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Harry Potter 7CD Collection - MUSIC discussion


Jay

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5 minutes ago, Josh500 said:

You guys are too harsh on the Prague Philharmonic! The original is always the best, but their recordings are often the second best thing! 

 

I for one love this recording of DT from the Prague Philharmonic! It's almost as good as the original, I dare say:

 

 

 

Exactly!

 

Even with the new set (which just keeps getting better the more I listen to it), this might still be my favourite arrangement of DT! It was definitely my go to all these years as, for me, it combined what I liked about the teaser version and the unreleased end credits insert during the instrumental section in the middle. Not the same obviously, but it was close enough during those dark years.

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14 minutes ago, mstrox said:

I like a lot of their recordings, and those recordings aren't hurting you guys!

 

Me too, when they're recorded by another label that actually pays for rehearsal time and additional takes. The Tadlow rerecordings are great!

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9 minutes ago, Alan said:

 

Even with the new set (which just keeps getting better the more I listen to it), this might still be my favourite arrangement of DT! It was definitely my go to all these years as, for me, it combined what I liked about the teaser version and the unreleased end credits insert during the instrumental section in the middle. Not the same obviously, but it was close enough during those dark years.

 

For me, the original is still unbeatable, but this one certainly comes very close. And yeah, you're right, I also love how the choir sounds very much like the trailer version of DT... More feminine and higher-pitched. Sounds more enchanting, somehow!

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Our localised DT choir in the dub is also high-pitched and feminine, hearing the English film version on the OST was a pretty jarring difference.

 

Anyway, a sneaky peek of things soon to come-

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1u1_0_1lxlQzG7RxJzusX9muo2wBvyO6n

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I think the choir for "Double Trouble" was originally meant to be all or mostly girls choir, but for the film version they had to make it a mixed choir because, obviously, there are male and female students singing....

 

That would explain why the trailer version of DT uses an all (or mostly) girls choir, whereas the film version uses a mixed choir.

 

These two versions certainly sound noticeably different! Anyway, this is just my theory. ;)

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The film/album version was recorded before the Teaser version

You can hear Mike talk all about this here: https://soundcloud.com/timburden/the-musical-wizardry-of-john-williams-mike-matessino-on-harry-potter/s-suS7I

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@Jay Do they also talk about the different choir settings? That would indeed be very interesting. 

 

I think right now I'm gonna wait for the arrival of my set before listening to any more podcasts... :)

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I’m curious about the original recording he mentions in that podcast. The one used on set for the actors.

Of course it was never going to be released, but I wonder if it was different from the re-recording at all. If Matessino even found it.

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2 hours ago, Jay said:

The new endings to both HWW and Diagon Alley were written after the HP1 recording sessions were finished and he was preparing the sheet music for publishing

 

It seems JW tinkered with the ending of the Diagon Alley movement a tad later than he did for Harry's Wondrous World. When he performed the pieces in Boston for the first time back in 2002, the Diagon Alley ending was the same as the version recorded at the HPSS sessions, i.e.  just with the chamber-sized ensemble:

 

 

However, the published suite has the re-orchestrated extension where the whole orchestra joins in (as heard in the Hollywood Bowl clip posted before).

 

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22 minutes ago, Once said:

I’m curious about the original recording he mentions in that podcast. The one used on set for the actors.

Of course it was never going to be released, but I wonder if it was different from the re-recording at all. If Matessino even found it.

 

Hmm, I thought that the version on the album/in the film WAS the one used on set for the actors?

If that's not the case then i was wrong before, and I'd guess the teaser version was recorded before the film/album version

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2 minutes ago, mrbellamy said:

Liner notes say “a playback version was made on April 3, 2003...another recording was made later for the teaser trailer, with a finalized version completed for the film.”

 

Yeah that correlates with what Mike said in that podcast. There was an early demo (who knows if they actually recorded it with a proper orchestra in LA or whatever) that they used on set, separate from the album/film version and teaser.

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Knowing the sessions almost by heart and rewatching the first movie, I don't think there's a single cue that hasn't been meddled with, ranging from being tracked over entirely to segments dialed out, phrases microedited out or a second's worth of material looped. Well, more goodness for the people who only heard the OST so far!

 

OK, in reality it's more like 70% of the cues that were altered.

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28 minutes ago, Jay said:

I cannot remember right now if Mike heard the pre-recorded version or not.  I certainly have never heard it.

Thank you for answering!

 

It’s bound to be very close to the final version, anyway.

Still, there must be a reason they re-recorded it. Knowing Williams, he probably just made the orchestration even richer. Or it was a very raw demo.

 

When I receive the set (hopefully tomorrow) I’ll probably stop asking these nosy questions. You’re very patient, Jay!

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4 minutes ago, Alex said:

What’s the weird sound at 1.21 in Quidditch, Second Year?

 

I only hear instruments! I think there is some sort of percussion (xylophone maybe?) that comes in slightly later or reverbs a touch more at 1:21 which might be what you're hearing.

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4 minutes ago, Alan said:

 

I only hear instruments! I think there is some sort of percussion (xylophone maybe?) that comes in slightly later or reverbs a touch more at 1:21 which might be what you're hearing.

 

Sounds almost like a ghost, or someone talking (obviously it’s not)

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Just now, Alex said:

 

Sounds almost like a ghost, or someone talking (obviously it’s not)

 

Funny you should say that actually. I took my headphones off because I thought my other half was trying to talk to me during Trouble Takes Many Forms. Turns out it was just the sound of the harpsichord 😂

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2 hours ago, bollemanneke said:

I have nothing against re-recordings at all, I just think t he COP is a bad orchestra.

 well they improved over the years

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5 minutes ago, Demondm810 said:

As a pure listening experience, I think all of the material was presented brilliantly.  Had this come before Close Encounters I probably would have been slightly annoyed re: chronology.  But that made me a true believer.  I still can't believe I can listen to the entirety of Azkaban.  Doesn't feel real!

 

Couldn't agree more. The assembly is terrific. The only time I really noticed that things weren't strictly chronological was while listening to the portion of POA around the arrival at Hogwarts. Placing the cue that in the film leads in to Double Trouble at the end of Discussing Black gave me pause for a moment, especially when it's so clear that the cue was written to flow directly in to DT. A very minor niggle though and I got used to it very quickly :)

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1 minute ago, bollemanneke said:

 the very 'magical/optimistic-like' thing heard on one of the special dvd menus, only celesta and high strings?

 

I have no idea what you're talking about.  Post a clip!

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I don't recognize that music, but it doesn't sound like it would fit what is happening on screen when Aunt Marge is pointing her finger at Harry.  Why would one assume that music in that menu is an alternate of that scene?

 

 

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2 minutes ago, Jay said:

I don't recognize that music, but it doesn't sound like it would fit what is happening on screen when Aunt Marge is pointing her finger at Harry.  Why would one assume that music in that menu is an alternate of that scene?

 

 

Um, well... Because someone claimed that this is how the sheet music describes that cue...

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