The movie featured an all-star cast, state of the art special effects, and a massive score provided by John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra. William’s recent successes with Jaws (1975) and the massive hit Star Wars (1977) had propelled him to the top of his field and he certainly delivered with the soundtrack for Superman: The Movie and this score proved to be one of his most well known.

In a film such as this, it is important for the music to fit hand in hand with the characters on screen and to help achieve this effect Williams makes use of the Wagnerian idea of the leitmotif, a short musical idea which is associated with a person, place of thing. In this instance we hear three prominent themes, the Superman theme, the love theme and Lex’s theme.

Whilst Williams is known for his big writing and impressive themes, his subtlety should not be overlooked. The score is at first impression big and bold and based heavily on a these motives, but once you listen closely to the slower and more intimate tracks, it is easy to see the richness and multiple layers contained in the music. Williams’ ear for orchestration is impressive and the orchestra achieves a wide variety of textures and colours. The wide variety of orchestral colour is exemplified well through the variation of the leitmotifs to suit the change on-screen.

The recent release of the original motion picture soundtrack in its entirety sees over one hundred and twenty minutes of music together on disc for the first time with the inclusion of alternate versions, extended and bonus tracks. The tracks follow the layout of the film and the listener is taken on a journey from the destruction of Krypton to Superman’s eventual triumph, foiling the plans of the criminal mastermind Lex Luthor.

The disc begins with the prelude before the main titles which features an outstanding layered crescendo as one motif gradually builds and new layers appear until the orchestra peaks in a way that seems as warm, big and round as the sun rising. The music moves in a different direction and we hear some very experimental writing, especially through the use of percussion and electronics. The following track is the most notable from the score, the Main Title March (Superman’s theme), which features a rousing brass theme that soars over a rhythmically charged orchestra. This track is laid out in a simple ABA structure, a form Williams uses commonly for big themes such as the Star Wars and the Raiders March. The A section being the Superman theme and the B section the love theme. The pairing of the two most prominent themes is the reason this track stands out from the rest of the score. The music follows the adventures of Superman throughout the film, reworking the main themes and combining these with new material to achieve a wonderful sense of flow that links the entire body of music together.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO0vnGcOOso