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Which of these 3 concert pieces from CoS is your favourite?


Josh500

Which of these 3 concert pieces from CoS is your favourite?   

62 members have voted

  1. 1. Which is your favourite?

    • Fawkes the Phoenix
    • The Chamber of Secrets
    • Dobby the House Elf


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5 minutes ago, Jay said:

The Chamber of Secrets AINEC

 

Fawkes is a great theme, and the concert arrangement is fine, nothing wrong with it, but I like the way the theme is integrated into film cues more than this particular arrangement, which gets a bit more flighty then the film ever called for.  That's interesting, but not my cup of tea necessarily.


Dobby The House Elf is a perfectly fine theme for the character, and works well in the film, but the concert arrangement doesn't really take it in any new places or say much about the character that the film cues don't.

 

The Chamber theme is wonderful, a great new addition to the series' bed of themes.  The way the theme is worked into various cues are among my absolute favorite parts of the score, and to this day I will never understand why JW didn't include those cues on the OST album.  The concert arrangement is also just aces.  Takes the small theme and explodes it into grandiose proportions in a really cool way.  I love it.

 

Great! Thanks for the thorough and insightful answer. 

 

As for me, I find all 3 concert pieces stunningly beautiful, listenable, and well-written! I'm talking about these pieces in their own right, not necessarily the individual themes as integrated in the film. Each in their own way, they grab you, hold your attention, and mesmerise you. 

 

But I chose "The Chamber of the Secrets" too. Arguably the most powerful and electrifying of the bunch, with "Fawkes the Phoenix" being a close second. 

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3 hours ago, Jay said:

The Chamber of Secrets AINEC

 

Fawkes is a great theme, and the concert arrangement is fine, nothing wrong with it, but I like the way the theme is integrated into film cues more than this particular arrangement, which gets a bit more flighty then the film ever called for.  That's interesting, but not my cup of tea necessarily.


Dobby The House Elf is a perfectly fine theme for the character, and works well in the film, but the concert arrangement doesn't really take it in any new places or say much about the character that the film cues don't.

 

The Chamber theme is wonderful, a great new addition to the series' bed of themes.  The way the theme is worked into various cues are among my absolute favorite parts of the score, and to this day I will never understand why JW didn't include those cues on the OST album.  The concert arrangement is also just aces.  Takes the small theme and explodes it into grandiose proportions in a really cool way.  I love it.

 

I basically agree with this. The Chamber theme is much better used and explored in the concert version than in the film cues. It's a shame Williams didn't have the chance to use the theme to its full potential in the movie (basically, by removing all the quotes of the Stone's theme and substituting them with the Chamber theme).

 

And I agree about Fawke's theme as well: its use during the film is really excellent, and the interludes of the concert version aren't my favourites. 

 

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I've always found the Chambers theme to be rather mediocre, but it's saved by a very good concert arrangement. However, I prefer the concert arrangement of the Fawkes theme. And I don't care an iota if it's more flighty than the film calls for, since concert arrangements are meant to stand on their own. 

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I've always felt the Fawkes theme was one of the most beautiful things written by Williams. Dude was really on fire churning out beautiful pieces that year.

 

Also, the Lockhart music doesn't count as a concert piece? 

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4 minutes ago, SilverTrumpet said:

Also, the Lockhart music doesn't count as a concert piece?

No, that's a proper film score cue.

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What Jay said, basically. Except that the LSO concert made me appreciate Fawkes, as a theme, more as a full concert version. I like the arrangements it gets in the film, but more for their colours and not so much for the theme itself.

 

The Chamber of Secrets has a wonderful dark atmosphere that always reminds be a bit of The Fury.

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Love all three and they were a big part of my early JWFandom. HP2 was the first soundtrack I can remember really anticipating and it didn't let me down. I have a lot of fond memories being transported by this soundtrack. Fawkes remains the biggest comfort listen for me and so that's my vote but they do just go in that category with me where any attempt at objectivity becomes kinda pointless.

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The Chamber of Secrets--completely underused in the film itself, but as a concert piece, topnotch.  I really like Fawkes as well, but I would have preferred a bigger ending than the piece provides.  In terms of other pieces, Spiders has always grabbed me as a set piece.  I wish Williams had spun a concert piece from it.  

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I say this poll is rigged. Gilderoy Lockhart is a perfectly legitimate concert arrangement. There are some rare cases when a cue works as a concert arrangement.

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Fawkes the Phoenix just soars.  The composition is stunning with the ascending strings like the wings of a bird going higher.  The syncopated double bass is so rhythmic and unexpected, but it gets me every time.

