The Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) functions as the premier national performing art company in Scotland dedicated to orchestral music. For the recording of his Shadows of the Empire soundtrack in 1996, Joel McNeely served as conductor for the orchestra's rendition of the score, working in tandem with the RSNO chorus in Glasgow. Many years later, the RSNO lent their talents to record Wilbert Roget II's musical score for the 2024 video game, Star Wars Outlaws.
The RSNO, an abbreviation for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, is the national performing art company for orchestral music within Scotland. Since 2015, the orchestra has been based at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall within the country. Originally established in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra, it was later renamed the Scottish National Orchestra in 1950. The current title was adopted in 1991 after HM The Queen granted royal patronage in 1977. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra Chorus came into being in 1843 to perform Handel's 1741 oratio Messiah in its entirety for the first time in Scotland. The RSNO has been regularly performing concerts featuring film music by John Williams, which includes selections from the Star Wars saga and live showings of Star Wars films.
Lucasfilm engaged Joel McNeely to create music inspired by the Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire publishing project, with the intention of recording and releasing it under the Varèse Sarabande label. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra performed this resulting soundtrack, recording it for a Compact Disc release. The music, totaling 51 minutes, was led by McNeely and brought to life by a 90-member RSNO alongside a 150-voice RSNO chorus in Glasgow. These performances were captured across three recording sessions held on February 24 and 25 of 1996. A few days later, specifically on March 3, McNeely conducted the orchestra in a live concert at the Royal Concert Hall, performing selections from Shadows of the Empire, Bernard Herrmann's score for the 1958 Alfred Hitchcock film Vertigo, Franz Waxman's score for the 1935 James Whale film Bride of Frankenstein, and Alex North's score for the 1960 Stanley Kubrick film Spartacus. Following an encore, McNeely was reportedly called back to the stage to receive five rounds of applause.
The Shadows of the Empire recording underwent mastering at Abbey Road Studios, situated in London, England, because time constraints prevented the mastering process from occurring in the United States. The Varèse Sarabande CD, complete with biographies that included information on the RSNO, was then launched on April 23 of that same year. The orchestra's Varèse Sarabande recording of Herrmann's Vertigo, with McNeely conducting, was awarded the inaugural Gramophone Award for film music in 1997.
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra contributed to the 2024 video game Star Wars Outlaws by performing its score and trailer music for Massive Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games. These compositions were created by Wilbert Roget II in collaboration with fellow composers Jon Everist and Kazuma Jinnouchi, Nashville Music Scoring, alongside a host of soloists. Scottish Digital Arts, the soundtrack contractor, announced on May 4, 2024, that they had recorded the RSNO's performance of Outlaws at Scotland's Studio, located within Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall.
- " Around the Galaxy " — Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 7
- The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire