Ever since I really started to listen to film scores separate from their originating films, sometime last year, I have been wanting to pick up one of the Harry Potter scores, but some reason I never did. Why, I cannot say, I mean the music has always worked well within the films, two of them have been nominated for Oscars, and three of them have been scored by one of the greatest film composers to ever write a note, John Williams. Well, now I have the opportunity to give a listen to the music from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix a few days prior to the opening of the film. This is the fifth film, the fifth score album, and the third composer. After Williams scored the first three (with help from William Ross on The Chamber of Secrets), he left the franchise with Patrick Doyle taking the reigns for Goblet of Fire, now he is gone and Nicholas Hooper has delivered a memorable score for the fifth film of the franchise.I have never read a Harry Potter novel, and I am not a Potter-head, I also was not a big fan of the last film, but if there is one thing that has been consistent throughout the series, it is the music. Each score has perfectly captured the tone of the film and of the scenes it appears in. Not every movie has an appropriate score, but all who have touched the music for this series has done a great job at bringing just the right touch to the composition.
Something that I have liked about all of the music is the way that it can simultaneously evoke impending dread and magical wonder. It cannot be an easy thing to accomplish. There is a lot of darkness in the films, atmosphere of dread with evil and the unknown lurking around every corner. But that is always tempered by the wonder that comes with the idea of magic and the skills that the kids are growing. The further into the series we get, there is an increasing amount of danger closing in around our heroes. Nicholas Hooper's work continues that trend in a score that strikes me as being more straight forward than what I remember from the earlier outings, but it is nonetheless effective. Even without seeing the movie, the music has an impact and works well as a standalone album.
The album starts off with a bouncy, upbeat Irish type sound that gives way to an Eddie Van Halen style electric guitar. This is a different way of opening a Harry Potter score. It is the sound of rebellious youth taking on the establishment, and it is a memorable way to start things off. This gives way to a theme new to the series, the theme for Professor Umbridge. It is a bouncy, prissy, superior jaunt. This leads to "Another Story" which reintroduces John Williams theme introduced in the first film. It does have some modification to it, it still feels epic, but it has a stripped down feel as well.
Nicholas Hooper's work has a number of interesting cues that I look forward to in the film. From the danger present in "Dementors in the Underpass" to the light approach of "Dumbledore's Army" to the long awaited by fans first kiss of Harry highlighted in its own cue called appropriately "The Kiss," the music here is all falling into place and making me look forward to the film. Other cues that I really enjoyed are "The Room of Requirements," the playfulness of "The Ministry of Magic," and the final track "Loved Ones & Leaving."
Overall, this is a very enjoyable score that takes its departure from the other scores in the series, forging new ground while still remaining true to the tone and atmosphere of the series. The score is an intriguing work that has me ready to go see the film, and see how it works in context.
Bottomline. Very good, although it does not strike me as being overly complex. It is an easy listen, an enjoyable one that does bring me back into the Potter world while not simply rehashing what has come before.
Recommended.
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