Harry Potter & The Order of the Phoenix OST

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Binding: Audio CD EAN: 0093624997313 Format: Soundtrack Label: Wea Manufacturer: Wea Number Of Discs: 1 Publisher: Wea Release Date: 2007-07-09 Running Time: 52 Studio: Wea
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Editorial Reviews: 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 errupts 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
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Under-rated Comment: I'll be honest with you: I still believe that it would have been very interesting, compositionally, to hear what John Williams would have done had he had the opportunity to score all of the Harry Potter films. It may be that he'll return for the 6th or the 7th film, or both; but with that said, the fact remains that despite my initial misgivings and apprehensions, Patrick Doyle's score for The Goblet of Fire and Nicholas Hooper's work on The Order of the Phoenix are both excellent in their own right. I tend not to notice or remember a film's music until my second or third viewing, and in the case of The Order of the Phoenix, I have not fully appreciated it until hearing it all on CD. In one word, I would describe the score as: `understated', and definitely underrated. Forget the rather random arrangement of tracks on the soundtrack and enjoy each of them for what they're worth, the first being one of the best. Interestingly, as my brother pointed out to me, the music shares some identical measures with Howard Shore's music for the fireworks scene in The Fellowship of the Ring (quite appropriate seeing that the filmmakers chose to borrow the dragon-firework gag as well!). However, the addition of a solo electric guitar sets it apart. The theme used in `Professor Umbridge' is, as Hooper himself describes it, an "insistent and slightly irritating tune" and reflects her character's fluffy and pompous nature, but it always hints at something being not quite right, which is clearly the case with Umbridge herself. The theme returns in `Unbridge Spoils a Beautiful Morning', but in a subtler guise. `Another Story' consists of the music which starts the movie off, including the now obligatory snatch of Williams' `Hedwig's Theme' played over the title of the film. The theme fades away and a broken piano solo enters as Harry appears on screen. `Hedwig's Theme' returns once more near the end of the track, quieter now, as Dudley and his gang taunt Harry for being an orphan. Silence falls in `Dementors in the Underpass', punctuated only by two dull drumbeats. High strings sound as the Dementors attack and when Harry retrieves his wand and performs the Patronus charm does Hooper introduce his own take on this unique spell, also represented by clear choral voices. Both `Dumbledore's Army' and `The Room of Requirement' play over montage sequences showing the Hogwarts students' progress as they learn to defend themselves against the dangers that they are to come, and constitute the most buoyant and chipper themes in the score, although the latter has its dark moments. `The Hall of Prophecy' begins in the lowest registers of the orchestra, and even when Harry picks up the prophecy relating to him, it is a muted version of `Hedwig's Theme' that plays in the background. Slowly, the Death-eaters converge on the five teenagers and the music builds toward this until they all make a run for it, and frantic strings follow their escape. `Possession' is the only track conducted by Nicholas Hooper and he identifies it as the climax of the film. It begins with a burst of brass as Voldemort flows into Harry's body and continues in low, sad strings as he attempts to throw Harry into the pits of despair. A conflict develops as a stronger theme emerges, representing Harry's happier memories that will gradually drive Voldemort out of him. The music reaches a crescendo as Harry realises that Voldemort "will never know love" and that he feels sorry for him. `The Kiss' is once again a deceptively simple track, but perfectly suited to the scene. `A Journey to Hogwarts' is the last track to feature `Hedwig's Theme', but also includes a tender new theme that plays over the conversations that Harry and Sirius share, and ends with a jumpy tune as Harry and friends discover that Hagrid has returned and they run down towards his house. `The Sirius Deception' and `The Flight of the Order of the Phoenix' are stand out tracks for me purely because the represent the two scenes in the film involving flying, and regardless of how many times I've heard it, the music still makes my hair stand up and gives me that wonderful sensation that flying must do! `Death of Sirius' showcases the only substantial battle in the