21 replies to this topic

[Henry Buck]

I wish I was better at audio editing; then I could fix up the Prisoner of Azkaban suite a bit for better listening.

- Add unreleased twenty-second "Double Trouble" insert (this probably won't be possible until the DVD release)
- Remove tracked "Double Trouble" from "Hagrid the Professor" (appr. 2:00-2:30)
- Remove chorus "Double Trouble" (for some reason, this REALLY bothers me thematically)
- Remove "The Snowball Fight" (yawn)
- Remove "Aunt Marge's Waltz" and possibly "The Knight Bus" (I don't like the way the music kind of "regresses" to the beginning of the film)
- Add Peter's Theme to the end
- Actually...if Williams doesn't score Goblet of Fire, I won't add Peter's Theme - Hedwig's Theme is good for the end of the music series, whereas Peter's Theme hints at the next score.

What would be your ideal "Mischief Managed!"?

[John Crichton]

I don't know if we have the music to make a really good Mischief Managed, at least one that I would like. Definately the full instrumental Double Trouble. Then I would like a formal presentation of the Past theme like in Window to the Past. After that I don't know, I can't think of anything I'd really like out of what we have.

I never even listen to Mischief Managed all the way through anymore, I turn it off after the instrumental Double Trouble. It's just a big mess IMO.

[Drax]

Remove "The Snowball Fight" (yawn)

[TIEfighter]

i like "mischief managed" the way it is, it sums up the whole feelings of the movie and thats in the end what it was made for

[jamesie]

You must not remove the snowball fight. I like the main motif in that. It's only heard like twice in the way I like it, but hey! I think it's cool!

[SeekUYoda]

- Remove "Aunt Marge's Waltz" and possibly "The Knight Bus" (I don't like the way the music kind of "regresses" to the beginning of the film)

No! I got such a kick out of hearing the waltz at the end of the film - I thought it was very clever of him to regress to such a bombastic classical ending, just like Rossini or Mozart might have done at the end of an opera. And I loved "The Knight Bus" in Mischief Managed, because it didn't have all the stops in it that the track does.

- Add Peter's Theme to the end

I don't think it ought to be on the end, because I love the waltz there. But I would like to hear Peter's them in there somewhere!

- Actually...if Williams doesn't score Goblet of Fire, I won't add Peter's Theme - Hedwig's Theme is good for the end of the music series, whereas Peter's Theme hints at the next score.

Why did he tack Hedwig's theme on there in the first place? It was nice and mysterious and all, but it didn't seem to do much else except end the film the way it began.

[Henry Buck]

Bah. My idea is to make it more like a standard Williams end credits suite, with the main themes, but not every major cue in the film.

[David Vincent]

I really like Mischief Managed and I am curently sequencing it into MIDI files, it's a kind of challenge for me.
I think some of themes like Buckbeak's Flight are a very little different that the original version. For example, in Buckbeak's Flight, just after the drum beginning, you can hear a piece of harp not in the other track and there are other little differences.
I think that in fact all the Mischief Managed track has been reorchestrated and not just mixed with the same tracks...

[fommes]

there are other little differences

Can you provide other examples?

[fommes]

in Buckbeak's Flight, just after the drum beginning, you can hear a piece of harp not in the other track

That's right...

[Indiana]

It's pretty cool as it is I think,

I have to say though I found the third Harry Potter sound track the weakest HP score, nowhere near as good as the first one and nowhere near as complex as the second one.

[Stefancos]

The second one was not complex at all

[fommes]

I found the third Harry Potter sound track the weakest HP score

:?

[John Crichton]

Prisoner of Azkaban is not as good as Sorcerer's Stone, but it is still a very good score.

My main problem with Mischief Managed is that it's just too smegging long. I can take a cue recap end credits that's only long enough to put a couple in, like Hook or Last Crusade. But when you've gotta fill up 10+ minutes, you should do something else. Not to mention (and it has been many times ) that it's 10 minutes that could have been used for more cues on the CD.

[Docteur Qui]

I have to say though I found the third Harry Potter sound track the weakest HP score, nowhere near as good as the first one and nowhere near as complex as the second one.

It's great that you can say that, but can you back your opinion a bit better?

I like Mischief Managed, if for instance I'm walking to my piano lesson a few blocks away, it takes me about 10 minutes to walk there. I just pop the CD in my discman and listen to the last track. It's the best bits of the first half of the soundtrack, and then on my way home I listen to the latter tracks ("The Dementors Converge" adn "Finale", the two best tracks in the second half). Or vice versa, depending on what I want to listen to.

