After the rumors that had been circulating on the Internet in recent weeks, it has finally been officially confirmed that Natalie Holt is the composer of the original soundtrack of the television series Obi-Wan Kenobi from Lucasfilm on Disney+. Holt is now the first female composer to work in the history of starwarsand will be supported in the score by the franchise’s original composer, John Williams.
In an exclusive interview, Holt shared how exciting and overwhelming the experience has been while praising Williams for her work. She spoke about his intention to respect the history of the franchise and do it justice as he adds his stamp to the legacy.
Obviously, I’m delighted to be mentioned at the same time as John Williams. He’s been exciting and overwhelming at times, because I’m such a huge fan. I want to pay tribute to his story and also do him justice.
Holt revealed that Williams actually wrote a new theme for Obi-Wan in this series, largely because he was unable to do one originally due to Obi-Wan’s death in the series. Episode IV in 1977.
Obi-Wan is a legacy character that John hadn’t written a theme for because he died so early in A New Hope. He is the only legacy character that he hadn’t done. So he talked to Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy and said, ‘I just want to write a song for Benny.’ So who can deny him that? And he did, he wrote Obi’s theme, and he just embodies the spirit of the series completely.
When asked how Williams’ contributions fit in with his work, Holt described the composer’s music as the mainstay of the series, under which he added his own work throughout. He also called Williams his hero, even when he had the opportunity to bring his own musical style to the saga of starwars.
For me, John Williams establishes the mainstay of the series. There are elements in the series that are new and fresh, and I’ve been able to have my own interpretation with elements that I can’t reveal. So it’s been glorious to work with my hero while also bringing my own voice to the show.
Holt sees Williams’ new work on the series as thoughtful and entirely appropriate for where Obi-Wan finds himself on his journey. There’s an element of hope that ties into the character’s legacy over the years, and she’s excited to see how fans react to the music.
It’s thoughtful and it’s completely appropriate. And it distills what the series is about in the perfect way that John Williams can. He is gloomy, but has an element of hope. He’s doing something new and I think people are going to be really impressed by that.
The instrumentation in this score includes 250 horns and flutes along with a hunting horn which Holt used throughout the series’ music. While the themes are rooted in the franchise’s past, there are some new elements along the way due to the combination of orchestral themes and modern music technology.
I think it’s an emotional score, and it’s rooted more in Star Wars lore than The Mandalorian. We had a collection of 250 horns and flutes, and I used a hunting horn in the score. We’re also mixing the orchestra with some more modern synth sounds. It’s definitely what we’re used to and some new elements.
Holt shared that she has already finished writing the score for the final episode, and that she feels like she has found her voice through the process. He also comes with a feeling of sadness seeing everything come to an end.
I got to the end of the last episode. I just finished and I feel like I found my voice. It took me a while to get there, because you feel this paralysis at first like, ‘Oh my gosh. God, it’s Star Wars. I feel sad to finish, I want to continue.