GALACTIC SYMPHONY: WORLD PREMIERE CONCERT
Music for STAR WARS: VISIONS – THE NINTH JEDI by Nobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi
Music for STAR WARS by John Williams
Music for STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU by Ludwig Göransson
Conducted by Taizo Takemoto
August 28, 2026
MUZA Kawasaki Symphony Hall
Kanagawa, Japan
PART 1: THE THINGS WE DO
Up until a few weeks ago, I had little interest in subscribing to Disney+ or watching the many STAR WARS-related films and series that are streaming on the platform. There are so many things in the STAR WARS universe available to watch now that I just can’t keep track, so I inevitably end up watching none of them.
But when I heard that celebrated Japanese composers Nobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi were putting on a world premiere concert of their music from the new Disney+ animated series, STAR WARS: VISIONS – THE NINTH JEDI, I was definitely intrigued.
This intrigue was strong enough to finally get me to subscribe to Disney+ for the sole purpose of checking out THE NINTH JEDI, a series about masterless Jedi, colour-shifting lightsabers, and the rebirth of the Jedi Order.
This new 8-part series, which was released on August 5 this year, follows a story that was originally released as a standalone short film in 2021.
While there are disagreements about the quality of the series itself, there’s one thing that has consistently garnered praise and that is its score by Nobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi.
Written in the same musical world of John Williams’ iconic STAR WARS scores, simply listening to a far bars of the score tells you that this is STAR WARS music written by composers with great skill and tremendous respect for the story, the STARS WARS franchise, and its legendary original composer, John Williams.
PART 2: A GALACTIC SYMPHONY
August 28 saw not only the world premiere live performance STAR WARS: VISIONS – THE NINTH JEDI, but also a rousing first-half program of classic John Williams STAR WARS music as well as a piece from Ludwig Göransson’s STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU. Preceding the second half was a special talk session (in Japanese) with the series director, Kenji Kamiyama, and the series’ composers.
What made the night’s concert especially significant is that it was performed by the score’s original orchestra at the very place it was originally recorded – it certainly showed as it sounded just like the original soundtrack recording. But with many STAR WARS fans in cosplay waving special penlights in beat with the music, it became a very special experience indeed.
The set list for the concert was as follows:
– PART 1 –
- 20th Century Fox Fanfare (composed by Alfred Newman)
- Main Title
- Battle of the Heroes
- Yoda’s Theme
- The Imperial March
- Duel of the Fates
- The Rise of Skywalker
- “Main Title/This Is The Way” from THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU (composed by Ludwig Göransson)
– PART 2: Music from STAR WARS: VISIONS – THE NINTH JEDI –
- The Ninth Jedi – Prologue
- Speederbike Chase
- The Battle of Jedi ~ End
- Gathering Fighters
- Nawaam’s Theme
- Cavalry
- New Dawn
- The Ninth Jedi Main Theme
With no encore being performed, the whole evening ended in just under two hours.
PART 3: THE CLASSICS
As the main focus of this report is to write about THE NINTH JEDI, allow me to make some brief comments about the first half.
As expected, every piece here was impeccably performed from the iconic 20th Century Fox Fanfare by Alfred Newman, to the wildly satisfying piece from THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU. The particular highlights for me were the two choral pieces, “Battle of the Heroes” and “Duel of the Fates,” which featured powerful choral work and tremendously satisfying climaxes.
But the real crowd-pleaser for the first half had to be THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU. Opening with that iconic low figure for (bass?) flute, the excitement level immediately jumped a few notches as Mandalorian’s theme made its welcome appearance. With percussion entering to drive the piece forward, I couldn’t help but get swept away as many in the audience took out their concert penlights and waved them in rhythm with the march-like arrangement of the theme. Electric guitar also joined the party, giving the piece an extra dose of cool.
My only quibble about the first half would be the selection of music from STAR WARS: EPISODE IX – THE RISE OF SKYWALKER – to be honest, this is my least favorite STAR WARS score. The new themes really don’t do it for me… sorry John!
I would have been over the moon if they had performed a suite from Michael Giacchino’s ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY or even Williams’ own “The Adventures of Han” from SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.
PART 4: SOME VERY SPECIAL GUESTS
After a brief intermission, it was time for a special onstage talk session with the series director, Kenji Kamiyama, and the series’ composers.
Lasting about fifteen minutes, the main points* were as follows:
Kamiyama on the music and composers of THE NINTH JEDI
- Kamiyama asked the composers to write as if they were scoring a feature film.
- He had chosen these composers because of the past work they did together and their passion for John Williams.
Toda and Jinnouchi on composing THE NINTH JEDI
- The themes for the protagonist (Kara) and the lightsabers were created first.
- They had one week to score the 2021 standalone short film!
- About half of the motifs from the 2021 short film were carried over to the 8-part series – keys, tempos and arrangements were changed to suit each scene.
Toda and Jinnouchi on John Williams
- To have their music performed after the first half of John Williams’ most classic STAR WARS themes made them feel very nervous!
- They don’t think any composer of their generation has not been influenced by John Williams.
* if you notice any errors, please let me know. My Japanese is not great, so I may have misheard a thing or two!
PART 5: A WORLD PREMIERE
It was now time for the main event: the world premiere live performance of STAR WARS: VISIONS – THE NINTH JEDI.
As the set list had been pre-announced, I knew what to expect and had religiously listened to the score (as well as binge-watched the whole series) before the concert, so was pretty familiar with it.
