7929 replies to this topic

[gkgyver]

I feel like that fanfare bit at the end of Foreign Visitors Arrive is the most blatant ripoff of Williams' Force theme that was ever pressed on CD.

[ins]

hey, this was announced: "themes by John Williams"

[ChrisAfonso]

But it was announces as "Harry Potter themes..."

[king mark]

Did you find your violin?

k.M.

[ChrisAfonso]

No, not yet I hope it turns up, there aren't that many places it can be...

At least, I checked the insurance papers and it says that loss by leaving it somewhere accidentally is covered. So if the worst case happens, I won't be broke...

But thanks for asking!

[Willy]

Usually I listen to music while I'm reading. When the cd stops and I'm still on the same page, then it's a good cd.

When Goblet of Fire stopped, I had read about 25 pages.


I miss you, John. Now more than ever. :cry:

[king mark]

No, not yet I hope it turns up, there aren't that many places it can be...

Did you check on e-bay?

K.M.

[ChrisAfonso]

Daily...

[king mark]

I'm just kidding around.I really hope you find it.

K.M.

[nightscape94]

It's not quite as bad as when Yo-Yo Ma left his priceless cello in the trunk of a New York City taxicab.

Then again, he did get it back.

Sorry Chris.

Tim

[ChrisAfonso]

Well, now I know how he must've felt...

[jamesie]

New Doyle interview: http://www.timesonli...1847194,00.html

YEAH... I really hear ALL those themes you wrote... AKA like 3.

[Henry Buck]

Why don't we stop pissing all over Doyle's score. The soundtrack CD probably represents only half of it, anyway (a good half at that).

[nightscape94]

Doyle said some kind words about Williams though.

Tim

[Josh500]

So, I listened to a few tracks (mostly The Story Continues and Foreign Vistors Arrive) and I have to say it's a pretty decent effort by Doyle. The only mistake you could make is to compare this with John Williams' three previous scores (which will be inevitable) . . . because then GoF doesn't stand a chance. Still, what did you expect? That Doyle will blow JW away??? Don't make me laugh. But still, IMO, GOF is miles better than say the Superman-, Jaws-, or Jurassic Park-sequel scores (not the orginals), which all used JW's famous signature themes.

My two cents.

[Stefancos]

When I get the CD i'll be judging the score on it's own terms instead of getting mad because Doyle didn't use this or that theme or uses Hedwigs theme in a way that Williams never would have.

[GoodMusician]

...good for you...

but being a discussion board... and having an opinion, people tend to opine.

So, that being said, I'm really more anxious to see the movie and how the music works with the movie. I once got the score to A. I. and I hated it... I coudln't believe that John Williams would write something like that!

Then I saw the movie and cried soo much at the end... I'm in LOVE with the score... it opened my eyes to a new appreciation of the score...

So, I'm gonna do what all my friends tell me to do--as they hate that I've already memorized the score by the time I see it in theatres--and watch the movie, then evaluate the music...

[nightscape94]

I rather like the variation of Hedwig's theme in "Foreign Visitors Arrive". Overall that track is pretty solid.

TIm

[Stefancos]

...good for you...

but being a discussion board... and having an opinion, people tend to opine.

So, that being said, I'm really more anxious to see the movie and how the music works with the movie. I once got the score to A. I. and I hated it... I coudln't believe that John Williams would write something like that!  

Then I saw the movie and cried soo much at the end... I'm in LOVE with the score... it opened my eyes to a new appreciation of the score...

So, I'm gonna do what all my friends tell me to do--as they hate that I've already memorized the score by the time I see it in theatres--and watch the movie, then evaluate the music...

That is a valid observation, watching the film can make one find a new interest in the score, because it shows what the composer had in mind.

I'm not planning to watch ever film of every score I own, but so far i've rther enjoyed the potter films so I'll definatly be checking the 4th film out.

[Joey]

GoodMusician, this is my thread and one of the rules of this thread is we do not say good things about A.I.,
in fact its best that we don't mention that piece of Shi* film.

[MontyBurns]

There was an interview on BBC Four on Friday night with Jarvis Cocker about his work and Goblet came up in the discussion at which point they showed a clip from the Yule Ball scene. I must admit it looked like a lot of fun. The song during the clip in question was the Hippogriff number, basically the kids are dancing like the ballroom is a mosh pit at a concert, the band looks somewhat glam rock and one of the school chaperones is being hauled up above the kids on the dance floor crowd surfing against his own will. All rather amusing. During all this Harry and Ron sit in the corner looking on and commenting bitterly at their peers who are having such a good time.

The clip was brief, but certainly put the approach Newell’s has taken with the characters this time around into perspective, and the song certainly seemed to work well for the moment (though I’ve never held an immense hatred for the three songs since first hearing them last week).

