Strong Songs

John Williams' Star Wars Legacy, with Dan Golding

5 snips
Sep 22, 2023
Guest
Dan Golding
Dan Golding, an Australian author and musician, joins the host to explore John Williams' musical legacy, including his groundbreaking score for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. They discuss film scoring, video game music, the interplay of music and action in movies, John Williams' orchestration style, the complexities of Empire Strikes Back, the brilliance of 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban', exploring jazz with Charles Mingus, the intersection of music and visual art, the musical landscape of 1959, and expressing gratitude and encouraging support.
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ANECDOTE

Weekend Demo Led To Game Scoring Career

  • Dan became a video game composer after volunteering to help indie developers with music at a festival.
  • He recorded a weekend demo that led to scoring their first game, Push Me Pull You.
INSIGHT

Star Wars Opened Listeners To Classical Music

  • John Williams' music acted as a gateway into classical music for many listeners, linking film scores to the classical canon.
  • Dan Golding credits early soundtrack exposure (like Adventures of Robin Hood) for priming him to love Star Wars' orchestral sound.
INSIGHT

Human Imperfections Power The Original Sound

  • The London Symphony Orchestra's human performance gives the original Star Wars sound a distinct warmth and energy.
  • Dan prefers that imperfect, lived-in recording quality over modern, flawless scratch-orchestra recordings.
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