John Williams Star Wars: A New Hope: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (London Symphony Orchestra)

The Force is as strong as ever in John Williams’ writing for orchestra. His mix of classical influences hasn’t changed—why mess with film-scoring perfection?—but he’s found new ways to make the melange sing. The marching aggression of brass instruments during “Attack on the Jakku Village” has an appropriately Mahlerian grandeur, while a Debussy-like flute cavorts intriguingly through “The Scavenger.” And when it comes to choreographing battles in space, as with “Scherzo for X-Wings,” Williams’ talent remains unmatched.