This production was another opportunity (like the more noteworthy Earthquake) for Williams to score a film that would utilize "Sensurround," a Dolby Digital 1.1 format that essentially took a monaural mix and added a subwoofer for increased range. Generally, Williams' score sounds good in the film despite the fact that the Sensurround didn't do much more than provide indiscriminate hums in the lowest region. For a film of well over two hours in length, Midway actually did not avail itself of much music from Williams. His contribution was limited (by intent) to just a fraction of the movie, inhibiting his ability to make a significant or cohesive impact on the narrative. He wrote two themes for Midway, both likely to be recognized by fans of the composer from their many concert variations that he has conducted through the years. The primary military fanfare for the film is a march with slight John Philip Sousa inclinations that was itself likely inspired in part by Goldsmith's Patton, though almost obnoxiously enthusiastic bridge sections of the theme root it firmly in Williams' stylistic corner. This idea, while heard exclusively in the end title sequence, didn't really fit with the tone of the majority of the film and therefore its usage in the actual score is quite rare, limited to fragments of mostly its primary phrase in the cues "Red Parks Fighters," "Good News for Nimitz," and "Matt Takes Off." The second theme is summarized in the concert arrangement "Men of the Yorktown March," a construct more frequently used for Nimitz's on screen moments and in nostalgic moments such as "Missing the Flatlands," "Ensign Gay Afloat," and the finale just before the conclusion of the film. This theme, very pastoral in the flowing strings that Williams would employ many times to represent the best of America in subsequent years, is more frequently utilized in the score. The closing of its concert version, with pulsating high brass, is a highlight of the entire score. The best moments of underscore from Midway come in cues like "Good News for Nimitz," in which Williams creatively merges the two themes by using the primary march as counterpoint to the Yorktown theme.

Unfortunately, outside of these two themes, Midway is a surprisingly dull work, quoting sequences from Williams' disaster epics and frequently neglecting to establish a direction in any of its many short cues. The "Main Title," for instance, slowly builds to a classic Williams-style crescendo of power, but this piece's ambitious, driving rhythm in the final minute doesn't have anything in common with the rest of the work. The music for the Japanese is particularly disappointing; though respectful, its barely audible woodwind solos and piano and harp figures do not do justice to the weight of the Japanese commanders' dilemmas. And only in "Hiroshima Harbor" do you hear Williams make any attempt to provide the Japanese with an ethnic musical element. The action music in Midway is satisfying in short bursts but fails to maintain energy for long. The entire score suffers from a lack of overarching character development in the thematic structures. It is thus a disappointingly anonymous score compared to Williams' other epics of the period. Long unreleased in its original recorded form, Midway was commissioned by Varèse Sarabande for a re-recording with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (under the direction of Rick Wentworth) to coincide with the film's first DVD offering in 1998. The crystal clear digital sound is welcome and the performances are strong, but the score didn't need this treatment as badly as Williams' underappreciated 1979 score for Dracula, which would have been a far worthier candidate for a complete re-recording. Some listeners will find that the wet ambient mix of the re-recording obscures too many of the intricacies of Midway, though given that this was, for more than a decade, the only non-bootlegged version of the score available, some leeway had to be given. The mid-range brass especially benefit from the resounding reverb effect, with French horns very satisfying in their fuller, harmonious statements in "Main Title" and "Matt Takes Off." The actual original recording of the score was finally released by Varèse on a 3,000-unit pressing in 2011, though master tapes were lost for several key cues, forcing partial restoration from inferior secondary sources. On the whole, Midway is a sufficient score with a pair of famous concert pieces. Just don't expect the remainder of the work to match the same level of appeal.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download