Ottawa Guitar Trio adds to Star Wars mania with new video
Here's some music by John Williams to prepare you for The Rise of Skywalker
In advance of the highly anticipated Dec. 20 opening of Star Wars: the Rise of Skywalker, the Ottawa Guitar Trio has released a video, above, featuring some of the most famous music from the storied film franchise.
"To me the music of Star Wars has always been what makes the series so amazing," says Nathan Bredeson, who arranged selections from John Williams' score for his trio to play. "The power and emotion of the music carries the story to another level."
In the video, the trio performs a medley of the Main Title Theme and Imperial March at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Toronto.
"We actually have a whole set of these pieces that we play in concerts, which starts with these two but also include the Cantina Band Theme, Princess Leia's Theme, and the Skywalker Theme," explains Bredeson. "I'm still working on getting the closing credits arranged. In total, it is close to 20 minutes of Star Wars music! We decided, for a video recording, the first two movements made a good stand-alone set. And we couldn't resist a chance to flaunt the shreddy ending of the Imperial March."
When asked about his own level of Star Wars fandom, Bredeson simply replies, "The force is strong with this one."
The project has deepened Bredeson's admiration for the Star Wars score. "I gained a whole new appreciation when I actually saw what Williams was doing on paper," he reflects. "Like, the arpeggio at the end of the Main Title — a D-flat major chord over a C chord? OK, John."
The Ottawa Guitar Trio is currently touring a concert of Christmas classics. In January, they'll present a new program, which includes music from the Harry Potter films, Super Mario Bros and Rachmaninoff. More details here.