Track Listing

1. Fireworks
2. Professor Umbridge
3. Another Story
4. Dementors In The Underpass
5. Dumbledore's Army
6. Hall Of Prophecy
7. Possession
8. Room Of Requirement
9. Kiss
10. Journey To Hogwarts
11. Sirius Deception
12. Death Of Sirius
13. Umbridge Spoils A Beautiful Morning
14. Darkness Takes Over
15. Ministry Of Magic
16. Sacking Of Trelawney
17. Flight Of The Order Of The Phoenix
18. Loved Ones And Leaving

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25123 in Music
• Released on: 2007-07-09
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 52 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
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

Customer Reviews

Outstanding Music for the New Potter Flick
Nicholas Hooper has selectively combined William's classics, Doyle's dark themes and thrown in a good measure of his own creativity which takes the Potter music in a fresh new direction.

Hoopers music has a more modern feel to it (especially in "Fireworks" with the electric guitar)and generally has a very bouncy, active "magical" feel surrounding it.

Hooper has struck a balance between showing progression through the series as a whole and entering film-specific music which explores the themes of tyranny, possession and trickery.

A grand piece of work.

What did they do to it?
I listened to the CD before seeing the film and I felt that there was a lack of continuity with the music. It was not until I saw the film I realised what was wrong with the CD. All the tracks are in the wrong order!!! When I listen to a soundtrack I like it to flow with the film. This is not the case. I would like to know what posseded them to do this as it completely ruins the CD. I had to rearrange the playlist on windows media player.
The music is very good but I felt that there could have been more of a development with the themes. I especially like the Umbridge theme, it is very quaint and comical and fits the Umbridge persona.
Personally I realy liked the goblet of fire soundtrack by Patrick Doyal and was a little dissapointed the music Nicholas Hooper produced for this film. I feel it did not completely capture the darkness of the magical world.
I gave it 3 stars mainly because of the arrangment of the music on the CD but I would have given it 4 1/2 stars for the music

Great music, but....
...this is an absolute rip off. Nearly thirty quid for a box with a bit of plastic on it, and a flimsy booklet that isn't even twenty pages. And not a single extra track insight. Go and buy the average, better value for money, soundtrack instead. The music is great, but there is nothing special about this whatsoever.