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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
That Little Bit Of Magic That Remains In This World, December 3, 2001
I believe that the power of a truly great composer is that which enables him or her to come up with a simple tune - a hook - that complements itself effectively with every other suite or piece of music that runs through the soundtrack of a work of art. John Williams powerfully proves that he has that skill. So, whether or not you feel Chris Columbus did a good job directing "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", you cannot surpass his wise choice of having Mr. Williams piece together this truly spellbinding score.Yes, now and again he indulges in self-plagiarism, but all that is conveniently covered up with the playful running theme that materialises most compellingly in "Hedwig's Theme", and pops in as daintily as it sounds in the rest of the music against appropriately spine-tingling and triumphantly composite compositions. The entire soundtrack - as track-listed here - builds up in a wicked crescendo that easily sweeps one of his feet and transports him back to the magic of Harry's world. From the dark and ominous "Harry's Wondrous World", sprinkled cleverly with a tinge of hope, to the orchestral climax in "The Face of Voldermort", which erupts in musical irony when it sets "Hedwig's Theme" against cold, bombarding strings, John Williams creates his very own original (well, almost) rendition of J. K. Rowling's meticulously imaginative dimension - all embodied in every single likeable piece. A feature which proves comforting for the listener - especially younger children who could go crazy over everything "Harry" - is that almost every piece is a suitably short, three to four-minute long opus. But even the longer pieces, such as the exhilarating "The Quidditch Match" that spans some eight minutes long, fleet by as enjoyably as the movie does in its unbelievably "short" 2½ hours. This piece, in particular, is one of my favourites, as it regenerates the majestic memory of the Arthurian-styled Quidditch setting, and the pure intensity of the game. The soundtrack springs up a few surprises here and there. For example, in "Christmas at Hogwarts", you can actually hear caroling ghosts! And "Diagon Alley and The Gringotts Vault" is considerably varied from what is heard in that sequence of the movie, though it retains its good cheer. But it is sad that some of the music from the movie has been left out in this soundtrack (it appears to be a trend many composers and producers are following nowadays). For example, the original music for the Diagon Alley sequence had more "oomph" to it, and gave it a sense of jolly enthusiasm remarkably symbolic of how Harry must have felt visiting that venue for the first time. The light-hearted flutes that you hear instead on the soundtrack cannot beat the former, which initially created the right atmosphere so well. And also - I'm not sure if anyone noticed this - during the part of the movie before Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco went off into the woods with Hagrid for detention, there was a Celtic-sounding tune being played with a very ghostly feel in the background while they were all huddled around the fire, and Filch asked Hagrid to "keep his wits about". I was looking out for that tune, hopefully in a piece that accompanied The Forbidden Forest sequence, but even such a piece wasn't included at all. There's quite a bit to miss out on listening to this soundtrack, and it's a pity that not all of John Williams' work could be included here, especially being the first movie on the teenage wizard and all. But still, Mr. Williams rightfully boasts that he can recreate and bring life once more to the little bit of magic that remains in this world. Very hopefully, he will continue with the rest of the movies in the "Harry Potter" series, and remain masterful in evoking the power of magic, music and the emotion they bring about in the life of the world's most beloved teen wizard.
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~ William Ross
~ Patrick Doyle
~ Nicholas Hooper
~ Nicholas Hooper
~ Patrick Doyle
by John Williams 
