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Editorial Reviews
Original soundtrack to the 2011 motion picture, the final installment in the Harry Potter movie franchise. Composed by Alexandre Desplat.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
53 of 57 people found the following review helpful
By J. STANTON
Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'd like to begin by saying that I absolutely LOVE the works of John Williams, and often think that there is no better film score orchestrator than him, but having listened to HP7 Pt2 I would put Desplat right up there with John. That is really saying something. I am a retired musician, teacher and lifetime film critic, and I am just SPELLBOUND by the orchestral sounds and colors and the way Desplat matches up action with character with surroundings...the whole piece. I say congratulations for a work well done.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By Jon Broxton
Format:Audio CD
Fifteen years after J.K. Rowling first introduced the world to Harry Potter, the saga has finally ended. The interim has seen the publication of seven books and the release of eight films about the life and adventures of the eponymous boy wizard, culminating in this film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, the second installment of the series' epic finale. It's been a long journey for both Rowling and her teenage protagonist - the books have become some of the most successful literary works of the last 100 years, the films have grossed a combined $2.3 billion at the US box office alone - but at the end of it all, Harry Potter will likely remain one of the most beloved series of novels and films for many generations to come.
Be warned; from here on in, there are spoilers, because it's impossible to talk about the music without revealing some important plot points. That plot, of course, picks up where the last movie finished, with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) running for their lives from the clutches of the evil dark wizard Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). Everything finally comes to a head with Harry and his friends desperately searching for the last Horcruxes (pieces of Voldemort's soul hidden in magical objects) while his school - Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - is defended from hordes of Voldemort's Death Eaters to the last by it's staff and students. As always, the crème de la crème of British acting talent is on display here, and the film is ably directed by David Yates, marking his fourth time at the helm of a Potter movie. Also returning - thankfully - to score the conclusion is French composer Alexandre Desplat, who stepped into Nicholas Hooper's shoes after the end of Half-Blood Prince, and wrote one of the best scores of his career for Deathly Hallows Part I.
What's interesting about Desplat's score is how he completely understood what the series is actually about, and built his score around those ideas. At its core, as Rowling herself has said, the stories are about death, and loss, and how one copes with those things. One of the main driving forces behind Harry's actions throughout the series is the memory of his mother, Lily - her sacrifice for him when he was a child, her enduring love for him, and his likeness to her, especially in his eyes. As such, it stands to reason that Desplat's theme for Lily should be the emotional cornerstone of the score.
An exotic, vaguely Celtic theme which lilts and weaves ethereally, the main melody of "Lily's Theme" is often carried by the performance of Japanese vocalist Mai Fujisawa, the daughter of composer Joe Hisaishi, who contributed so memorably to her father's score for Ponyo a couple of years ago. It has a haunting, searching, appropriately ghostlike quality, and when it appears later in "The Resurrection Stone", by far the most emotionally devastating scene in the film (in which he walks to face Voldemort in the company of the ghosts of his mother, his father, Sirius and Lupin), you can feel Harry's pain and desperation through Desplat's music.
However, not only does theme accompany Harry at his most emotional moments, but it also provides context for the actions of others. When Snape dies, it is not generic sad music we hear in "Snape's Demise", but a glassy, otherworldly performance of Lily's Theme marking his passing. When Snape shares his childhood memories with Harry, it is an idyllic version of the theme we hear in the early parts of "Severus and Lily" - although as the cue develops it becomes more strained. It was Snape's unrequited love for Lily which fuelled his loyalty to Dumbledore, Snape's anguish over the fact that it was his actions that lead to her death which turned him away from Voldemort's side, and Harry's resemblance to her that ignited his hatred for the boy, who was a living reminder of all that he had wanted but could never have. As such, the musical choices Desplat makes here are wholly appropriate, and emotionally fulfilling.
The tremendous "Dragon Flight" gives Desplat his expansive moment of soaring thematic grandeur, and although he chooses Lily's Theme as his melody, one can forgive him a lack of contextual application in this instance and simply marvel at the beauty of it - after all, John Williams wasn't above sacrificing leitmotivic integrity in exchange for emotional release himself, notably when he played Princess Leia's Theme at the moment of Ben Kenobi's death in the original Star Wars.
