"Anakin's Theme" from The Phantom Menace vs. "Atreju's Quest" from The NeverEnding Story

John Williams' theme for Anakin Skywalker bears striking similarities to one of Klaus Doldinger's "Atreju's Quest" from the 1984 movie The NeverEnding Story.

Both share a delicate, youthful innocence and a subdued sense of adventure - or perhaps a sense that adventure is in the not-too-distant future.

Musically, the two share very nearly intervallically  identical openings, and share strong rhythmic similarities.

This resemblance is one aspect I've added to my "Music of Star Wars" presentation for tomorrow's 2-hour version of the program.

Friday, 28 October 2016, 10:00 a.m. - noon
Middlesex Community College, Chapman Hall, 100 Training Hill Road, Middletown, CT
The Music of Star Wars: A Celebration of John Williams' Film Scores
Often called a “space opera”, one aspect of the Star Wars films that helped make them such a pop culture phenomenon was composer John Williams' ultra-romantic orchestral score. This 60-minute multimedia presentation will showcase the music of all seven movies, citing historical precedents and comparing musical influences with the twofold purpose of (1) illustrating how the music developed, and (2) enlightening listening and furthering enjoyment of the music.​