Tracked music
Much like AOTC, there's a lot of music in ROTS which is lifted note for note from previous films. And although we all wish that Williams composed 2 hours and 26 minutes of brand new music for this film, it ultimately makes perfect sense. There is a lot of new music in each film, but sometimes familiar music works just as well, and helps bind the 6 films together by adding familiarity to the scene. And if it makes financial sense to use the exact same version, rather than get the LSO to record a new version of the same music that sounds 0.1% different, then go ahead. After all, it worked fine in ROTJ over 20 years ago.

Duel of the Fates
This was one of the above-mentioned pieces. A sizeable chunk of the concert version of DOTF scored the latter part of the Yoda/Palpatine duel, and I think it fit like a glove. The theme was after all written to score the grand duel at the end of TPM, so it makes sense here too, and adds to the grandiose feel once the duel moves to the main senate hall. This theme fit well in AOTC too, and ties the prequel trilogy together nicely.

Qui-Gon's Funeral music
I love this piece, and I was impressed when Williams came up with such a great piece for a single, short scene in TPM. It added to the great significance of the scene, and was a highlight of the score. Here we get to hear it a good three times. I would never have even dreamt that it would score the Vader 'table rising' scene, but again, it sounds good. I'm not sure where the link is, except that 2 great Jedis are at death's door (though only one gets to go through ). I guess one could use say that if it fits then don't bother about the leitmotif placing. After all, Leia's theme sounded great just after Obi-Wan died in ANH, despite seeming out of place, and Yoda's theme sounded great during the escape from Bespin. The non-choral version of this piece also fits perfectly in the Padme funeral scene - though here the link is much more obvious.

Imperial March
I always hoped this would be the predominant theme in ROTS, but it isn't. I'm not disappointed though, because the few times it does show up are all the better, and the music chosen for the key Vader scenes fit very well (such as the fitting of the suit). However, I guess this restraint on Williams' part was possibly due to the total absence of the theme from ANH, which would have sounded much weirder coming right after a chapter full of loud blasts of the march every 5 minutes. Probably my favourite use of the theme in ROTS is when Vader enters the control room containing all the separatists and starts shutting all the exits before slaughtering them. There was also the repeat of the superb rendition from 'Clash of the Lightsabers' which worked like a charm in the Yoda/Palpatine duel.

Anakin's theme
I guess it makes sense that this theme is nowhere to be heard in ROTS (at least clearly), since it progressed into its Imperial March form during the course of AOTC, and there's not much of the innocent Anakin to be seen in this film.

Force Theme
At the end of the day this is the binding theme of the whole saga, and I was very pleased to see it used extensively in ROTS. The rendition with the choral backing during the final duel sounded great, as did its use in the opening battle, and countless other scenes. And since this was originally also Obi-Wan's theme, its use during his scenes also makes sense - such as his flight into Utapau. If I'm not mistaken this is the only theme besides the main title to appear in all 6 films, and we finally get some all-out performances of it, because apart from the funeral pyre and throne room it was usually either restrained or short (such as binary sunset). There is also a note-for-note use of the great rendition we hear in TPM when Anakin destroys the droid control ship - we get to hear it whilst Anakin and Obi-Wan try to pilot Grievious' ship through the atmosphere - and it works nicely since the scenes and general feel are very similar.

Leia's Theme
This was naturally the obvious choice for the scene at the end when her future is decided and she arrives in Alderaan, and since that's the note we end on, it sounds great to hear the theme again in the end credits, since the end credits start with Luke's theme it was only fair The theme also serves to make the transition to ANH even smoother (plus it's an exquisite piece of music so the more the better).

Female Solo Vocal
I must admit I've loved this piece of music ever since I heard it in the 'End of Wars' TV spot, but I was quite sure it wasn't from the ROTS score since it didn't sound at all like Star Wars music. Sure enough, I walk into the cinema and there it is - wonderfully increasing the pathos in a very crucial scene. Anything louder would have ruined the scene, and I think Williams scored it superbly. Who cares if it sounds a bit like Gladiator? There must be countless scores that use a female vocal, just like countless scores use a male choir, mixed choir, string section etc. etc. I think it works.