score, and whereas Patrick Doyle opted for a near excess of brass for action scene, Hooper prefers to go for up-and-down strings and carefully used percussion. Chorus sounds as Harry and his friends first rally together to face the Death-eaters, and also when the Order of the Phoenix arrive to save the day. Once Sirius is killed, however, Hooper does what Shore also did at Gandalf's `death' in Fellowship and pulls out all the sound, Harry's grief now represented by low strings receding into nothing. `Darkness Takes Over' is yet another jewel of a track, playing mainly alongside the prisoner breakout from Azkaban where the whirling strings and brass perfectly echo the sound of the wind whistling through the broken stones of the outer wall. `The Ministry of Magic' starts off innocently enough as Harry makes his first visit to the fabled establishment, however the music soon takes a darker turn as entry into the atrium reveals a massive poster of the minister-in-denial, Cornelius Fudge. `The Sacking of Trelawney' is, as you can imagine, a simple mournful track that lightens only when Dumbledore appears. `Loved Ones and Leaving' features music from the film, building towards its inevitable crescendo; however, it is at this point that I would lament one thing missing from this soundtrack, and that is Luna Lovegood's theme, such an unusual and humorous sound whenever she appear on screen. There is a hint of it in this final track, but not nearly enough to recognize it for what it is. Overall, however, I was pleasantly surprised by this soundtrack and now welcome the view held by the filmmakers that inviting different composers to score the various Harry Potter movies encourages a greater variety of sounds and a dynamic mix of music for this magnificent film franchise. Customer Rating: Summary: Love it! Comment: This is, for me, perhaps the best HP soundtrack released to date! Different in feel yet with familiar themes running through it (i.e. Hedwig's Theme) this soundtrack mirrors Harry's journey into darker territory and towards adulthood. The Order of the Phoenix is a darker story in the Harry Potter series and the music reflects that. Whilst Hooper weaves Hedwig's Theme into the tapestry of his soundtrack, he introduces new colour and depth through a range of subtle devices and new themes. The palette is broad and varied and produces interesting results. However, whilst this soundtrack mirrors the darkness of the story set to it, there is also some fun and a little romance to be found. The album begins with `Fireworks' which showcases the rebellious and mischievous nature of the Weasley twins. Though this music appears much later in the film and is certainly not the first piece of music in the movie it opens the album on a joyous, happy and riotous note. The lightness of touch in `Professor Umbridge' and `Umbridge Spoils a Beautiful Morning' is ironic considering the damage the character causes to others and the particularly vile and sadistic nature of her personality. From what should be the first track of the score but is in fact the third - `Another Story' - we are forewarned of the darkness awaiting Harry and the wizarding community. Opening with Hedwig's Theme, it quickly descends into a troubling and haunting refrain. Followed by `Dementors in the Underpass' we are given clear signals that all is not well in the wizarding world and that danger is certainly approaching. Low chanting and menacing tones are broken only by the heavenly Patronus music on which this piece ends. `Dumbledore's Army' begins softly and hints at Harry's feelings of doubt before breaking into rising swells of hope. Belief has been renewed and new bonds of friendship are being made. This is the establishment of a mini, youth OOTP. `Hall of Prophecy' is deeply ominous. There is an uneasy feeling and the music ratchets up the tension. Hedwig's Theme can be heard in the background - transformed into a menacing backdrop to building anxiety and dread. Just listening you can imagine Death Eaters apparating all around and closing in for the kill. The piece builds to a fast moving climax, suggestive of the excitement of the chase through the Ministry. The sinister strains of the Possession theme appear throughout the score and serve to highlight the insidious nature of Voldemort's rise to power and influence. `Possession' is ominous and creates a foreboding sense of menace. `The Room of Requirement' is playful and the light, rather whimsical percussion alludes to the cat-and-mouse game of hide-and-seek that Dumbledore's Army play with Filch, Umbridge and the Inquisitorial Squad who are on their trail. `The Kiss' hints at the trepidation of two adolescents embarking on a tender moment and the magic associated with a first