By James Horner

Intrada, out now

A classic Horner score restored to its full glory.

A long time ago, in a pseudo-medieval world an indeterminate distance away, George Lucas produced a fantasy epic scored by James Horner, which was played by Lucasfilm’s favourite musicians, the London Symphony Orchestra. The score was a sweeping adventurous listen, taking more inspiration from classical epics than – as was often noted in the late 1980s – from Horner’s own other works, and there was so much of it that only eight mostly near ten-minute long tracks made it onto the original vinyl and CD releases.

That release was an awesome listenable suite, a great accompaniment to reading fantasy novels, but there was so much music that didn’t make it in. Now, with a new TV series on the way, Intrada have finally released an expanded score, adding nine more tracks plus an alternate take of one – making for a total of 18 tracks – and have reordered the tracks into the film order rather than the original concert-type order.

This Expanded Score starts off as the original did, with the wistful “Elora Danan,” which sounds like it belongs in a Harryhausen Greek Myth movie, and is actually derived from a Hungarian folk song, the “Harvest Song From Thrace”. We then jump straight into a block of new tracks, with two alternate version of “The Nelwyns,” first a fast mix of Irish craic, bluegrass, and what we now call Bardcore, and then a simpler and less bouncy steel string version. The more traditionally Horner-ish “Death Dogs” of blaring French horns and eerie woodwinds leads us through most of the new tracks, which comprise most of Disc 1. Disc 2 comprises basically the main tracks of the original release.

It’s fairly different from the typical Horner sounds, as was the original. There’s a lot less reliance on the Horner tropes of either the steel drums of Commando or Red Heat or the dry percussion of the action cues in Aliens though there are similarities to the latter in the new “Sled Chase” track. Likewise there’s less of the angsty woodwinds that you hear in Krull, or his Star Trek movies, though they do appear in the likes of “The Enchanted Forest” and “Canyon Of Mazes.”

More influence, however, comes from classical music, with “Willow’s Theme” reworking thematic parts of Schumann’s Symphony No. 3, while the whole thing is filled with recognizable hints and elements of Grieg, Prokofiev, and a host of classical composers as well as old folk music from Eastern Europe.

It’s great to get to hear the previously unreleased tracks, such as Bavmorda’s theme, the Sled Chase theme, and so fort, though in terms of listenability, putting the expanded version in film order is a slight letdown in comparison to the more concert-like original release. That’s not a problem, though, as you can replicate the original by putting the tracks “Elora Danan,” “Escape from the Tavern,” “Willow’s Journey Begins,” “Canyon of Mazes,” “Tir Asleen,” “Willow’s Theme,” “Bavmorda’s Spell is Cast,” and “Willow the Sorcerer” in that order as a playlist, and I totally recommend that. If you have the original version, it is well worth upgrading to this one, but keep the original too.

Verdict: Epic, uplifting, keeps the self-plagiarism well within limits, and brings us a wide spectrum of classical influences and references. Definitely an essential purchase if you’re a fan of Horner, Willow, or just excellent music to enjoy your favourite fantasy novels to. 10/10

David A McIntee