[Saxbabe]

I've listened to only a few tracks so far. Seems like a mixed bag. I was really interested in "Hogwarts March", but it let me down. Way too cutsey, not grand enough, it's nothing but a brass quintet, just doesn't seem appropriate. No memorable theme there, very bland.

Then, there's "Voldemort" - WHOA. It blew me away. Gave me chills, very impressive. It did remind me a bit of Batman in places, it was more about orchestral power than theme, but still it's fabulous. Also now listening to "The Maze." Great, these really show off Doyle's specific style and talent.

This will be one CD where I love the tracks I love, and completely skip the others. Definitely getting it though.

Greta

[Composer_Fan]

Sturgis, if your there, I read your desparate lament over the "REAL MUSIC" comment in "F*cked-up-trash-that-can't-be-called-music-#2" a few pages back, and I too was highly disturbed by it.

I really was saddened by this because it seemed as if that idiots words were a sad social commentary on the younger generation, who is probably welcoming this lame excuse for music with open arms. It really bothers me.

I've yet to form my opinions about the score (the real music). It could be better and it could be worse. I think that Cock-head's "songs" actually make the score sound better than it is, lol. After hearing "Do the Hippogriff", I was grateful for any orchestral music, Williams or not.

[SturgisPodmore]

Sturgis, if your there, I read your desparate lament over the "REAL MUSIC" comment in "F*cked-up-trash-that-can't-be-called-music-#2" a few pages back, and I too was highly disturbed by it.

I really was saddened by this because it seemed as if that idiots words were a sad social commentary on the younger generation, who is probably welcoming this lame excuse for music with open arms.  It really bothers me.

Sad but true.

I listened to the last several tracks of GoF last night, and then randomly to "Ray and Rachel," and there is more emotion put into the first 30 seconds of that track then there is in all of the tracks combined that mourn Cedric's death. They are too happy to suit the end of the book, which makes me worry about whether the end of the film was handled correctly. :?

And Greta, "Hogwarts' March" is for a small ensemble to play during/before the third task; it's just light source music.

My favorite tracks right now:

-"The Story Continues"
-"The Quidditch World Cup" (the first half at least)
-"The Dark Mark"
-"Foreign Visitors Arrive"
-"Myrtle's Move"
-"Harry Potter's Love:" a great theme, but this track is really repetitive
-"Neville's Waltz" and "Potter Waltz" aren't bad
-"Hogwarts' March"

Hopefully I will be able to appreciate the score more fully once I see the film, which I look forward to more and more each day.

~Sturgis

[Blumenkohl]

The score is certainly growing on me...it's a fine effort. I think I'll bump it up to a 7.5/10.

[HPFAN_2]

New Doyle interview: http://www.timesonli...1847194,00.html

YEAH... I really hear ALL those themes you wrote... AKA like 3.

[nightscape94]

I was just listening to "Polyjuice Potion" from CoS, and I just now realized that the nimbus theme is very clearly dominant in that track. Is there a reason for this? Am I missing the part of the scene where they're zooming around on broomsticks?

EDIT: As the disc went on to "Cakes for Crabbe and Goyle", the nimbus theme led right into that track as well before it's cut off by Riddle's theme.

I don't get the point of this flying theme being used in these tracks.

Tim

[Ray Barnsbury]

Yes, by CoS the Nimbus 2000 theme had basically become an all-purpose theme. Thematic integrity was not that score's strong suit.

Ray Barnsbury

[Richard Penna]

I thought it was just used as a 'sneaking' or 'mischief' theme, but I think now it was just used because it fit the scene. Add the appearance of the stone motif during the chamber opening sequence and you get the impression John got his notes mixed up a little

[nightscape94]

Yes, by CoS the Nimbus 2000 theme had basically become an all-purpose theme.  Thematic integrity was not that score's strong suit.

Ray Barnsbury

Strange, because by the time PoA came around, the only time that theme is used in the entire movie is at the very end when he's....flying.

Obviously the inconsistency in CoS is completely related to William-Ross' "adaptations".

Tim

[gkgyver]

“I’m particularly proud of my score for Harry Potter because it’s the biggest commercial picture I’ve ever done,”

... so he throws the Potter- feeling right out of the window and puts his own trash into the score, to establish his own sound in the world of big "commercial pictures". I'm sure he's VERY concerned about the film itself then

The composer’s skill, he argues, is as much about knowing when to keep quiet as when to use the full force of the orchestra. “The art is to choose your moments.

You can hear this "art" in "Harry Potters Love" (or "Harry In Winter", who the hell knows what those tracks are officially called). I've found the balance of dynamics severely lacking in GoF. "Secrets Of The Castle" is better than anything that's represented here.

Yes, he praises Williams, but "only" because of Star Wars, and that's what every Joe does.

I’ve done enough now to be confident I could pull something out of the bag, otherwise I wouldn’t have taken on the job.