'Lord of the Rings homage'
I guess the first part of track 10 does sounds slightly Elvish, but again, is there a copyright on wordless ethereal vocals? It underscores the scene where Yoda and Obi-Wan walk amongst the slaughtered Jedi and younglings, and I think it fits ok, and is too short to get all worked up about.

Revenge of the Sith
The rhythmic pounding that accompanies the action music during the opening battle adds a refreshing change to the score (since admittedly a lot of the SW space battles have similar music) and I thought it sounded great on screen, just like on CD.

Battle of the Heroes.
Simply brilliant. Every film so far had numerous reasons for new themes, except maybe this one. On paper, this film offered nothing entirely new thematically, and could have been scored perfectly using existing themes and new action music, but Williams adds great weight to the ultimate Jedi duel but giving it a theme of it's own, which works both as a memorable Star Wars theme and a great piece of action scoring which lifts the scene from the minute the music kicks in. And Williams needn't worry about the need for the theme to recur in their 2nd duel in ANH, because that's not scored . The frantic performance of the new theme that starts off Track 9 was probably the highlight of the score when it started on-screen. And then when the choir kicks in everything just gets ten times better. Brilliant.

'Emotional Cues'
The non-thematic, string-based lush music that Williams composed for this film is superb. There hasn't been much of this in the saga so far, since most lush pieces had some thematic backbone, but here he writes totally new, sweeping stuff. The 'Order 66' scene is an obvious highlight, and makes an already excellent montage all the more great. This scene elevated the entire film a notch or three in my opinion. The 'Immolation scene' was also wonderfully done, and of course a scene like that needed Williams at his best to tug at the heart-strings, and he does. And there's a great recurring motif, underscoring Obi-Wan's questioning of Padme about Anakin's whereabouts, which I love on the CD. It's the 2nd half of the track 'Anakin's dark deeds', and builds beautifully to a great crescendo. Speaking of crescendos, the operatic finale to the 'Anakin's betrayal' track caught my attention on the above-mentioned TV ad, and underscores (at least partially) Senator Organa's arrival at the Jedi temple amidst the slaughtering of the Jedi.

The End Credits
As mentioned above, I think Leia's theme was a great choice to kick off the credits, also because it blends so nicely with the rebel fanfare and Luke's theme. It segues into Battle of the Heroes, which as the characteristic theme of this Episode had to have a prominent place in the credits, and I'm glad it does because as I said I love it. Then we get to the Throne Room music. Hmmm. As I said, I think the Force theme had a rightfully prominent place in this Episode, and the throne room is of course a triumphant version of it, but I still think it's out of place here. First of all having it here reduces it's effectiveness at the end of ANH, and it also sounds like the wrong tone for a film that ended with 2 heroes going into exile, thousands dying, one being immolated, and another dying in labour. Anyway, this section is thankfully out of the actual credits during the film, so maybe Williams or Lucas changed his mind after the CD was completed. Then there's a wonderful statement of the Force theme which starts quietly then adds some sweep and power, and sounds brilliant. I can't get enough of this theme. The ending fanfares and blasts are fine by me, and segue nicely into ANH.

I wasn't overly impressed by the RotS score, but it's growing on me. I'm still not too fond of the Throne Room rendition though - the Skywalker Symphony recording (which so many people seem to hate) is a hundred times better.

Much more to say on the positive side...the Order 66 scene was extremely powerful, both visually and audibly (Anakin's Betrayal) as was the use of closing piece of Anakin's Dark Deeds during Obiwan and Padme's conversation. Battle of the Heroes worked perfectly to augment the wrenching emotions of that scene.

Finally, the track the perplexed me on the score (Padme's Ruminations) is hauntingly effective in the quiet, and very moving scene that it accompanies.

I thought the tracked-in music worked well, and I too enjoyed hearing Duel of the Fates and the Arena theme again. But I cracked a smile when Yoda's theme played during his departure--one of several times I smiled during this.

Christensen's acting aside, this movie was a great time, and I even ate up the political scenes--that line about the death of liberty was chilling (and timely).

As far as I could hear from 2 viewings, the music that is tracked is: