long with the customary cornucopia of cherished characters and conflicts, each installment in the Star Wars saga inevitably delivers a wealth of wonderful music. Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones is no exception, and the new soundtrack CD, which highlights 13 solid cuts crafted by the ever-reliable John Williams and performed by The London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices, showcases an intoxicating assortment of well-known motifs, fresh arrangements and altogether enthralling sonic delights.
The trademark "Star Wars Main Title" launches the collection, smoothly fading into the first original work, "Ambush on Coruscant." Dominated by a quiet, menacing melody, it's a superbly shadowy number that's rife with danger and intrigue. This captivating composition is followed by "Love Theme from Attack of the Clones," a tender track that combines warm tones with a faint tinge of sadness. It's an eloquent creation with a moving motif that reappears, in various forms, within subsequent pieces such as "Anakin and Padme" and "Love Pledge." "The Meadow Picnic" is another lighthearted tune that, at times, exhibits a similarly malevolent undercurrent, while "Yoda and the Younglings" offers a consistently affectionate and surprisingly sensitive ambiance.
Along with the softer selections, Williams also provides an array of high-energy cuts. "Zam the Assassin" and "The Chase Through Coruscant"—one of five pairs of linked cues on the album—is an exciting sequence filled with frantic percussion, agitated brass and, now and again, a wailing
electric guitar. Similarly action-packed arrangements govern taut stand-alone works like "Jango's Escape" and "Bounty Hunter's Pursuit." The disc concludes with the airy yet exhilarating "Confrontation with Count Dooku," which slickly leads into the bracing "Finale."
The Force is strong in this one
Amidst the hoopla surrounding the movie's long-shrouded storyline and lauded digital effects, it's easy to overlook the enormous importance of Williams' accompaniment to Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones. However, after hearing the tunes on this impressive collection, there's little question that the melodies are stirring, strong and genuinely significant. As George Lucas accurately points out in the brief liner notes accompanying the CD, "to complement the complexities of the film's story, John Williams had to create a score that truly expanded the musical palate [sic] of Star Wars. As always, he has more than risen to the occasion."
"Love Theme from Attack of the Clones" is clearly the most important new composition, opening with charming strings that evoke an amiable, carefree atmosphere. The introduction of low bass notes later in the work adds a tense, foreboding air that slyly hints not only at a dark future for the characters, but also the forbidden nature of their developing relationship. Other cuts are equally thematic, especially "Return to Tatooine," which includes a snippet of the famed "Duel of the Fates" cue from The Phantom Menace, and "The Homestead," with its sinister interpretation of the imposing "The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)."
When it comes to scoring the Star Wars films, a key part of Williams' undeniable genius is the method in which he builds consistently vital compositions from both recognizable leitmotifs and entirely original melodies. The music for Star Wars: Episode II—Attack of the Clones is a superb addition to his repertoire, presenting outstanding works that are simultaneously subtle and sumptuous, familiar and fresh, and thoroughly forceful.
