JOHN WILLIAMS, THE NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA, CHARLES GERHARDT

John Williams wrote this suite for concert performance, and then worked with the National Philharmonic Orchestra to bring that experience to vinyl record. This fantastic, long-out-of-print album comes remastered on 180g vinyl in a gatefold jacket with the original iconic Star Wars paintings by William Stout, images of John Williams and notes from author Ray Bradbury, composer and critic Christopher Palmer and from the maestro himself. It's been out of print since its original pressing in 1980. 

Originally released to supplement – not compete with – the 2LP Motion Picture Soundtrack of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, this 1LP release skillfully augments film composer extraordinaire John Williams' own adaptation of what has become one his most iconic scores – indeed one of THE most iconic film scores – into a “Symphonic Suite” with new arrangements of other cues from the film score. 

In a career that spans five decades, John Williams has become one of America’s most accomplished and successful composers for film and for the concert stage. Williams has composed the music and served as music director for more than one hundred films. He has also served as music director and laureate conductor of one of the country’s treasured musical institutions, the Boston Pops Orchestra, and he maintains thriving artistic relationships with many of the world’s great orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.