Shadows of the Empire (soundtrack)

"An original orchestral score composed for a book? Why not?"

- Robert Townson

The Shadows of the Empire soundtrack is a musical score by Emmy Award-winning composer Joel McNeely which was inspired by author Steve Perry's 1996 novel of the same name. The score, much like classical program music of the past, is based off a piece of literature rather than a motion picture.

While McNeely set out to make an eclectic piece of his own style rather than try to imitate John Williams, three familiar themes from the movies can be heard in tracks one (Main Theme and part of Carbon Freeze), eight (The Imperial March and Force Theme) and ten (The Imperial March). The 51 minute score, conducted by McNeely, was performed by the 90-piece Royal Scottish National Orchestra and 150-piece Chorus in Glasgow, Scotland in early 1996. The album was released by Varèse Sarabande Record on April 23, 1996. In addition to the score, the CD contained exclusive CD-ROM features with behind-the-scenes content.

Origin
In the early 1990s, Robert Townson of Varèse Sarabande Records worked with Lucasfilm to release four soundtrack albums of music composed for The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. Around that time, he and Lucasfilm's Lucy Autrey Wilson discussed the idea of an orchestral soundtrack based on the Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn. The idea did not come to fruition at the time, but when the Shadows of the Empire project came along, the two decided that it would be the perfect opportunity for Star Wars score based off a novel.

Townson's first choice for a composer to write this score for a movie that did not exist was Joel McNeely. Aside from previously conducting several score re-recordings for Varèse Sarabande, McNeely had scored numerous episodes of Young Indiana Jones as well as Radioland Murders for Lucasfilm. McNeely initially turned down the offer because he was working on two other films at the time, and so the project was temporarily shelved; however, when a two-week window opened up in his schedule, he signed on to write the score.

Writing
McNeely chose to use the existing music of Star Wars as thematic pillars rather than give a "poor man's imitation of John Williams." He set out to make an "eclectic" piece that would tell the story of the characters and events through music, much like a film score. However, since there was no film, McNeely was not having to work against a temp track, sound effects, film timings, etc. He said that he enjoyed imagining different scenarios and reacting to them without fear of fighting another element.

Recording
The three recording sessions for Shadows of the Empire were held in Glasgow, Scotland on February 24 and 25, 1996. The score was conducted by McNeely and performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Chorus, made up of a 90-piece orchestra and a 150-piece choir, almost twice the size of the choir initially planned. The score was then mastered at Abbey Road Studios in London, England.

Release
Before the Shadows album was released, selections from the score were performed in concert by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra at Scotland's Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow on March 3, 1996. The concert, conducted by McNeely, also featured selections from scores such as Vertigo, The Bride of Frankenstein, and Spartacus; after an encore, McNeely was reportedly beckoned back to the stage for five ovations.

The Shadows of the Empire album was released by Varèse Sarabande Records on April 23, 1996 on both audio cassette and compact disc. In addition to the score, the CD contained exclusive CD-ROM features.

Reception
In the years since its release, Shadows of the Empire has been generally well-regarded. The album has an average 4.5 out of 5 star rating on both Amazon.com and iTunes. Most film score critics have very few negative words for the score. Jonathan Jarry of SoundtrackNet remarked: "The writing is unabashedly Romantic in inspiration and follows in Williams' footsteps from the original trilogy, McNeely putting his own spin on that galaxy far, far away[...]" Filmtracks' Christian Clemmensen said that "the score remains a hidden gem for Star Wars fans to discover and enjoy." According to Soundtrack Express' Tom Daish: "If [McNeely] ever were to score a Star Wars film and it was even half as good as this, we'd be in for a treat."



Tunequest remarked that the highlight of the score was "The Seduction of Princess Leia," saying that the piece is "built around a fabulous freakin’ waltz, a first for Star Wars." Others praised "Night Skies," particularly for its usage of the Force Theme; Jonathan Jarry claimed that "[t]his is the way the theme always deserved to be treated." Soundtrack Express applauded "The Destruction of Xizor's Palace" for ending with "a spectacular hymn for orchestra and chorus ending in as fine a style as any of the movies (and some might say better than the ever so slightly annoying finales to Jedi or The Phantom Menace)."

The main complaint shared by reviewers was that not enough of John Williams' themes were used. Soundtrack Express' review regretted that "The Seduction of Princess Leia" did not include "even a hint of Leia's theme which could have been interpolated to interesting effect." Jonathan Jarry remarked: "The only regret comes from not hearing nearly enough of Williams' quintessential themes from the saga, especially since McNeely's Force Theme treatment reveals his strong grasp on how to present a theme with a maximum wallop." Christian Clemmensen also felt the absence of established themes, but admitted that "McNeely's own action material is often very strong, opting out of Williams' tactic of producing frenzied dissonance mixed with his highly dense structures."