I knew the score was good, had memorable themes and was written in that unmistakable John Williams style, but hearing it live in the presence of its composers and the very orchestra that performed on the original recording, was truly something else.
I will now describe the performance of each piece in detail with embedded videos for you to hear the original recordings.
The first three pieces came from the 2021 standalone short film.
The Ninth Jedi – Prologue
Opening with soft hope and optimism, the piece soon grew in size and scope as a short narration played over the hall’s PA system to give the music context. But the mood soon changed as the narration ended and we heard a brief glimpse of a villainous theme. Seeds of the hero’s main theme then started to appear as a soaring string arrangement filled the air and carried the piece until its conclusion.
Speederbike Chase
This frantic action piece was written to accompany the scene where the protagonist Kara is being chased by Jedi hunters on, you guessed it, speederbikes. When I first saw this scene on Disney+, I knew it would sound tops in the concert hall and I was definitely not disappointed. Despite the piece’s brevity, it was still incredibly exciting and left a huge impression on the audience.
The Battle of Jedi ~ End
What a performance!
Opening with a sense of mystery and caution, the mood soon shifted as the full orchestra joined to create a frantic, exciting, and adventurous set piece with fragments of the main theme in various guises. But the music also had shades of tragedy – no doubt reflecting what is happening in the story. As the piece progressed, the main theme became more prominent and hopeful until it climaxed with a confident and truly glorious statement of the main theme. This show-stopper of a piece attracted huge applause and appreciation from the audience.
The pieces that followed come from the 8-part 2026 series.
Gathering Fighters
After some narration played over the PA system, the melancholic “Gathering Fighters” came next. Full of regret and loss, this piece was headlined by some tremendous trumpet playing by Ottaviano Cristofoli that perfectly evoked that signature Williams trumpet sound. It soon transitioned into a powerful and spine-tingling statement of the main theme before ending on a peaceful and hopeful note.
Nawaam’s Theme
Brass stabs and timpani banging away with menace and attitude opened this epic piece. Trumpet then appeared with a somewhat conflicting tone – was Nawaam on the side of good or evil? A gentle menace began to emanate from the orchestra as the women’s choir entered with soft yet unsettling sounds (though I’m unsure of the language they were singing – please reach out if you know!). The men’s choir soon joined with brass growling in background, becoming more and more malevolent as it progressed. The women’s choir then returned to lend the piece an air of tragedy, perhaps signifying how Nawaam lost his way as a child. The piece then ended on a deliciously dark and quiet note.
Cavalry
The title of the piece says it all.
This performance featured a tremendously rousing call to arms. With percussion driving the piece forward, the main theme later appeared as it surged forward with heroism in a march-like rhythm.
New Dawn
This is my favourite track from the soundtrack and also my favourite performance of the whole evening.
An uncertain melody on flute opened as the strings see-sawed with unease. The tolling of a tubular bell marked the entrance of a theme heralding hope and a desire to overcome the odds. Cooing female choir soon joined to raise the stakes.
Brass then made its entrance with a rising figure signalling some kind of transformation to the next level – this short segment, which is probably no longer than 20 seconds, is my favourite part of the entire score. It felt truly cathartic and something I will NEVER forget hearing live.
The music then became even more bold and confident as it kicked off the climax which again was a tremendous showcase of triumphant, transcendent and spine-tingling music.
I really would have to paid double just to hear this piece live!
The Ninth Jedi Main Theme
The concert concluded with a crowd-pleasing take on the show’s memorable main theme.
Opening with a short brass fanfare, strings then entered to gently guide us to the main theme. After a brief moment of silence, we were then treated to a definitive arrangement of the theme in all its heroic glory. A dreamy interlude then followed before a return to that tremendous main theme for a perfectly rousing finish and wild applause from the audience.
And that ended the unforgettable world premiere live performance of STAR WARS: VISIONS – THE NINTH JEDI.
Take your bows guys!
PART 6: THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH TH(ESE) ONE(S)
During the special talk session after the intermission, Jinnouchi noted that he felt nervous about performing his and Toda’s music following the first-half program of John Williams’s” most classic STAR WARS music.
But he needn’t have worried because their music more than rose to the challenge. Their score is full of passion, excitement, heartbreak, and heroism in that unmistakable Williams style.
I think it successfully marks a brand-new chapter in the STAR WARS universe, proving to all that even if your name isn’t John Williams, you can still create music that successfully lives in the STAR WARS universe and pushes it forward.
I for one cannot wait to hear THE NINTH JEDI in concert again, and hope that it may someday be expanded into a proper symphonic poem – it really is that good.
Bravo again to the composers and their astounding work on STAR WARS: VISIONS – THE NINTH JEDI.
PART 7: MEETING THE COMPOSERS
After the concert there was a chance to meet outside the hall with Toda and Jinnouchi, who patiently posed for photos and signed for the many fans that came to see them. Below are my selfies with each composer:
They graciously signed my copy of the STAR WARS: VISIONS soundtrack (that was available at STAR WARS CELEBRATION JAPAN 2025 as part of a limited edition 23-disc box set!) as well as the ad page for the digital soundtrack album in the program booklet.
Disney Records (& related parties), please make the world right and kindly release the digital album on CD – with the increased popularity of physical media, it DESERVES a release for all across the galaxy to enjoy. Thank you in advance 😊
PART 8: OVER TO YOU
Did you go to this concert too? How did you like it?
And what did you think of my report? Feel free to comment below or reach out to me directly in the “Contact Me” section.