The other major motif new to this score is the Hogwarts Defense Theme, a strident, muscular ostinato which underpins the actions of the various members of the Order of the Phoenix as they repel Voldemort's invaders with the might of their magic. After a brief appearance during "A New Headmaster", the theme gets its first full airing in "Statues", during which Professor McGonagle bewitches the school's immense stone guardians to protect those within. It's a vaguely Remote Control-ish theme, making use of a powerful repeated string figure, militaristic bass-heavy drums, metallic percussion, and a choral wash which gives the entire piece a sense of epic grandeur and solid defiance. Its subsequent performances, in the gargantuan "Battlefield" and the devastating "Courtyard Apocalypse", are wonderful.
The rest of the action music is, of course, as superb as Desplat's action music always is; "The Tunnel", the desperate and chaotic second half of "Underworld", "Panic Inside Hogwarts", parts of "The Grey Lady", and several others throb to powerful percussive writing, tremulous brass blasts, helter-skelter string runs, several moments of full-throated choral majesty, and an unexpected amount of impressive volume. The familiar woodwind trills that abound are of course a hallmark and have underpinned Desplat's action material throughout his career. It's all wonderfully exciting and energetic, skillfully crafted with layer upon layer of instrumentation giving the pieces weight and depth, but not so much that the individual layers cannot be identified. This clarity of performance and orchestration has always been one of Desplat's hallmarks, and it is one of his most endearing traits. Note, for example, the eerie piano-and-clarinet combo towards the end of "The Diadem", and especially the thunderous staccato string rhythms and wailing trombone outbursts in the too-brief "Broomsticks and Fire" that are as ground-shaking as anything Elliot Goldenthal ever wrote.
As one would expect, Desplat revisits several themes from his first score here too, giving his noble horn-led Order of the Phoenix motif from the first film a stirring recapitulation at the end of "Neville" at the beginning of "Battlefield", and in "Showdown". Whereas the theme accompanied the adventures of the adult Order members first time round, here the adults have the new Hogwarts Defense Theme, leaving the heroic actions of the children - Neville, Ginny, Luna - to be underscored by those warm, patriotic horns. The explosion of heroic battle music that accompanies Neville's heart-stopping moment of personal triumph in "Neville the Hero" is excellent.
Similarly, the full context of the Obliviate theme from the first score becomes clearer here too, as Desplat uses it to illustrate the desperate personal sacrifices the characters make in order to defeat the forces of evil. In the original film, it was Hermione intentionally wiping her parents' memories to keep them safe from Voldemort. In this film, it is Harry's revelation to his friends that he must walk knowingly to his death in order for everyone else to live. The moving performances of the Obliviate theme in "Harry's Sacrifice" and "Harry Surrenders" are two of the most emotional moments of the score, with the former being made even more poignant through a tender performance of Hedwig's Theme at the end of the cue.
Indeed, fans of John Williams' original scores will be pleased to know that Desplat makes reference to some of that material in this score, as he did in his first. Hedwig's Theme makes a mournful return in "A New Headmaster", a desolate echo of all that Hogwarts once was, and what it has now become under Voldemort's corrupt new regime, as well as making brief cameos in "Dragon Flight", "In the Chamber of Secrets", "The Diadem", on a gently tinkling celeste in "Snape's Demise", and with deathly sorrow in "Procession". Desplat does miss a couple of moments where he could have revisited some of Williams earlier material - a brief tip of the hat to the four-note chamber motif in "In the Chamber of Secrets", or a nod to Fawkes the Phoenix in "Neville the Hero" perhaps - but these are easily overlooked.
The finale of the score - "Showdown" and "Voldemort's End" - is a 7-minute extravaganza of powerful leitmotivic writing, in which Neville's Order theme, Lily's theme, the Hogwarts Defense Theme, and even snippets and variations of Hedwig's Theme do battle under a vast cacophony of action material which showcases Desplat's both intellectual structuring of the music in thematic terms, and the boldness of his writing in terms of sheer adrenaline.
In the film, there are three tracked-in pieces of music from both Williams and Hooper's scores which do not appear on this album. A lovely statement of "Dumbledore's Farewell" from Half Blood Prince is heard immediately after "Severus and Lily", while the 19 Years Later epilogue and the first portion of the end credits feature full concert performances of "Leaving Hogwarts" and "Hedwig's Theme" from the original Sorcerer's Stone score. Read more ›
Be warned; from here on in, there are spoilers, because it's impossible to talk about the music without revealing some important plot points. That plot, of course, picks up where the last movie finished, with Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) running for their lives from the clutches of the evil dark wizard Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes). Everything finally comes to a head with Harry and his friends desperately searching for the last Horcruxes (pieces of Voldemort's soul hidden in magical objects) while his school - Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - is defended from hordes of Voldemort's Death Eaters to the last by it's staff and students. As always, the crème de la crème of British acting talent is on display here, and the film is ably directed by David Yates, marking his fourth time at the helm of a Potter movie. Also returning - thankfully - to score the conclusion is French composer Alexandre Desplat, who stepped into Nicholas Hooper's shoes after the end of Half-Blood Prince, and wrote one of the best scores of his career for Deathly Hallows Part I.
What's interesting about Desplat's score is how he completely understood what the series is actually about, and built his score around those ideas. At its core, as Rowling herself has said, the stories are about death, and loss, and how one copes with those things. One of the main driving forces behind Harry's actions throughout the series is the memory of his mother, Lily - her sacrifice for him when he was a child, her enduring love for him, and his likeness to her, especially in his eyes. As such, it stands to reason that Desplat's theme for Lily should be the emotional cornerstone of the score.
An exotic, vaguely Celtic theme which lilts and weaves ethereally, the main melody of "Lily's Theme" is often carried by the performance of Japanese vocalist Mai Fujisawa, the daughter of composer Joe Hisaishi, who contributed so memorably to her father's score for Ponyo a couple of years ago. It has a haunting, searching, appropriately ghostlike quality, and when it appears later in "The Resurrection Stone", by far the most emotionally devastating scene in the film (in which he walks to face Voldemort in the company of the ghosts of his mother, his father, Sirius and Lupin), you can feel Harry's pain and desperation through Desplat's music.
However, not only does theme accompany Harry at his most emotional moments, but it also provides context for the actions of others. When Snape dies, it is not generic sad music we hear in "Snape's Demise", but a glassy, otherworldly performance of Lily's Theme marking his passing. When Snape shares his childhood memories with Harry, it is an idyllic version of the theme we hear in the early parts of "Severus and Lily" - although as the cue develops it becomes more strained. It was Snape's unrequited love for Lily which fuelled his loyalty to Dumbledore, Snape's anguish over the fact that it was his actions that lead to her death which turned him away from Voldemort's side, and Harry's resemblance to her that ignited his hatred for the boy, who was a living reminder of all that he had wanted but could never have. As such, the musical choices Desplat makes here are wholly appropriate, and emotionally fulfilling.
The tremendous "Dragon Flight" gives Desplat his expansive moment of soaring thematic grandeur, and although he chooses Lily's Theme as his melody, one can forgive him a lack of contextual application in this instance and simply marvel at the beauty of it - after all, John Williams wasn't above sacrificing leitmotivic integrity in exchange for emotional release himself, notably when he played Princess Leia's Theme at the moment of Ben Kenobi's death in the original Star Wars.
The other major motif new to this score is the Hogwarts Defense Theme, a strident, muscular ostinato which underpins the actions of the various members of the Order of the Phoenix as they repel Voldemort's invaders with the might of their magic. After a brief appearance during "A New Headmaster", the theme gets its first full airing in "Statues", during which Professor McGonagle bewitches the school's immense stone guardians to protect those within. It's a vaguely Remote Control-ish theme, making use of a powerful repeated string figure, militaristic bass-heavy drums, metallic percussion, and a choral wash which gives the entire piece a sense of epic grandeur and solid defiance. Its subsequent performances, in the gargantuan "Battlefield" and the devastating "Courtyard Apocalypse", are wonderful.
The rest of the action music is, of course, as superb as Desplat's action music always is; "The Tunnel", the desperate and chaotic second half of "Underworld", "Panic Inside Hogwarts", parts of "The Grey Lady", and several others throb to powerful percussive writing, tremulous brass blasts, helter-skelter string runs, several moments of full-throated choral majesty, and an unexpected amount of impressive volume. The familiar woodwind trills that abound are of course a hallmark and have underpinned Desplat's action material throughout his career. It's all wonderfully exciting and energetic, skillfully crafted with layer upon layer of instrumentation giving the pieces weight and depth, but not so much that the individual layers cannot be identified. This clarity of performance and orchestration has always been one of Desplat's hallmarks, and it is one of his most endearing traits. Note, for example, the eerie piano-and-clarinet combo towards the end of "The Diadem", and especially the thunderous staccato string rhythms and wailing trombone outbursts in the too-brief "Broomsticks and Fire" that are as ground-shaking as anything Elliot Goldenthal ever wrote.
As one would expect, Desplat revisits several themes from his first score here too, giving his noble horn-led Order of the Phoenix motif from the first film a stirring recapitulation at the end of "Neville" at the beginning of "Battlefield", and in "Showdown". Whereas the theme accompanied the adventures of the adult Order members first time round, here the adults have the new Hogwarts Defense Theme, leaving the heroic actions of the children - Neville, Ginny, Luna - to be underscored by those warm, patriotic horns. The explosion of heroic battle music that accompanies Neville's heart-stopping moment of personal triumph in "Neville the Hero" is excellent.
Similarly, the full context of the Obliviate theme from the first score becomes clearer here too, as Desplat uses it to illustrate the desperate personal sacrifices the characters make in order to defeat the forces of evil. In the original film, it was Hermione intentionally wiping her parents' memories to keep them safe from Voldemort. In this film, it is Harry's revelation to his friends that he must walk knowingly to his death in order for everyone else to live. The moving performances of the Obliviate theme in "Harry's Sacrifice" and "Harry Surrenders" are two of the most emotional moments of the score, with the former being made even more poignant through a tender performance of Hedwig's Theme at the end of the cue.
Indeed, fans of John Williams' original scores will be pleased to know that Desplat makes reference to some of that material in this score, as he did in his first. Hedwig's Theme makes a mournful return in "A New Headmaster", a desolate echo of all that Hogwarts once was, and what it has now become under Voldemort's corrupt new regime, as well as making brief cameos in "Dragon Flight", "In the Chamber of Secrets", "The Diadem", on a gently tinkling celeste in "Snape's Demise", and with deathly sorrow in "Procession". Desplat does miss a couple of moments where he could have revisited some of Williams earlier material - a brief tip of the hat to the four-note chamber motif in "In the Chamber of Secrets", or a nod to Fawkes the Phoenix in "Neville the Hero" perhaps - but these are easily overlooked.
The finale of the score - "Showdown" and "Voldemort's End" - is a 7-minute extravaganza of powerful leitmotivic writing, in which Neville's Order theme, Lily's theme, the Hogwarts Defense Theme, and even snippets and variations of Hedwig's Theme do battle under a vast cacophony of action material which showcases Desplat's both intellectual structuring of the music in thematic terms, and the boldness of his writing in terms of sheer adrenaline.
In the film, there are three tracked-in pieces of music from both Williams and Hooper's scores which do not appear on this album. A lovely statement of "Dumbledore's Farewell" from Half Blood Prince is heard immediately after "Severus and Lily", while the 19 Years Later epilogue and the first portion of the end credits feature full concert performances of "Leaving Hogwarts" and "Hedwig's Theme" from the original Sorcerer's Stone score. Read more ›
39 of 49 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I'm quite surprised by the negative reactions to Alexandre Desplat's splendid score for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2." The general consensus is that the score isn't big enough, loud enough, epic enough for this, the final film in the series. Hard to say, given that none of us has actually seen it yet. But I for one am thrilled that Desplat has written nothing like the typical action picture score, all cacophony and bluster. Scores like Howard Shore's for "The Two Towers" or pretty much anything that Hans Zimmer puts his name to bore the pants off me. Not that those scores don't work when you're actually watching them in a theater, but a CD (or MP3) soundtrack is a home listening experience, and as that, I find this latest Harry Potter score extremely successful.
Desplat ratchets up the excitement when he needs to, as in the tracks "The Tunnel" and "Underworld." And "Battlefield," "Broomsticks and Fire" and "Showdown" are all as dramatic as their titles would suggest. But the series (both the books and the films) has never been about action as much as the intimate, personal relationships between the characters; and it's in the quiet moments that Desplat excels. By all accounts, the scene revealing Snape's true nature is the emotional core of this last film, and Desplat has written a gorgeous piece of music to accompany it, full of longing and heartbreak. "Harry Surrenders" and "Procession" are suitably suspenseful and solemn, given what is happening in the story. "Diadem" is mysterious, "A New Beginning" full of the elegiac tone with which JK Rowling herself ended it all. (Of course, we will have to see if this track truly accompanies the film's epilogue.) I'm pleased with the way that Desplat has weaved some of his themes from the film's first half into this one, particularly how "Obliviate" shows up in "Harry's Sacrifice" and the theme for Harry's friends (heard at the top of "Polyjuice Potion") appears in "Neville."
A minor quibble: as lovely and haunting as "Lily's Theme" is, I wonder why it's used again in "Dragon Flight," this time anthemic and soaring. It sounds great, but I'm not sure what Desplat means by evoking Lily at that point. It makes more sense when the theme reappears later in "The Resurrection Stone," but is it about Lily, flying or a horcrux?
As for another reviewer's condemnation of Desplat for not using "Hedwig's Theme" enough: By my estimation he has used it more than any of his post-Williams predecessors, and to brilliant effect. Any musician/composer will tell you that there are subtle variations of the theme all through the last two HP soundtracks, and Desplat's frequent use of it outright shows his true respect and admiration for Williams (as he has often stated). I do find it curious that the theme is not the last thing one hears on this soundtrack, but it may very well be the last we as fans will hear in theaters as the final credits roll. Personally, I hope so.
Fans of the series can thank Warner Brothers and, for the last four films, David Yates for never taking the easy, generic way out. The films have evolved exactly as they should, in my opinion, and so have the soundtracks. Williams, Hooper and Desplat (and to a lesser extent Patrick Doyle, whose "Goblet" score is my least favorite) have all understood that music is what gives a film texture, what creates our clearest emotional link to what we're seeing. I will reserve final judgment until I actually see "HP7.2" tonight, but trust that this score is the right one for this film.
UPDATE: Saw the film last night, and it's superb, an amazing feat of filmmaking. There are the usual issues of what's been left out -- and it's quite a bit -- and some will have trouble with the climactic wand fight; still, I can't imagine a better adaptation. But, as this isn't a film review, I'll move on. The soundtrack works beautifully, as I suspected, and diehard HP fans will be over the moon at how the film -- and therefore the series -- ends musically. If you don't have a significant lump in your throat at the final fade out, then maybe you really HAVE missed the point all along! :)
Desplat ratchets up the excitement when he needs to, as in the tracks "The Tunnel" and "Underworld." And "Battlefield," "Broomsticks and Fire" and "Showdown" are all as dramatic as their titles would suggest. But the series (both the books and the films) has never been about action as much as the intimate, personal relationships between the characters; and it's in the quiet moments that Desplat excels. By all accounts, the scene revealing Snape's true nature is the emotional core of this last film, and Desplat has written a gorgeous piece of music to accompany it, full of longing and heartbreak. "Harry Surrenders" and "Procession" are suitably suspenseful and solemn, given what is happening in the story. "Diadem" is mysterious, "A New Beginning" full of the elegiac tone with which JK Rowling herself ended it all. (Of course, we will have to see if this track truly accompanies the film's epilogue.) I'm pleased with the way that Desplat has weaved some of his themes from the film's first half into this one, particularly how "Obliviate" shows up in "Harry's Sacrifice" and the theme for Harry's friends (heard at the top of "Polyjuice Potion") appears in "Neville."
A minor quibble: as lovely and haunting as "Lily's Theme" is, I wonder why it's used again in "Dragon Flight," this time anthemic and soaring. It sounds great, but I'm not sure what Desplat means by evoking Lily at that point. It makes more sense when the theme reappears later in "The Resurrection Stone," but is it about Lily, flying or a horcrux?
As for another reviewer's condemnation of Desplat for not using "Hedwig's Theme" enough: By my estimation he has used it more than any of his post-Williams predecessors, and to brilliant effect. Any musician/composer will tell you that there are subtle variations of the theme all through the last two HP soundtracks, and Desplat's frequent use of it outright shows his true respect and admiration for Williams (as he has often stated). I do find it curious that the theme is not the last thing one hears on this soundtrack, but it may very well be the last we as fans will hear in theaters as the final credits roll. Personally, I hope so.
Fans of the series can thank Warner Brothers and, for the last four films, David Yates for never taking the easy, generic way out. The films have evolved exactly as they should, in my opinion, and so have the soundtracks. Williams, Hooper and Desplat (and to a lesser extent Patrick Doyle, whose "Goblet" score is my least favorite) have all understood that music is what gives a film texture, what creates our clearest emotional link to what we're seeing. I will reserve final judgment until I actually see "HP7.2" tonight, but trust that this score is the right one for this film.
UPDATE: Saw the film last night, and it's superb, an amazing feat of filmmaking. There are the usual issues of what's been left out -- and it's quite a bit -- and some will have trouble with the climactic wand fight; still, I can't imagine a better adaptation. But, as this isn't a film review, I'll move on. The soundtrack works beautifully, as I suspected, and diehard HP fans will be over the moon at how the film -- and therefore the series -- ends musically. If you don't have a significant lump in your throat at the final fade out, then maybe you really HAVE missed the point all along! :)
Most Recent Customer Reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
case was broken
I like to buy physical cd because I'm a fan, and the case was broken,
That is the reason of my complaint
That is the reason of my complaint
Published 18 hours ago by Oskrom3
3.0 out of 5 stars
Deathly Hallows 2
I Love the movie and am a soundtrack fan and needed this one to complete my collection of Harry Potter soundtracks. Read more
Published 10 days ago by Marshall L. Royse
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply breathtaking; a wonderful soundtrack
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" was a simply amazing film, and a very satisfying conclusion to the Harry Potter series, and it had an amazing soundtrack. Read more
Published 11 days ago by hwrose379
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great ending
The best of the series and a fitting ending. I really don't know what else to say, I'm just filling in the space they said I had too.
Published 1 month ago by M. J. Madison
5.0 out of 5 stars
great dvd.
i love music from some movies and this was one of them. i love that fact that alexandre did not change the style of music for the harry potter series that was set down by the great... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Nick
5.0 out of 5 stars
great music
i have all the movies and i just love the music so i had to have it for all the movies.
Published 3 months ago by Harmony Lenz
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Music
I am really into this type of music. This album is everything I would have hoped for. Worth your time and investment.
Published 3 months ago by Abelardo Dominguez
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bought as a gift
Bought this CD as a gift for an individual who is bananas over the Harry Potter book series, she loves it.
Published 4 months ago by ray
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as good as John Williams, but it's okay!
Purchase this dvd so that I have the whole collection to listen to. John Williams music is the best, and Sorcerer's Stone the best movie!
Published 4 months ago by L BROWN
5.0 out of 5 stars
spellbinding
no need for visuals, the music says it all. Wish there were more to come, each one is better than the last.
Published 4 months ago by Naj
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