kiss. `A Journey to Hogwarts' begins with echoes of Hedwig's Theme but is darker and suggestive of the change that is sweeping over the wizarding community, the waves of doubt and the fact that Harry will not feel as at home in school as he has previously. The odd looks people have been giving him and scurrilous reports in the Prophet are getting to him. However this piece breaks into more hopeful tones, suggestive of the fact that Harry's struggle against the vicious rumours circulating about him will be successful. `Sirius Deception' begins low and dark in tone before breaking into joyful `flight' music as the core members of Dumbledore's Army race to London to save Harry's godfather. However `Death of Sirius' follows. A sinister piece with low chanting in places, it is very atmospheric, with a feeling of great tension, building to excited and faster moving music to mirror Sirius's final duel before finishing with a slow, mournful and moving climax. A real sense of portentous peril is to be felt in `Darkness Takes Over'. This piece highlights the insidious nature of the rise of evil and is troubling, dark and full of menace. `The Ministry of Magic' begins rather playfully before descending into slightly darker tones - though not without some sense of hope. This hints at the Ministry's own descent into darkness and webs of intrigue, artifice and self-deception - but also that there are still those who will be working on the side of good. `The Sacking of Trelawney' evokes great sympathy for a character who in both books and on film is mildly comic. The sense of pathos is wonderful, highlighting that this is a woman who is being removed not only from her job but also her home. Suggestive of the excitement of flying on brooms and Harry's joy at returning to the magical world he belongs in is `Flight of the Order of the Phoenix'. Though heard towards the beginning of the film it is placed as the penultimate track on the album. `Loved Ones and Leaving' is poignant but with hopeful tones. The music gradually rises and swells, hinting at brighter times ahead - or at least the hope that such times may come again. Whilst it was undoubtedly a strange decision to arrange the tracks out of the order they are heard on film as it is annoying (and most people want to hear the soundtrack in the right chronological order) it doesn't take away from the overall brilliance of the score or the beauty of the composition. As I said at the opening, this is perhaps the best HP soundtrack produced so far! I love it! Customer Rating: Summary: Magic but not for every muggle it seems Comment: Lucky for me, my copy of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix OST was the subject of a portus spell as it readily whisks me away in my mind's eye to the magical world of Hogwarts, with wizards, witches, broomsticks and spells aplenty. I found this soundtrack to be the best in the series to date as I've never grown tired of listening to it but it is possible I have been befuddled into reaching that view through over exposure! My theory is that some copies of this soundtrack have been tampered with by Cornelius Fudge so that they lose their magical spell in the Minister's desperate attempt to hide the return of Voldemort from both the muggle and magical world. My advice, if your first copy is not a portkey, buy another! Customer Rating: Summary: SHORT CHANGED , YET AGAIN Comment: I feel alot of empathy with reviewers here but what i think they have failed to pick up on is the length of the soundtracks, and also a clever ploy by warner bros is not to put the length of any track on the back cover so you canot see the timing of each track , i find this more and more from companies who are greedy for success in monetary terms, shame on you warner bros. I have found the timings for the tracks on ONE site only which is itunes , just ask yourself why no other site shows the timings. I feel Nicholas Hoopers music did suit the film but the cd length DID NOT justify the price of nearly £12.00 in HMV . This is what i call rip-off marketing and as you know they will more than likely bring out more of the music and charge just as much when they could have given value for your hard earned money and put it on the first one. From a film of 2hrs 30 which i thought was too short also to do it justice you get just 47 minutes and 48 seconds.........I FOR ONE WILL BE WRITING TO WARNER BROS TELLING THEM EXACTLY WHAT I THINK. Customer Rating: Summary: Disappointing Comment: I can't believe how poor this soundtrack is, it's very disappointing. As another reviewer has said, it makes sense in the context of the film, but on it's own it's pretty rubbish really. If you're a HP fan and want some music, go for one of the others. More Reviews