Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix [SOUNDTRACK]

Nicholas Hooper (Composer)

Product Details

• Composer: Nicholas Hooper
• Audio CD (July 10, 2007)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Warner Bros/Wea
• ASIN: B000OLGCHA
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,299 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
For its fifth cinematic installment, the Harry Potter franchise gets a new composer as England's Nicholas Hooper (a usual collaborator of new director David Yates) succeeds Patrick Doyle and John Williams. The screeching electric guitar that suddenly irrupts on the very first track, "Fireworks," lets the listener know that all is not quiet on the Hogwarts front. The kiddies are growing up, evil is spreading: which is worse?! But actually this modern sonic touch is deceiving: Hooper works within an old-school format and mostly sticks to tried-and-true effects. His score is best when it goes for tension and unease, particularly in its use of low, rumbling tones: A choir starts by humming in a menacing manner in "Dementors in the Underpass"; the sound at the beginning of "The Death of Sirius" feels as if it's being belched out from some deep, dark, scary place, creating an effective atmosphere of dread. Elsewhere, the beginning of "Possession" feels as if it belongs in a J-horror movie, and then the track becomes deceptively calm before the storm hits again. Keen listeners will recognize Williams' "Hedwig's Theme" in "Another Story," but mostly Hooper is his own man. Just like the overall series, which gets darker and darker as it goes along, this CD makes for a rather brooding listening experience--the pizzicato violins on "Umbridge Spoils a Beautiful Morning" provide one of the few jaunty touches. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Product Description
Featuring a colorful and inspiring score by Nicholas Hooper, the soundtrack to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix takes the movie-goer to the next level of magical enchantment right along with Harry and his friends.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Chronological Order (of the Phoenix), February 16, 2008

By	L. Hofmaier "curtschilling38" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Putting the songs in order is quite a simple process, and it immediately changed my opinion of the album (for the better). I highly recommend doing so. Soundtracks SHOULD be the emotional direction of the movie, and ignoring their chronological order limits the listener's connection to the actual movie. And as for the soundtrack itself, NO ONE is John Williams, and Pat Doyle and Nick Hooper don't try to be. I love JW, but I can also appreciate a unique spin now and then. Let us just hope that he scores the final film (as it would be fitting to see how he would finish the score he so famously started).

HOPE THIS HELPS...

1. Another Story
2. Dementors in the Underpass
3. Flight of the Order of the Phoenix
4. The Ministry of Magic
5. A Journey to Hogwarts
6. Professor Umbridge
7. The Room of Requirements
8. Dumbledore's Army
9. The Kiss
10. Umbridge Spoils a Beautiful Morning
11. The Sacking of Trelawney
12. Fireworks
13. The Sirius Deception
14. The Hall of Prophecies
15. Darkness Takes Over
16. Death of Sirius
17. Possession
18. Loved Ones and Leaving

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Mood Contrasts, August 1, 2007

By	John D. Cofield - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I was highly impressed by the contrast between the light hearted and the dark in this soundtrack. That is part of the special magic of the Harry Potter books, of course, but I've never felt the movies, except for the first one, really captured it until now. The soundtrack for The Order of the Phoenix is relatively short, around 45 minutes in total. The tracks are arranged more by mood than by their placement within the movie, which can be a bit confusing at first, but I enjoyed the sprightly beginning of "Fireworks." I also found "Dumbledore's Army" and "The Room of Requirement" especially appealing. The tracks relating to Dolores Umbridge are interesting, too, in that they are able to convey her cloying surface charm and inner nastiness highly effectively. This is also true of "The Ministry of Magic".

The darker tracks, especially "The Death of Sirius" and "Possession," were well able to depict the tension and horror of those moments. I also enjoyed the forboding qualities of "Another Story" and "Journey to Hogwarts."

This CD well encapsulates the best qualities of the Harry Potter books and movies, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super soundtrack, October 24, 2007

By	S. Staley - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Our whole family enjoys listening to this soundtrack. It is well written and of course it reminds us of the movie! I wasn't sure how I would like Nicholas Hooper writing a Harry Potter soundtrack, instead of John Williams, but he writes just as well. This is by far one of my favorite soundtracks from the Harry Potter movies!