 

Admittedly, its "magical" middle section is its weakness.  But it's John doing what he does best with the tone of nobility and humanity.

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I love all three in their own unique way and it came down to a difficult choice between Fawkes and the Chamber. The pure magic of Fawkes' theme is why I chose that arrangement for this poll, however the grandeur of the Chamber piece builds and builds and it has that amazing bridge section that always gets me PUMPED! I like the the progression of Dobby's theme as it seesaws back and forth in a whimsical way. 

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12 hours ago, SilverTrumpet said:

Also, the Lockhart music doesn't count as a concert piece? 

 

Few people know this, but that's actually the concert piece of No Ticket. 

 

:P

55 minutes ago, Arpy said:

 I like the the progression of Dobby's theme as it seesaws back and forth in a whimsical way. 

 

"Dobby's Theme" is seriously one of the most cheerful, charming, and feel-good pieces written by Williams. Invariably makes me smile. Too bad it was underused in the movie. 

8 hours ago, WilliamsStarShip2282 said:

This one is too hard, because I really love the three of them equally.

 

Yes. Indeed. 

6 hours ago, Drew said:

I say this poll is rigged. Gilderoy Lockhart is a perfectly legitimate concert arrangement. There are some rare cases when a cue works as a concert arrangement.

 

And if that had been included in the poll, you'd have voted for that?! 

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Sometimes I listen to the Chamber of Secrets concert arrangement and think to myself: "If JW ever wrote a Batman theme, it might sound something like this." It's dark, moody, mysterious, but also loud and campy.

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4 hours ago, artguy360 said:

Sometimes I listen to the Chamber of Secrets concert arrangement and think to myself: "If JW ever wrote a Batman theme, it might sound something like this." It's dark, moody, mysterious, but also loud and campy.

 

Yeah, the mood is indeed similar. Especially Danny Elfman's original theme.

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12 hours ago, Bellosh said:

'Gilderoy Lockhart' reminds me of 'No Ticket' every damn time.

I usually am loathe to accuse Williams of self-plagiarism, but this is a clear cut and paste job.  In his defense, I think he wanted to a small throwaway piece to have a more central role in a score.  

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44 minutes ago, Tom said:

I usually am loathe to accuse Williams of self-plagiarism, but this is a clear cut and paste job.  In his defense, I think he wanted to a small throwaway piece to have a more central role in a score.  

 

Plagiarism is a bit harsh, and also unfitting a term. He used the same idea twice. So? He came up with it. He can use it as often as he likes, if he sees fit to do so! 

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Having played these, I find Chamber to be the most musically interesting. Those runs are really fun, and very difficult on a saxophone. I like all three suites a lot. They share a lot of similarities with the Prequel material: Fawkes has a similar structure to the Love Theme from Attack of the Clones, only shorter, Chamber of Secrets is an obvious precursor to Battle of the Heroes, Dobby is basically Yoda filtered through Jar Jar Binks. The original album is a great listen, although I think anyone would enjoy more Chamber material, and that is the other reason I chose it.

 

Chamber has always sounded like Williams a la Menken, due to the similarities to BatB. I don't find that a problem at all.

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Chamber of Secrets is the concert piece that General Grievous should've had.

 

Can anyone provide links to concert performances on YouTube or the like of some of these?  I'm only familiar with what's on the album, and would like to hear other interpretations if you think they're of value or different enough.

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8 hours ago, blondheim said:

 They share a lot of similarities with the Prequel material: Fawkes has a similar structure to the Love Theme from Attack of the Clones, only shorter, Chamber of Secrets is an obvious precursor to Battle of the Heroes

Completely disagree, Battle of the Heroes is a different beast altogether.

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They both start soft, the themes both have nine-note phrases that bounce down-up-and land as the end three notes, the placement of the bridge section, the pulsing brass accompaniment, likewise the racing strings, the soft fade and then loud Death Star crashes that end the thing. Also, I said precursor, I don't believe they are identical, just constructed along similar lines.

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  • 1 month later...

It's the film cue 2M10 Gilderoy Lockhart and was written to sync to on-screen action, and is used in the film as such.

 

Nobody ever said it also wasn't also later published as a concert piece and performed in concerts.

 

That happens all the time. 

 

"Star Wars Main Theme" is just 1M2 Main Title crossfaded into 12M2 End Titles on the OST album - that edit got published as a concert piece

 

"Theme from Superman" is just 1M1 Main Title crossfaded into End Title on the OST album - that edit got published for performance too.

 

"Theme From Schindler's List" is just 20M3 Placing The Stones from the film score

 

etc

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