Leave it to the country that spawned Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Brahms (and dozens of other legendary composers), to take flash mobs to a whole new level. Earlier this month in Cologne, Germany the WDR Symphony Orchestra surprised shoppers in Wallraf Square with a rousing performance of the main Star Wars theme.
Starting with just the conductor and a trumpeter, the entire orchestra joined in to the delight of onlookers.
Seeing this definitely puts me in a mood to watch the original trilogy again (and no, that does not include the disgraceful prequels). This year marks the 35th anniversary of the first film, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. The music was composed by the iconic John Williams, also known for his film scores in Jaws, Superman, Indiana Jones, Hook (one of my favorite JW soundtracks), Jurassic Park, the first three Harry Potter films, and many others.
The original Star Wars soundtrack was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, at the baton of Williams himself. My favorite track from the film is The Throne Room and End Title, which is heard while Luke Skywalker & Han Solo receive medals from Princess Leia for destroying the Death Star, and saving the rebel alliance. The use of heavy brass, accentuated by quick staccato notes from the strings, always gets me fired up.
Yeah I know… #starwarsgeek. Okay, now off to watch The Empire Strikes Back.