Perhaps the most outspoken critic of Shadows is none other than composer Joel McNeely himself. A decade removed from the project, McNeely says that he doesn't listen to the piece much, but that when he does, he hears "the fact that it was written in two weeks," claiming that it is not his "shining hour." However, ScoreNotes.com's Tom Hoover is quick to point out that "a lot of folks would disagree with that."

Dha Werda Verda
Ben Burtt, who has developed numerous alien languages for Star Wars, wrote a poem called "Dha Werda Verda" to be sung by the chorus. McNeely asked that Burtt "make the language Germanic with hard syllables, very harsh and guttural." McNeely then used pieces of the poem out of context in his compositions.

The poem—the discovery of which Burtt ties into characters and events he developed for the  Droids cartoon in the mid-1980s—details the ancient conflict between the Battalions of Zhell and Coruscant's primitive ancestors, the Taungs. According to the poem, the battle of the two peoples was interrupted by a volcanic eruption which wiped out the Zhell, and the site of the battle eventually became Imperial City millennia later.

While Burtt's original liner notes don't specify the the name of the text's language, more recent Expanded Universe lore hints that the words may actually be an ancient form of Mando'a.

Main Theme from Star Wars and Leia's Nightmare
This track begins with John Williams' classic Main Title. After a short piece by McNeely which recurs later in the score, another Williams piece is used—"Carbon Freeze" from The Empire Strikes Back—representing Leia Organa's nightmare flashing back to the time when her lover, Han Solo, was encased in carbonite. After the usage of "The Imperial March", the cue ends with a short coda by McNeely as Leia wakens from the nightmare.

The Battle of Gall
Dash Rendar gives Lando Calrissian the location of Boba Fett's Slave I (and, thereby, the frozen Han Solo): Gall, a moon in the Outer Rim. At the Battle of Gall, Luke Skywalker and Rogue Squadron face off against the Empire while Lando, Leia, Chewbacca, and Dash Rendar go after Fett. This eight-minute battle cue starts off slowly and builds as the action unfolds. Halfway through, the piece slows down to introduce the "Alliance Battle Hymn," a theme that reappears near the end of the score. After this, the action music continues.

Imperial City
This piece begins with a representation of the approach to Imperial Center from space, musically expressing the "spectacular sight" of the planet. Chords rise to represent the seemingly endless height of the skyscrapers. After the brass play a welcoming fanfare, a "reflective" theme explores Monument Plaza. After the main theme for Imperial City appears, the track closes with a reprise of the rising chords from earlier in the piece.

Beggar's Canyon Chase
On Tatooine, a swoop gang attacks Luke Skywalker at Ben Kenobi's hut. Luke commandeers one of the swoops and heads to Beggar's Canyon. As Luke's chase with the gang comes to a close, the piece ends with a brief statement of Dash's theme as Dash rescues Luke.

The Southern Underground
This piece is a reflection of the "quirky environment" Leia and Chewbacca find themselves in as they travel through Coruscant's Southern Underground and meet up with Spero.

Xizor's Theme
Prince Xizor, the Falleen leader of the criminal organization Black Sun, is a formidable foe for both the Rebel Alliance and the Empire. As with the "Imperial City" piece, this track was intended to take a journey through Xizor's Palace, starting deep below with echoes from Xizor's prisons. Representing both the horrors of his crimes and his fine taste, the piece contrasts "ugly motifs" with classical segments.



In the last two minutes of the track, the actual theme for Xizor begins. According to the composer: "When I first read the book, my initial impression of Xizor was—ethnic. Something Middle Eastern, slightly primitive in style, but with a real seductive side, a lot of drums." McNeely uses the main melody for the reptilian Xizor, then includes a section led by strings to represent Xizor's romantic side, but finally finishes the piece with the "angry" ethnic melody, claiming that "the primal ultimately wins out."

"Xizor's Theme" was later included on Varèse's In Session: A Film Music Celebration and Varèse Sarabande: A 25th Anniversary Celebration compilation album.

The Seduction of Princess Leia
This waltz is inspired by the scene in which Princess Leia Organa goes to Prince Xizor's Palace to seek the aid of Black Sun. The piece beings with a motif representing the emitting of Xizor's Falleen pheromones which begin to seduce Leia. As their passion intensifies, so do the speed and energy of the waltz. After the pheromone motif repeats, the piece takes a lusher, more romantic turn as Leia ceases to resist. A final appearance of the pheromone motif is broken up with a musical representation of Chewbacca interrupting by pounding on the door.

