To add to some of the recent posts highlighting why David's track is so great, I was thinking this morning about some of the complaints or questions raised about it, or about how the judges evaluated it, and thought (foolishly, I'm sure) that it might be helpful to share my thoughts.
I'm not Zimmer, Clouser, etc. Chances are I'm neither as talented nor as experienced as a composer as the folks raising the question, so take my analysis in that context. I can be a pretty cogent analyst, though, so FWIW, here's why the judge's decision makes sense to me:
1. The "genre" question
We're supposed to move abruptly and jarringly from a score more directly in the modern tradition into a "genre" switch that fits the cartoonish cinematic violence of the guided missile and the SUV explosions. All the better if we also get a window into Caleb (Aaron Paul)'s bewilderment. The original soundtrack is the Wagner piece itself a delightfully florid (with all due respect to Wagner's genius) piece of musical drama, chosen as a
"punch right square on your nose" reference to how Apocalypse Now used the piece.
Some folks didn't bother about the genre switch at all. Lots of folks, like me, chose to emulate that genre switch by writing either knock-off Wagner or knock-off 80's action cues to match the Apocalypse Now genre. In retrospect, that's a losing move if you're not Wagner or a successful 80's-era composer. David didn't try that. He realized that the visuals of an oversaturated futuristic car-chase with over-the-top pyrotechnics and "point-and-shoot" mechanics could work as 8-bit video game. More subtly, it's a "right square on your nose" reference to another cultural touchstone that lots of people will instantly recognize - 8-bit video games. In other words, it's a reference that's arguably as obvious as the reference in the original episode, but also makes sense out of Caleb's perceptions of what's happening.
2. Scoring (emphasis/mood/storytelling)
If you're watching the other characters experience a car chase in a modern cinematic setting, and Caleb experience the same thing as an arcade game, the back-and-forth makes perfect sense. David's choices of sound, theme and hitpoints all focus me on Caleb's experience and his character's distorted sense of reality.
3. Compositional craft
Musically, David chose a theme subtly reminiscent of the brass theme in
Ride of the Valkyries (I thought it was, at least. Could be wrong), which works effectively in both 8-bit and orchestral settings, and across a range of dynamics. That's—to me—why it works so well when the orchestral and 8bit come together to simulate the triumphant completion of a video game level, all the way down to the juxtaposition of a climactic emotional moment from the orchestra and a buzzy little congratulatory phrase in 8-bit.
I'm not saying this is a definitive analysis of either the episode or David's creative choices, but it's a large part of why I personally, in my own subjective way, think David's entry is so clearly deserving of the top prize.
)) Great work, man. Well deserved win! 
