetan Leave a voice message, and I might play it on the show...   https://starwarsmusicminute.com/comlink Where else to find SWMM: Twitter: https://twitter.com/StarWarsMusMin YouTube: https://youtube.com/starwarsmusicminute TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@starwarsmusicminute? Instagram: https://instagram.com/starwarsmusicminute Email: [email protected] Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/starwarsmusmin