The day Princess Leia's Theme came to life

Can you imagine being the musician that played Princess Leia's Theme, right after it was written?

French horn player David Cripps did just that, and he told us about it Saturday in a talk before a concert by the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra in San Marino, Calif. (I went to the concert to hear William Hagen play The Lark Ascending on his newly-acquired del Gesù - here is that review and video.) I'm happy to say, I caught it all on video!

Cripps started by telling us what John Williams told him, toward the end of a long day of recording for the original Star Wars movie in 1977:

"David, I've written a little horn solo for you, I hope you enjoy it!"

By now, millions of people all over the world have heard that recording and have come to love the music. After telling us the story, Cripps then played the solo, in honor of the late Carrie Fisher. Enjoy!

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