John Williams/Boston Pops Orchestra - John Williams Conducts Music from the Star Wars Saga Review

On May 18, 1999, exactly one day before the premiere of Star Wars - Episode I: The Phantom Menace, composer/conductor John Wiliiams' old label Philips released John Williams Conducts Music from the Star Wars Saga, a 14-track collection of pre-existing recordings of themes not only from the Classic Star Wars Trilogy (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, but also compositions for such films as Superman, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T.: The Extraterrestrial.

When the recording was released, Williams was no longer the principal conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra, the world-famous "light classical" alter ego of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (he was, and still is, its Laureate Conductor),  so this was clearly an effort by Philips to "cash in" on the initial excitement caused by the imminent release of The Phantom Menace. In fact, all of the tracks had previously been released in a wide array of Williams/Boston Pops albums, including 1983's Out of This World, 1987's By Request: The Best of John Williams and the Boston Pops, and 1982's Aisle Seat.

Nevertheless, John Williams Conducts Music from the Star Wars Saga is a fun "sampler" of the Oscar- and Grammy-winning composer's most famous sci-fi/fantasy themes from the late 1970s and early 1980s, which was when most of his present-day fans first became aware of his talents (even though he has been working in Hollywood since the late 1950s.)

Because the album features the Star Wars Saga so prominently on its cover, 9 of the 14 tracks are from A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, starting with the iconic Main Theme (Track 1) and ending with The Forest Battle (Track 9).

 Of course, this being a Boston Pops album, all the themes from the Star Wars Trilogy are presented in their concert arrangements and, although they're arranged by film. they don't really appear in chronological order:

Star Wars 

1. Main Theme
2. Princess Leia
 

The Empire Strikes Back

3. The Asteroid Field
4. Yoda's Theme
5. The Imperial March

Return of the Jedi

6. Parade of the Ewoks
7. Luke & Leia
8. Jabba the Hutt
9. The Forest Battle 

Now, although all the themes' melodies appear in the films in some fashion, the tracks here are arranged for concert performances and are thus very different from the ones in the films' soundtracks.  For instance, the Main Theme tacks on the first two and a half minutes of score from A New Hope to most of the "End Titles" cue to give the arrangement an overture-like aspect, while Princess Leia's Theme is never heard in its four-minute-and-six seconds entirety outside the famous concert arrangement.

Although the original soundtracks - as performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Williams' baton - are more complete and have a somewhat more powerful musical footprint, the performances here are good, especially the tuba solo by Chester Schmitz in Jabba the Hutt (track 8), a 3:32 rendition of the vile gangster's dark yet somewhat exotic and sinuous motif.

The album also includes "bonus tracks" from three films scored by Williams in the late '70s and early '80s, namely Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman: The Movie,  and E.T.:  the Extraterrestrial.

Superman 

10. March
11. Love Theme

E.T.

12. Adventures on Earth
13. The Flying Theme

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

14.  Suite

Again, as in the section devoted to Star Wars, all of the tracks here are of the concert arrangement, although the beautiful and very romantic Love Theme for Kal-El and Lois Lane from Superman  was played "as is" as the second half of the movie's rather long "End Titles" sequence.

Of course, this album is no substitute for even the somewhat incomplete early versions of the LSO/Williams soundtracks, and - despite the May 1999 release date - there are no selections from Episode I: The Phantom Menace, but John Williams Conducts Music from the Star Wars Saga is still enjoyable as a quick-and-easy sampler of the maestro's stellar 13-year-long career with the Boston Pops Orchestra.