Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
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Brand: HOOPER,NICHOLASComposer: Nicholas Hooper
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Soundtrack
CD Release Date: 2007-07-10
Music Label: Warner Bros/Wea
Soundtracks:
- Fireworks
- Professor Umbridge
- Another Story
- Dementors In The Underpass
- Dumbledore's Army
- The Hall Of Prophecies
- Possession
- The Room of Requirement
- The Kiss
- A Journey To Hogwarts
- The Sirius Deception
- Death Of Sirius
- Umbridge Spoils A Beautiful Morning
- Darkness Takes Over
- The Ministry Of Magic
- The Sacking Of Trelawny
- Flight Of The Order Of The Phoenix
- Loved Ones And Leaving
Music reviews of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Music Review: A fine effort and a great improvement over Doyle
Rating: 4 Stars
Well, I've long since stopped mourning the loss of John Williams from the Harry Potter series. After composing the best score yet for "Azkaban," the prolific Williams left the Harry Potter fandom to wallow in the cutesy waltzes and themeless chromatic atmospherics of "Goblet."
But "Order of the Phoenix" sees yet another composer: Nicholas Hooper. I'll admit I was wary at first (I believe I wrote a blog on him a long time ago), but after listening to the entire score streaming through AOL Music, my opinion has changed.
Although nowhere near the quality of Williams, Hooper brings a new atmosphere to the soundtrack series. Although his darker tracks like Darkness Takes Over and Possession may get a little boring with the endless, near silent violin tremolos, puncuated by the occasional bang that makes you jump out of your seat, it's the lighter tracks and the more emotional core of the soundtrack that really impressed me.
For the first time in the entire series, Hooper has hesitantly used a piano at the forefront of one track, accompanied by violins, and the result is heart-wrenching. Recorded beautifully as well, I reluctantly say that these bits may have served the Mirror of Erised scene in "Philosopher's Stone" much better than the numerous repetitions of "Hedwig's Theme" or "Harry's Wondrous World." I wish Hooper had used more solo piano on the album as it is some of the best stuff on there. Another emotional point in the album uses the flute and soaring violins, possibly to depict Harry and Sirius's close relationship.
The opening cue, Fireworks, is comparable to the Quidditch World Cup cues from "Goblet." Staunchly Irish in its rhythms and melodies, the cue has an energy to it befitting the scene which it scores.
The Dumbledore's Army music is some of the best, and really suggests a fun time, with great learning, and underscores the idea of a rebellion, but not something like Guy Fawkes, but something you'd expect from school kids. I sorely wish Hooper had expanded on that more, but sadly, you only hear about a minute of it on the entire album.
The Umbridge music fits very well, even if it is a bit reptitive, but I really liked the Room of Requirement music (which has been incorrectly named the Room of Requirements). It's mysterious and quirky at the same time, and evokes a hidden, ancient magic that has a mischeivous mind of its own. And knowing that Hooper will probably be back for "Half-Blood Prince," because the David Yates, the director will as well, I know he'll be able to weave the slightly naughty Requirement theme into a much darker tapestry when Malfoy uses it to break into Hogwarts.
One great aspect of the score is Hooper's willingness to revisit Williams' lasting mark on the score: Hedwig's Theme. He uses it subtly, but noticeably, paying homage to the old master, but also varying it and changing its mood from dark to light to moody where it is needed.
The music for the famous kissing scene suffices, in my opinion, and I'm sure it works well with the on-screen visuals, but I don't feel the magic in it very much, or nearly as much as I did when I read the scene in the books. I think it could have done with a few more flute trills and runs, possibly some soaring violins to depict the fluttering of Harry's heart, but it's a much slower, calmer piece with a few long chords and modest bells.
The driving music found in the climactic cue Sirius Deception really reminded me a great deal of the better action movies of late. I can't wait to hear it in conjunction with the film's visuals. I can just see Harry and co. marching down to the forest and then soaring away on the thestrals, whose music gives me goosebumps, because it really feels like an epic flight. Next to Williams' amazing cue Buckbeak's Flight in "Azkaban," I'd say this cue comes closest to matching that swooping feeling in the pit of your stomach when you soar into the air.
