Track Listing

1. Prologue : Book II and the Escape from The Dursley's
2. Fawkes The Phoenix
3. The Chamber Of Secrets
4. Gilderoy Lockhart
5. The Flying Car
6. Knockturn Alley
7. Introducing Colin
8. The Dueling Club
9. Dobby The House Elf
10. The Spiders
11. Moaning Myrtle
12. Meeting Aragog
13. Fawkes Is Reborn
14. Meeting Tom Riddle
15. Cornish Pixies
16. Polyjuice Potion
17. Cakes For Crabbe And Goyle
18. Dueling The Basilisk
19. Reunion Of Friends
20. Harry's Wondrous World

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35646 in Music
• Released on: 2002-11-11
• Number of discs: 2
• Format: Soundtrack

Amazon.co.uk Review
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is the second Harry Potter movie and as director Christopher Columbus notes, "You'll hear the familiar themes that all of us have grown to love and associate with Harry Potter. You'll also hear a wealth of new material... Like the Potter novels, John Williams's new score is not a sequel." There is indeed a rich diversity, with a pompous march for "Gilderoy Lockhart", hugely colourful pyrotechnics for "Cornish Pixies" and a beguiling new theme for "Dobby the House Elf". The all-action "The Spiders" evokes the maelstrom of Williams' glorious action writing for The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and the London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices play with all the required whirlwind magic. Williams breaks tradition by not conducting, handing the baton to William Ross, who provides additional new music. Because Williams had simultaneously to score Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can (2002) Ross has also rearranged themes from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001). Fans need have no fear, as the result sounds like pure Williams, an even more spirited fantasy adventure than before. This is a blockbusting, thrilling crowd-pleaser to stand beside the Star Wars soundtracks with its head held high.--Gary S Dalkin

Album Description
This CD is available in five different postcard insert covers, each CD contains one of the five different inserts. Includes mini poster, 2 film trailers, screensaver, wallpaper and downloadable Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets sheet music.

Customer Reviews

Good but please give us only Williams next time
As good as the Chamber of Secrets soundtrack is it is my belief that it suffers from one major shortcoming - the involvement of arranger William Ross. Although what Ross has done with the music is good it wont we hard for die hard fans out there to distinguish between what he has done and what is pure unadulterated Williams. Indeed some will consider the adaptation of Williams' outstanding 'Harry's Wonderous World' a crime in itself. And as much as William Ross has made his mark on the music I really cant see that any effort was made to keep it in a similar style to the first film, but maybe this was the plan - to create music different to that of John Williams. After all, who would want to compose music only in the shadow of one of the worlds greatest film composers.

The bad stuff out the way its time for the praise and there's lots of that as well, starting in my belief with the best stuff.

'Fawkes the Phoenix' is a beutifully crafted masterpiece that represents to perfection J.K. Rowling's key character. The sweeping cello figures have that effect that only John Williams' music can achieve. This track can quite easily be compared to Williams' 'Across the Stars' music from 'Star Wars Episode 2.'

Following on from this is a dramatic track taking on the title of the film - 'The Chamber of Secrets' relies a lot more on brass in stating some of the themes firsy heard in Fawkes. The horn is used with great effect and fans of the book can surely picture the scene when listening to this. I certainly did.

Next is the theme written for Gilderoy Lockhart (one of the things Williams' does superiorly to any other composer today is his use of thematic material - very similar to Wagner Leitmotif in form) - the track sums up Lockhart character in music lasting only 2 minutes. Again those who have read the book will see the bumbling narcicistic Lockhart within the notes of this track.

If you're looking for familiar stuff then you should feel at home within the music of the next few tracks - 'Knockturn Alley' briefly introduces some new music before leading into the music credited as 'Diagon Alley and Gringotts' on the first CD. 'Introducing Colin' is a combination of the first feast music from the first film combined with some soft beautiful melodies further on.

And THEN, we get to the dramatic stuff. From here on in the CD doesn't really let up. The exception to the rule being the theme written for 'Dobby the house Elf' which is sandwitched between two groundbreaking scenes worth of music, 'The dueling club' and 'The spiders' where special effect run riot in the film. Look out here for the dramatic music around 3 minutes in.

As in the Philosopher's stone Soundtrack the next few tracks chortle along nicely with nothing overly special happening with the exception of a few places, until we get to the final 3 tracks. 'Dueling the Basilisk' is a brilliant mix of typically Williams harmony and dramatic percussion right from the very begining where a brass features hails the arrival of Fawkes to save the day. Then on in the ride never stops.

'Reunion of friends' is difficult to review without giving away major plot devices so all i will say is it is touching to say the least. Williams has again come up with some beautiful music to end the film with, in fact its a slightly modified version of the music that ends the first film.

And then, last of all we here for at least 4 minutes, pure unchanged Williams in the form of 'Harry's Wondrous World' which is unecessarily changed at the end. Thats all i have to say.

In all I am overjoyed with this CD and Chris Columbus' comments in the sleeve are spot on. What are they? Well you'll just have to buy it and find out. 9.5 out of 10 for this one. And John Willaims has done it again.

Feel the Magic Trough Music!
Thanks to John Williams now we are pleasing our ears again! many of them touch your heart like 'Fawkes the Phoenix'and 'Reunion of Friends' or make you feel you are in the movie as 'Dueling the Basilisk' and 'The Spiders' or 'Cornish Pixies' or simply make you think about Harry Potter and his friends like the historycal theme of 'Harry's Wondrous World' whatever kind of the 20 suites you'll find you'll enjoy these album feeling the magic inside you.

John Williams has done it again!!!
Out of all the composers of classical music in the world, John Williams is by far my favourite, he can create the right tones and sounds that accompany any film, and here, he can conjour up the images of Harry Potter and tell the story with music. Although William Ross adapted and conducted the music,(something for which many have slated the album for)the score itself is excellent. The beautifully constructed piece for Fawkes the Phoenix provokes the stirring feelings of the bird itself, it has a grand and loyal sense to it, your bound to hum it as soon as you've heard it! Along with "The Chamber of Secrets", "Gilderoy Lockhart" and "Dobby the House elf", these four are the newest themes to appear in the series so far, and each has it's own distinguishing features, be it "Chamber" serious, deathly march theme or "Lockharts" pompous and rather silly tune, they all contribute to a great soundtrack. Track 14, "Meeting Tom Riddle", is eerie and full of suspense, the piece ends with a loud and creepy rendition of Voldermort's theme. The only problem with the Album itself, is the arrangment of the tracks, many are jumbled and mis-titled, but that is only a minor flaw. Overall: Excellent, Excellent, Excellent.