Night Skies
In this piece, both Xizor's Theme and Darth Vader's Theme (The Imperial March) are played more softly than usual as the respective characters experience reflective moments. Xizor first ponders on Leia's rejection of him and find himself only more attracted to her. Then, Vader tries to contact his son Luke through the Force, and McNeely uses the choir "as a very quiet, reflective element about a man having a moment of introspection at a pivotal point in his life." After a bombastic use of Williams' "Force Theme," the Imperial March returns as Vader learns the history of Xizor's family.

Into the Sewers
In this scene, the heroes must travel through sewage tunnels to break into Xizor's Palace. McNeely calls this composition the "musical equivalent of walking through sludge of unimaginable olfactory repugnance."

The Destruction of Xizor's Palace
In what Robert Townson called the "big finale cue," McNeely uses the choir "as a power element for the climactic destruction of Xizor's palace as the orchestra plays with great fury and bombast." This ten-plus minute long finale piece begins with a choral presentation of Dha Werda Verda as Luke, Lando, Dash, and Chewbacca break into Xizor's palace to find Leia. Once she is discovered, the music begins building until they run into Xizor, and then Lando sets a thermal detonator. The group then escapes the doomed palace and engages in a battle against Xizor's forces and the Empire's 181st Fighter Group, eventually prevailing to fight the Empire another day.

In addition the use of Xizor's Theme, this track features multiple instances of the Imperial March, acknowledgment of which is curiously absent on the rear cover of the album case. After nine minutes in, the Alliance Battle Hymn makes another appearance, followed by a "triumphant passage signaling the end of another great adventure."

Album details
"'Unlike with film music, I have been allowed to let my imagination run free with the images, characters and events from this story. I have also had the luxury to loiter as long as I like with a character or scene. Every passage represents some person, place or event in this story.'"
 * Music total time - 51:27
 * Cover artwork by Drew Struzan.
 * The liner notes of the booklet give brief plot summaries for each track of the corresponding sections from the novel. McNeely wrote:

Track listing

 * 1) Main Theme from Star Wars and Leia's Nightmare (3:41)
 * 2) The Battle of Gall (7:59)
 * 3) Imperial City (8:02)
 * 4) Beggar's Canyon Chase (2:56)
 * 5) The Southern Underground (1:48)
 * 6) Xizor's Theme (4:35)
 * 7) The Seduction of Princess Leia (3:38)
 * 8) Night Skies (4:17)
 * 9) Into the Sewers (2:55)
 * 10) The Destruction of Xizor's Palace (10:44)

Enhanced CD features

 * Introduction – an overview of the Shadows of the Empire multimedia project, George Lucas, and the Shadows storyline.
 * Creative Team – biographies on Steve Perry, Jon Knoles, Doug Chiang, John Wagner, and Michael Butkus.
 * Art Gallery – galleries and biographies from artists Ralph McQuarrie, Drew Struzan, Hugh Fleming, and Kilian Plunkett.
 * Music – information about Joel McNeely, Ben Burtt, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Chorus, Robert Townson, Matthew Joseph Peak, and Varèse Sarabande Records. This section also features the entire "Music of the Shadows" chapter from The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, recording session photographs by Matthew Joseph Peak, and other text also printed in the album's liner notes.
 * Shadows of the Empire Universe – information about the book, the game, the comic series, and the toys based on the characters.

Editions

 * ASIN B0000014YD; April 23, 1996, Varèse Sarabande, Enhanced CD
 * ASIN B0000014YE; April 23, 1996, Varèse Sarabande, Audio cassette

Misconceptions
There are a number of rumors and misconceptions surrounding Shadows of the Empire, including: Additionally, almost as early as a year before the release of Revenge of the Sith, a clip titled "Approaching the Battle"—actually made up of the Star Wars Main Title mixed with "Night Skies"—made its way around the internet and file-sharing networks claiming to be music "stealed [sic] from Lucasfilm" from the forthcoming Star Wars film. The hoax persisted until the release of the actual score in 2005.
 * …that John Williams was offered the project, but declined.
 * …that Williams was offended at not being offered the project.
 * …that Williams and McNeely are good friends, and that Williams personally recommended McNeely for the project.
 * …that the score was written for the Shadows of the Empire video game.
 * …that Williams made a musical homage to Shadows in his score for Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
 * …even that Shadows was the first official Star Wars music not written by John Williams.

Reviews

 * Filmtracks
 * Soundtrack Express
 * SoundtrackNet
 * Tunequest
 * SoundtrackCentral.com

Shadows of the Empire (Soundtrack) Sombras do Império (trilha sonora)