Episode 110 - The Rise of Skywalker

The Baton: A John Williams Musical Journey - A podcast by Jeff Commings

Categories:

After a mind-boggling span of 42 years, John Williams closed out his involvement with the "Star Wars" film series with the score for "The Rise of Skywalker." Host Jeff Commings and cohost Paulius Eidukas talk about the missteps in director J.J. Abrams' choices visually and musically. The two talk about the four new themes that flow through the score, all four notable because they connect more to a group of people and an idea instead of one person. With the help of Eidukas on the piano, we understand how the new themes connect to previous melodies, and how the finale gave them a "shivers-up-the-spine" feeling with the music. As of this posting, "The Rise of Skywalker" is the final film in the John Williams canon after 60 years of writing the score for 109 films. It is fitting that "The Rise of Skywalker" is the final film in John Williams' career, if the Maestro has indeed retired from film scores.