TROS 27: The Poetic Ending (with Frank Lehman)

THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
Written By Chrysanthe Tan

Music theorist and film musicologist Dr. Frank Lehman returns to the show to discuss the final scene of the film (minutes 131-135)--which includes his favorite cue from The Rise of Skywalker score! We cover a ton of ground in this episode--including the growing-up of Rey's theme, the final cue as a strategic open text, the encoding of Darth Vader's theme throughout the Skywalker saga, mythic unity, dark religious imagery, and the semantic vs. emotional meanings of leitmotifs. Frank also reads us an exclusive preview of his upcoming book, The Skywalker Symphonies: Musical Storytelling in Star Wars!

Timestamps:

  • 0:00 - Hello there!

  • 1:48 - How Frank's opinion of the movie has evolved since 2019.

  • 11:32 - This music sustains and rewards independent listening.

  • 15:35 - Listening to "A New Home" (a remarkably austere little cue)

  • 17:39 - Strategic open text, sparse but not devoid of motivic connections.

  • 23:30 - A cynical read and a charitable read.

  • 26:44 - Darth Vader's melodic contour encoded in the arpeggio.

  • 29:16 - Mythic unity, wholeness, unendingness. Poetic ending vs. narrative ending.

  • 37:41 - Rey's theme grown-up.

  • 45:26 - Chills (frisson) moment.

  • 56:53 - Motivic echoes with Shmi's Funeral.

  • 1:13:45 - Disappointing reuse of the Force theme leading into the credits.

  • 1:23:29 - Friendship theme as in the concert arrangement.

  • 1:29:34 - Anthem of Evil: The A-theme is a "bargain-basement Imperial March," but the B-theme is a gothic, Dracula-esque banger that got cut from the film.

  • 1:41:45 - Wishing for more overt dark religious imagery in the film.

  • 1:50:57 - Why is the Imperial March here?

  • 2:07:29 - What used to be called the "Rebel Fanfare" is now called the "Millennium Falcon" theme on the cue sheets.

  • 1:59:41 - What does Frank think of the use of Luke & Leia + Yoda's themes during the Celebration scene? Exclusive preview from his upcoming "Skywalker Symphonies" book.

  • 2:18:01 - In what way is the Skywalker Saga "symphonically-scored?"

  • 2:31:04 - SWMM Questionnaire

Things to Check Out:

Musical Themes:

  • 45b. Rey A (Theme B-Phrase)

  • 46a. Rey B (Chimes)

  • 3. Force

  • 1a. Main Theme (A Section)

  • 2. Rebel Fanfare

  • 18) Descending Heroic Tetrachords

  • 17) Heroic Determination

  • 57. Friendship

  • 59a. Psalm of the Sith (A Section)

  • 10a. Imperial March (Theme)

Where are we in the soundtrack?:

  • FYC 23. "A New Home"

  • OST 18. "A New Home"

  • OST 19. "Finale"

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STAR WARS MUSIC MINUTE QUESTIONNAIRE:

1. In exactly 3 words, what does Star Wars sound like?

  • TROS season: Never Ending Endings.

  • ESB season: My lifelong obsession.

  • Solo season: Vaguely remembered music.

  • ANH season: Dissonant pedal notes. Minor planing triads.

2. What's something related to Star Wars music or sound that you want to learn more about?

  • TROS season: The future of the mainline films.

  • ESB season: What was going on in the scoring of Obi-Wan Kenobi?

  • Solo season: Who will be main composer for the Kenobi series?

  • ANH season: What are we musically in store for as Star Wars moves onto the next chapters of its development? What was the actual score to Episode IX supposed to be (before changes)?

3. What's a score or soundtrack you're fond of besides anything Star Wars?

  • TROS season: The Rings of Power, Seasons 1 and 2 (composed by Bear McCreary)

  • ESB season: White Lotus (series) (composed by Cristobal Tapia de Veer)

  • Solo season: Severance (series) (composed by Theodore Shapiro)

  • ANH season: Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) (composed by Jerry Goldsmith)

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Guest: Frank Lehman

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Where else to find SWMM:

Chrysanthe Tan

Composer / Violinist

www.chrysanthetan.com
Next

TROS 26: Nine-Part Symphony (with Nathan Fontyn)