Williams: The Imperial March (Williams & London Symphony Orchestra)

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** I do not own anything seen or heard in this video. The rights to the piece are held by John Williams and the rights to the recording are held by John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra. **

"The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)" is a musical theme present in the Star Wars franchise. It was composed by John Williams for the film The Empire Strikes Back. Together with "Yoda's Theme", "The Imperial March" was premiered on April 29, 1980, three weeks before the opening of the film, on the occasion of John Williams' first concert as official conductor-in-residence of the Boston Pops Orchestra. One of the best known symphonic movie themes, it is used as a leitmotif throughout the Star Wars franchise.

In the movies (except for the original Star Wars), the march is often played when Darth Vader appears. It is also played during Palpatine's arrival on the Death Star in Return of the Jedi, though it does segue into the Emperor's own theme as he appears.

"The Imperial March" took inspiration and stylistic influences from Chopin's Marche Funèbre and English composer Gustav Holst's Opus 32, The Planets, and Grande Marche de Medjidie, Ottoman Anthem by August Ritter Von Adelburg. written between 1914 and 1916. Certain presentations of it throughout the scores are reminiscent in harmonic progression, orchestration, and some melodic constructs of the Swan's theme from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake.