Did JW conduct some of the pieces from the CoS soundtrack???

[Josh500 1,615]

Is it just me or does anyone else think that JW conducted some of the pieces (especially the concert pieces) from the CoS soundtrack? This theory is based on several thoughts:

1. Harry's Wondrous World. The version performed by the LSO sounds almost EXACTLY like the version on the SS soundtrack, save for the ending, of course, which was rewritten by JW. I just can't believe that two different orchestras (even if some of the players for SS were members of the LSO) with two different conductors can play a piece this much alike. In fact, when I heard HWW at the end of the CoS CD, I assumed that it was the recording from SS. But, of course, it isn't.

2. The unevenness in quality of the soundtrack. I really do believe JW conducted the concert pieces Fawkes the Phoenix, Chamber of Secrets, Dobby the Houseelf, and Harry's Wondrous World (perhaps also The Flying Car).

3. Just because he is JW. I just can't believe that he thrust a stack of orchestral sheet music into William Ross's hands with a casual "Good Luck with that" and didn't show up once for the recording sessions. Remember, at that time he himself hadn't heard an orchestra play a single note of the score, either. Do you really think he said to himself, "Oh well, let's just see what the music sounds like when I get the Chamber of Secrets soundtrack, along with all the others out there." It's more likely that he stuck around at the begining or dropped by sometime in London to give Williams Ross and the orchestra some advice and conduct the concert pieces himself.

4. This may not mean anything, but the footage that can be found on the CoS DVD MAY be in fact from the CoS recording session.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

No, he didn't. That footage had CoS music tracked onto it, creating the impression he was conducting "Moaning Myrtle".

1. Harry's Wondrous World. The version performed by the LSO sounds almost EXACTLY like the version on the SS soundtrack, save for the ending, of course, which was rewritten by JW. I just can't believe that two different orchestras (even if some of the players for SS were members of the LSO) with two different conductors can play a piece this much alike. In fact, when I heard HWW at the end of the CoS CD, I assumed that it was the recording from SS. But, of course, it isn't.

That's because it is the same recording, with a 3-second loop halfway through and a new ending (conducted by Ross).

[Sandor 796]

I stil have the funny feeling that Ross did NOTHING on CoS. His credit is purely contractual.

Roald

[Josh500 1,615]

Well, I didn't assume that JW was conducting "Moaning Myrtle" in the footage, but that doesn't exactly prove anything, does it? In fact, most of the footage that can be found on any DVD has music tracked onto it.

Well, WR probably DID adapt the music from SS for the CoS underscore and he probaby DID conduct the music as heard in the score, but it's harder for me to believe that JW didn't drop in once during the recording sessions.

[King Mark 3,626]

Well,we'll never know untill Williams tells someone.I'm sure there's lots of things that's beeing kept quiet about this score.The credits are contradictory,and why would they show Williams conducting in the CoS DVD if in fact Ross did.If they tracked music over old footage,why go through the trouble of contradicting what it says on the c.d. credit and not show Ross conducting like he was supposed to.

K.M.

[Josh500 1,615]

Well,we'll never know untill Williams tells someone.I'm sure there's lots of things that's beeing kept quiet about this score.

K.M.

I wonder why. Does anyone know about an interview with either JW or WR regarding the scoring process of CoS??? Except for the brief interview with JW on the CoS DVD, I can't think of anything.

I think that if JW did indeed conduct some of the pieces, he wasn't credited just because it would have looked too awkward:

Music composed and partly conducted by John Williams

Music adapted and partly conducted by William Ross

Besides, it's very likely that Ross did indeed most of the conducting, considering JW was busy with CMIYC.

[King Mark 3,626]

Ross was hired to complete the score after Williams wrote 40 minutes of it.He did so,then Williams or the producers didn't like it,so Williams had to rush in to re-write the score at the last minute(as evidenced on the written complete score that it's all Williams,and the fact that c.d. composing credit is to Williams and more than the original 40 minutes he said he did).Williams probably had a few days to do do all this,so he used music from AotC he had just written(The Quidditch and mystery motif for Lucius).Then Williams beeing a good sport,and to avoid legal problems over contract disputes jn the credits,they were kept as they were originally and everyone agreed to keep quiet about it.That's why we haven't got a straight answer from Williams or Ross yet.Then maybe the slipped up during the making of the DVD and show Williams conducting.

K.M.

[Josh500 1,615]

Ross was hired to complete the score after Williams wrote 40 minutes of it.He did so,then Williams or the producers didn't like it,so Williams had to rush in to re-write the score at the last minute(as evidenced on the written complete score that it's all Williams,and the fact that c.d. composing credit is to Williams and more than the original 40 minutes he said he did).Williams probably had a few days to do do all this,so he used music from AotC he had just written(The Quidditch and mystery motif for Lucius).Then Williams beeing a good sport,and to avoid legal problems over contract disputes jn the credits,they were kept as they were originally and everyone agreed to keep quiet about it.That's why we haven't got a straight answer from Williams or Ross yet.Then maybe the slipped up during the making of the DVD and show Williams conducting.

K.M.

If everybody keeps quiet about this, then how do YOU know, King Mark???

[Sandor 796]

Yeah, I COMPLETELY agree with king mark. Also, ever read the liner notes from Chris Colombus on the album? He doesn't even MENTION Ross and it's so obvious Williams was responsible for EVERY NOTE of the score. Maybe a few seconds were arranged by Ross (especially one or two times Hedwig's Theme appears).

I'm even convinced it was Williams who conducted the music and NOT Ross.

Roald

[King Mark 3,626]

Well,it's the theory I'm 99% satisfied with.I can't explain it any other way.It's not that I want to protect Williams and believe he wrote all the score,it's that I can't hear anything in the score that wasn't written by him.

K.M.

[Josh500 1,615]

That's because it is the same recording, with a 3-second loop halfway through and a new ending (conducted by Ross).

In fact, it's NOT the same recording. For one thing, the sound quality is different, and for another, the 3-second addition halfway through the piece is NOT looped. I've got the written score to that piece and it's been added by JW himself, along with the new ending.

Has anyone ever seen a photo or footage of Williams Ross conducting the LSO??? I know I haven't. And chances are, I never will.

Yeah, it IS true that William Ross didn't compose a single note for CoS (I've read that somewhere; I think it was in an article written by John Takis), he just probably strung the themes that were written by JW for SS together so that it fit loosely with the storyline of the second installment of HP.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

What annoys me is reading comments by Harry Potter fans on other message boards that say John Williams had nothing to do with CoS and William Ross was responsible for the whole thing.

banghead

[Elmo Lewis 6]

If everybody keeps quiet about this, then how do YOU know, King Mark???

Oh, give it three to five pages of a thread, then we'll reach a conclusion that's not based on "gut feelings" or "impressions".

[JoeinAR 1,949]

William Ross did conduct the score for COS, that is a known fact, but the musci is all John's.

[Lurker 5]

That's because it is the same recording, with a 3-second loop halfway through and a new ending (conducted by Ross).

In fact, it's NOT the same recording.

Yes, it is. The loop occurs between 1:59 and 2:08 and the revised ending is somewhat clumsily edited onto the piece.

Neil

[John Crichton 4]

CoS was recorded with the LSO, and they have certainly played enough Williams to know what he wants, even if he isn't there.

And there's never been any question in my mind that Williams wrote every note of the score. My only question is who made the decisions of what SS cues to use where when Williams hadn't written new music. I think that was Ross' job, followed by the conducting. I don't know if there was ever any intention for Ross to actually write new music himself. Hence the "Adapted by" credit.

[Docteur Qui 1,544]

That's because it is the same recording, with a 3-second loop halfway through and a new ending (conducted by Ross).

In fact, it's NOT the same recording.

Yes, it is. The loop occurs between 1:59 and 2:08 and the revised ending is somewhat clumsily edited onto the piece.

Neil

It's amazing what you notice when your only CD player is a discman...