Review of The Revenge of The Sith Soundtrack

I got the soundtrack for The Revenge of The Sith yesterday. Below is my review.

1. Star Wars and The Revenge of The Sith: Very martial – snare drums and trumpets dominate. Snippets of the Force Theme show up early on, but the theme has a desperate quality. Overall, the mood is very tense.
2. Anakin’s Dream: Echoes of the love theme from Episode II are heard in the background, but slow syrupy strings are laid on top. A bit overdone, though the sense of dread is effectively communicated.
3. Battle of The Heroes: A disturbing piece, Battle of The Heroes is a natural progression from Duel of The Fates from Episode I. Like Duel of The Fates, it contains chanting of incomprehensible words, which creates a creepy feel. You definitely get the feeling that heinous acts are being committed on the screen while this track is rolling. The Force Theme valiantly tries to make a comeback near the end of the track, but it is drowned out by the ugly chanting, which is probably the Emperor’s Theme. I can’t listen to this for long. It seems inspired by Hector Berlioz's Marche au supplice from Symphonie Fantastique.
4. Anakin’s Betrayal: A slow piece with more chanting. Contains elements of Battle of The Heroes, but it has a regretful feel.
5. General Grievous: Disappointing. It sounds like a rehash of the Zam Wessell speeder chase in Episode II. There are tom-toms on the track. I would have expected something with a more mechanical feel. The Force Theme appears again, but as always on this soundtrack, it gets overwhelmed by other melodies.
6. Palpatine’s Teachings: Also disappointing. The track starts with low-pitched droning and segues into The Imperial March (Vader’s Theme). Once again, the Force Theme is surrounded by darkness. There is a strangely bright and triumphant phrase at the very end -- a victory for a good guy?
7. Grievous and The Droids: A return to the martial feel of the first track -- lots of snare drums. Surprisingly, Luke’s Theme is faintly heard in the opening minutes. The Force Theme is here, too. A somewhat standard piece. Not very memorable.
8. Padme’s Ruminations: Eerie and droning. Let’s face it, the whole album is dark, but this is a very non-John Williams piece. This sounds like something from the Aliens soundtrack.
9. Anakin vs. Obi-Wan: Contains a mix of Battle of The Heroes and Vader’s Theme. Disturbing, but very exciting. The pacing is almost exactly the same as the track from Episode V containing the Luke vs. Vader fight in Cloud City. This is the best cut on the soundtrack. Surprisingly short.
10. Anakin’s Dark Deeds: Starts out low and melancholy, picks up volume and tempo, then slows down again. Lots of creepy chanting. There’s a sense of conflicting emotions as if there is hesitation about the acts to be committed, exhilaration while the acts are taking place, and then horror in the aftermath.
11. Enter Lord Vader: Another martial piece. Triumphant, with a bit of mystery. Vader’s Theme, surprisingly, doesn’t show up until the last 45 seconds. The Force Theme is here, too.
12. The Immolation Scene: Another piece filled with regret. The fact that there are two tracks which presumably involve Obi-Wan’s duel with Anakin leads me to wonder if they possibly fight twice?
13. Grievous Speaks to Lord Sidious: Another martial piece. Urgent, but dignified. More chanting.
14. The Birth of The Twins and Padme’s Destiny: Some bells and harps. At first the melody is deceptively soft and dream-like, then the chorus starts chanting and deeper bells are tolled, signaling Padme’s death.
15. A New Hope and End Credits: Starts with Leia’s Theme, segues into Luke’s Theme and culminates in a pure untainted version of the Force Theme. The end credits music starts too abruptly, but after the darkness of the prior fourteen tracks, A New Hope sounds pretty good. The end credits include Leia’s Theme, followed by Battle of The Heroes and a darker, slower rendition of the Throne Room melody from Episode IV. This is followed by a beautiful woodwind and strings version of the Force Theme. The soundtrack is brought to a close by a reprise of the throne room music and Luke’s Theme, which is stretched out to give a real sense of finality.