Watch: John Williams’ Music For ‘Star Wars’ Is Brilliant In Ways You Never Realized

Brett Mitchell, the new music director of the Colorado Symphony, is a huge “Star Wars” fan. In fact, he says the famous score by John Williams had a lot to do with his desire to get into classical music and ultimately conduct.

(Photo: CPR/Monika Vischer)

Mitchell sat down recently with me in the CPR Performance Studio to explore some of the soundtrack's highlights.

Mitchell talked about the discussions between Williams and director George Lucas that helped spawn some of the most memorable film music in history. And he showed how Williams used musical themes to represent different characters like Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia and Darth Vader. Watch the fascinating conversation in the video above

Mitchell leads the Colorado Symphony in performing live accompaniment to “Star Wars: A New Hope” -- the original 1977 film -- on Thursday and Saturday at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield.

Watch exclusive music from the CPR Performance Studio:

• Anderson & Roe Piano Duo Plays Music by Gluck
• Boulder's Takacs Quartet Plays Ravel 
• ​Cantus Sings Haunting Music By Ysaye Barnwell​
• ​Boulder's Matthew Dane Blends Classical, Indian Sounds On The Viola D’Amore