This is just a guess, but I don't think many people here have the expanded version... and as we have been talking about at else-threads, the expanded version you have probably has much different track listings.

On the official First Knight release, the choir begins only 10 seconds into "Arthur's Farewell," (maybe even shorter) and the choir continues throughout the entire 5+ minutes of the track.

I still find Duel of Fates more appealling, but the "No Surrender/Arthur's Farewell" has a great buildup and is also a great piece!

Absolutely no Orff references in these two pieces! If any pieces are paraphrasing Orff's great work, it would be Glory!

Thanks,
Aaron

Duel of the Fates, for its archetypes on your sleeve StarWarsishness is nevertheless one of my favorite things ever by Williams. As a composition it's maybe not that complicated but is beautifully styled. Almost made the film seem as good as its inspirations. Wished the movie matched the cue with a more refined Fritz Lang feel. And I liked the movie more than Star Wars 1, and 3.

First Knight score was ok. Tight contemporary update of Korngold-like material. Maybe too glossy, a muscular work out but lacking a specific purpose.

Didja read the recent big bio of Oliver Stone that includes his and Milius' dueling accounts of Stone's original script to CONAN? Very interesting, what the two of them wanted to do, and what it became because neither of them really had the same vision.

Not a BAD picture by any means -- better than the jokier (and admittedly more fun, but not respectable) CONAN THE DESTROYER -- still, BARBARIAN is a damned ODD picture. Splendid production design by first-timer Ron Cobb (who also, as a draughtsman, previously came up with such amazing images as the skeleton of the space-jockey in the hull of the ship in the original ALIEN). And as good as the Varese expanded CD of CONAN is, it still left out at least two of my favorite cues (and what would it have cost them? The thing was recorded in ROME for Godssakes!)

Anyway, Stone's version of the script (I've only read the account in the aforementioned book) seems like a beautifully hallucinatory piece of work that I'd have been just as happy to see. Milius really isn't a great director -- come on, Michael, you can't pretend he is -- he's competent, at best -- but he did pull off some interesting stuff, the Snake Orgy in particular. Though that had as much to do with cutting as direction.

Personally, I prefer it over "Duel of the Fates," simply because I liked McNeely's interpretation of Star Wars better than Williams on Episode 1. I thought Phantom Menace was missing that special Williams panache (sp?).

I enjoy them all, but I have to see I liked them in this order:

1) "Arthur's Farewell"
2) "The Destruction of Xizor's Palace"
3) "Duel of the Fates"

Did I confuse ya?

There is nothing else in classical music like "Carmina Burana" -- Goldsmith most definitely modeled his choral music after it, probably because the director wanted him to (i.e., it was on the temp track).

"Duel of the Fates" is similar in tone but much less "like" Orff. It certainly draws inspiration from that source.

Of the two, "Duel of the Fates" is more pulsing and pervasive, "Arthur" more uplifting and enthralling.

Does either have to be "better"?