The cue for the death of the major character (I won't spoil it for those that haven't read the book) is very unsatisfying. It is one of those moments where dark atmospherics take precedence over melody, and as a result, the emotional impact that the cue should have is conspicuously absent. I'm sure it works well in the film, but I still would have expected something more gut-wrenching and heartbreaking. Then the cue launches into an ugly boisterous section which I can only imagine depicts Harry launching himself into a heated duel with Bellatrix. I can only describe it as noisy. In its final moments, the cue tries to become emotional, but it doesn't try hard enough and it only sounds like a weak attempt at tears.
Being a flute player, I love the opening of Umbridge Spoils a Beautiful Morning, because it is a lovely flute serenade, which then breaks into a string pizz version of Umbridge's bouncy, insidious theme.
The Ministry of Magic music is very funny in its quirky, bouncy sense, and is almost reminiscent of Sorcerer's Apprentice. Although I would not have thought the Ministry of Magic would warrant bouncyness, perhaps the method in which it is depicted calls for such motifs. The amazement at the Ministry's massive size is somewhat poorly scored, relied on somewhat idiotic downward arpeggios that seems a bit obvious. The mischief continues through to the end of the track, however.
The one thing that annoyed me was how the music for Trelawney being sacked fit more with the emotional impact of the big death in the film.
The Flight of the Order of the Phoenix, which depicts the Order's picking up Harry and flying back to headquarters, was okay in the sense that it was flying music, but it somehow felt too ordinary.
The horn is also used to create a sense of deep, tragic loss, and great scope, as it always will be, but its effect is somewhat diminished as Hooper shies away from the more soaring, incredible chords and triads that the horn does so well with.
The ending of the album finally hints at a somewhat great, emotional, soaring happiness, but it is never fully developed to be truly appreciable.
I know I make it out to be a horrible album, and I admit, if it wasn't Harry Potter, I would not have picked it up. I only feel that it doesn't come anywhere close to the perfection that was "Azkaban." Having said that, this score really isn't too bad, although the current masters of today like Elfman, Williams, and (I can't believe I'm saying this, but the Pirates 3 score was phenomenal) Zimmer would easily have done a better job, I think Hooper has done an admirable job of rescuing the score from Patrick Doyle.
An essentially dark score, puncuated by light, bouncy, quirkiness, the music shines at certain moments and snores at others. Overall, I would give it a 7 out of 10.
~ Adhish
Description of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Featuring a colorful and inspiring score by Nicholas Hooper, the soundtrack to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix takes the movie-goer to the next level of magical enchantment right along with Harry and his friends.For its fifth cinematic installment, the Harry Potter franchise gets a new composer as England's Nicholas Hooper (a usual collaborator of new director David Yates) succeeds Patrick Doyle and John Williams. The screeching electric guitar that suddenly irrupts on the very first track, "Fireworks," lets the listener know that all is not quiet on the Hogwarts front. The kiddies are growing up, evil is spreading: which is worse?! But actually this modern sonic touch is deceiving: Hooper works within an old-school format and mostly sticks to tried-and-true effects. His score is best when it goes for tension and unease, particularly in its use of low, rumbling tones: A choir starts by humming in a menacing manner in "Dementors in the Underpass"; the sound at the beginning of "The Death of Sirius" feels as if it's being belched out from some deep, dark, scary place, creating an effective atmosphere of dread. Elsewhere, the beginning of "Possession" feels as if it belongs in a J-horror movie, and then the track becomes deceptively calm before the storm hits again. Keen listeners will recognize Williams' "Hedwig's Theme" in "Another Story," but mostly Hooper is his own man. Just like the overall series, which gets darker and darker as it goes along, this CD makes for a rather brooding listening experience--the pizzicato violins on "Umbridge Spoils a Beautiful Morning" provide one of the few jaunty touches. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
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