[jamesie]

I don't think there is much else JW wanted to do. Obviously. He kind of just tossed together Mischief Manged! because he probably didn't think there was much else he could put together into a full song or track. Sure he could have added Rescuing Sirius somewhere but... ya. He might have been tired of the whole project too. I agree with someone's earlier post that Mischief Managed is reorchestrated... just slightly. It combines all of the best cues used in the movie (the fun ones). Sirius's theme and Peter's theme... and uhm... the womping willow's motif weren't important enough or lighthearted enough to make it into this song. HOWEVER... Winter's Spell should have been in this. I am babbling.

[Indiana]

About the complexity of the second HP:

The Flying Car which has a lovely melody has fantastic orchestration,

The Spiders is undoubtedly one of the most complex williams tracks I have ever heard, totally bombastic with complex harmony and a lot of awesome time changes, The orchestration there is out of this world, (plus the beautiful recording gives you the chance to listen to every little note played)

And don't get me started with Duelling the Basilisk,
I mean I love most action cues Williams has wrote but this is very complex even for me who I am an avid fan, twists and turns in every possible way, Awesome!

[Indiana]

Its's great that you can say that, but can you back your opinion a bit better?

You're right,
Here goes

When I heard Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone I was totally taken back by the writing.

Don't know how you guys felt about it but it gave me the feeling of the good old Williams with super strong melodies, very busy but clear writing, rich orchestration and very clever counterpoint.
The disc had 19 tracks and I loved most of them. In fact I was under spell for weeks just listening to it and couldn't believe how the orchestrations reminded me of the good old
Herbert Spencer -Williams days. I was totally thrilled with the score!!

When the second HP was released the'Music Adapted and Conducted by William Ross' put me off straight away but when I played the score I could tell straight away (as I am sure all off you do) which cues where written and which were stitched up. I loved it too. Not as much as the first score as I thought the first HP had tunes that were simply awesome melodies something The Chamber... was lacking.
But yet 'the prologue' was intriguing, 'Fawkes the Phoenix' mesmerised me, 'The Chamber of Secrets' was truly awesome and my favourites:'The Flying Car','The Spiders' and 'Duelling The Basilisk' where very complex tracks that I liked on the same level as I loved the first HP.


Now with the Prisoner of Azkaban I heard all the HP themes a the beginning which was great,

Aunt Marge's Waltz was great , very accomplished but it didn't blow me away, Knight Bus was mad, loved it.

Truth is there were very few tracks that I found interesting from a Williams writing point of view.
Don't get me wrong if it was anyone else writing that score I would be a lot less critical but after hearing the best of the best Williams has to offer I find it difficult to give top marks unless the score is absolutely awesome.

Saying that I loved Double Trouble!! I thought Buckbeak's flight was good but it didn't blow me away, it could have been written from a number of composer's out there and the same goes for a 'Window to the Past'. They are good pieces but not great.

From action cues I felt 'The Whomping Willow' has a lot to offer but with better mike placement we should be able to hear allot more than I think is going on.
From about 1:21 I absolutely love it!
Monster Books was just OK for me, didn't really have anything interesting in my opinion,same goes for 'Quiditch Third year'.

And that's it for me really. No other tracks intrigued me which makes Prisoner of Azkaban for me the weakest of the 3 Harry Potter.

If it would have come on it's own I would say "Yeah that's a good score" or if it would come from a different composer I would be interested to hear it but bearing in mind what Williams has done and what he is capable of doing and having heard the other two HP scores I have to put this disc (without saying I don't like it) on the bottom of my HP preferences

[Henry Buck]

I thought Buckbeak's flight was good but it didn't blow me away,

Yeah, I agree with you there.

As for the rest...nope.

[Indiana]

That's cool,

but out of interest:

Did you like all HP scores the same?

[Henry Buck]

I like Sorceror's Stone and Prisoner of Azkaban about the same. PoA is fresher, but SS has stronger themes. Chamber of Secrets, despite some incredible stand-alone pieces (e.g. "Fawkes the Phoenix"), is my least favorite, first of all because some music from Sorceror's Stone is reused, but also because a lot of it is dreary underscore. Are you a big fan of "Moaning Myrtle," "Meeting Aragog," and "Polyjuice Potion"? Didn't think so. There isn't even any good unreleased music, with the exception of the opening of the chamber, Dobby's freedom, and places where the Chamber of Secrets Theme shows up (three or four times).

[Indiana]

Yeah, I have to agree there, the melodic content of the second HP wasn't anywere near as good as the first film. It's the action music that atracted me though to the Chamber CD.

Can't wait for the next one!