In all honesty, he didn't and he shouldn't have done it.

[jamesie]

I don't like this Harry Potter score. I thought I would. But I don't. At all. It kinda sucks, actually. This score will work well in the movie. But... yuck.

Oh... and on a side note, at my highschool, we're doing a rather large medly of about 8 or 9 Shakespeare plays, including, ahem, Macbeth. Well, as cauldron scene from Macbeth is the first scene after intermission, I'm providing 'Double Trouble' as intermission music... Very fitting.

[popcorn97]

Just to let you know that the new score is at the itunes store (i think only US) and I feel the price is a downfall (too high) $14.99 and it comes with a digital booklet.

by the way i use to be Psycho28461

[Lurker]

You can download it here.

Neil

[Morlock]

For an undercover Apple/iTunes agent, your none too subtle.

[Morlock]

BTW, I was just listening to the score, and I think 'The Maze' is gonna totally kick ass in the film.

[Lukeuph]

For now JKR and JW have gone their separate ways. With my fan-hat on I hope that the introduction of a new composer was just a temporary glitch in the Potter-works. Although with my sensible hat on I desperately hope that I'm proved completey wrong by Patrick Doyle's music. Otherwise I am surely just setting myself up for dissappointment?

I've listened to the soundtrack twice through now, and my reaction is a mixed one. The biggest danger of turning each Potter book into a film is that we lose the sense of it being a series. This is something I felt Peter Jackson dealt with effectively when making Lord of the Rings: he kept three distinct films without losing the sense of continuity. It is a mark of the way this has not been done in the Harry Potter films that the music in goblet of Fire pays little homage to its musical predecessors. Bearing in mind that there have so far been 3 directors for 4 movies, one of the things which balanced the scale to remind us that it is indeed a series was the consistency in composition.

Instead of honouring the legacy that has helped create the success and distinctiveness of the project, Doyle has only paid it lip-service. He has chosen instead to follow his own route. Some call it brave. Others call it foolish. I'm going to wait and see how it fits in with the film before I make a final judgement. But in the meantime...

I'm in love with Harry Potter's Love. I have been on the verge of tears listening to it, it's absolutely beautiful. Perhaps exactly what you'd expect from a non-Williams love theme, but I can't wait to see how it's going to be used in the film.

The Story Continues and Foreign Visitors Arrive are both strong, memorable tracks. They are good themes which I imagine would be returned to at various points. And Voldemort sounds surprisingly familiar, with very similar chord patterns to Shore's score for Tolkien's trilogy. Magic Works is my favourite of the Weird Sisters tracks.

Some have suggested that (particularly in light of the "international" flavour of The Quidditch World Cup) Doyle has made the soundtrack "broader in terms of culture and expression". Well, only in the sense that the storyline required that of the soundtrack. The story itself is more broad in those terms. The same people observe that Williams' theme for Hedwig was "happy-clappy" wheras Doyle has made it more approriately sinister. These critics seem to have forgotten the nature of the stories. They are getting darker as the story goes on you see? To have a sinister Hedwig's Theme in Philosopher's Stone (note I'm deliberately resisting dumbing-down for my American friends) would have made no sense, as would a happy-clappy one in Goblet of Fire. Such comments add no more to the discussion than to say "Oh good, the composer knows the story then!"

Some have said that John Williams' music was never more than "background music" and thank Doyle for finally giving the series a "score". Now, I must be careful because this particular opinion is from someone who has seen the film. But I do disagree. The mark of a score is not only that it goes along well with the movie, but that the music stands up in its own right, once the frenzy of the film has faded away. It's not an overstatement to say that this is one of the hallmarks of music by John Williams. My own experience shows this. I am one of many people across the world who loves the music of John Williams and owns many of his CDs. And yet, I have never seen an Indiana Jones movie, and only seen one Star Wars movie. I am content with the music as it stands. It's so much more than background music.

On the contrary, I would say that it is Doyle's music which sounds more like "filler" a lot of the time. There are strong themes, some which I love. But there are also some pretty awful ones. "Hogwarts March" I cannot stand. I thought this film was supposed to highlight the British boarding school aspect of life more than ever before? So why on earth do we have an awful track that sounds like it's been taken stright from an American High School's marching band practice? A sense of magic has been lost in Doyle's ideas. And the waltzes of this movie will never stand up to Aunt Marge's.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope that the way these pieces are used puts my criticism to shame. But the fact that the music needs the film to come to its defence already shows a weakness in the concept.

[Lurker]

From an early review, "...Patrick Doyle contributes the best musical score of the series, one richly symphonic yet with a pop overlay that reminds us we are in a world of fantasy."

You can read that here.

Neil

[Mr. Breathmask]

So the pop overlay reminds us we are in a world of fantasy? Interesting.

[Drax]

That quote is a pile of crap.