I'm listening to it right now. From Lily's Theme to A New Beginning, I'm just stunned. It's the best score since PoA. And if it's eligible at the Oscars (I hope and think so), it will definitely be nominated. Mark my words.
I'm not as thrilled with 'A New Beginning' now that I've heard the full version on youtube. I mean, I still like it, but I don't think it would be good for the final notes you hear in a HP movie, ever.
I really really hope that it's for another scene besides the epilogue, because I think I'll be rather disappointed if it is for the epilogue.
They're all absolutely stunning, but for me... they're still not as good as i had hoped and imagined them to be, but that's just my expectation's going sky high again.
Desplat is VERY consistent with this soundtrack. If you guys go back to and listen to other soundtracks, not all of them can claim the title of 'epic' or 'amazing' or any overused words such as those. Basically every track except Gringotts can claim that. Hope to hear it very loud in Part 2!
Well, it’s hard to really judge a film score without having seen it properly in the context of the film but I’d put the music in the good-but-not-great camp just now. Desplat creates interesting textures and the score is more layered than the Part I. He’s incorporated more themes and connected the work much more strongly reintroducing Obliviate and the Order motifs as well as keeping Hedwig’s Theme and using is more than ever (although some of them sound too arbitrary). Lily’s theme is a nice creation and probably one of the better motifs but far from being as memorable as say, A Window to the Past.
The score has some masterful pieces: Underworld, Dragon Flight, The Grey Lady, Severus and Lily and Resurrection Stone. Which convey much deeper emotions musically and also contain so many different colours and shapes with all sorts of twists and turns, I think Underworld is the best action track on the score for that reason. There are plenty of good moments on the score as well; I’m partial to Battlefield but much of the action music comes across as somewhat generic: Courtyard Apocalypse seems uninspired and Showdown falls under the radar. The Tunnel I don’t find anything special about either. So while Despat seems to have hit all the right notes with the drama and emotion I’m still not sold on his action writings, I don’t think that’s his strong point and might be why the battle doesn’t seem to have much music in itself.
I think the only thing that bugs some of us (and others) is the fact that it has lost some of the fire that it once had, it feels less like Potter with every passing score. Plus, you can't piece them together, nor to do work as separate entities, to be played alone, as they don't have many strong themes running through them. It is a good score, not great, and not as good as i was hoping and/or expecting.
lol, I went to listen to Leaving Hogwarts on Youtube and they were all complaining about how it wasn't at the end of DH2. I do hope I get to see them proven wrong.
I was just watching a ton pictures and screenshots from Deathly Hallows 1 and 2 on my screensaver whilst listening to the music. The mood and emotion of the score definitely fit the images, and also made a bit more of an enjoyable experience than listening to the music by itself.
I love the soundtrack. Lily's Theme is the best HP theme since 'A Window to the Past'. The Tunnel is very exciting and its first 30-40 seconds are amazing. Underworld is probably the best action track of the soundtrack. So many different parts, such an exciting track. The final 30-40 seconds are so grand and soaring. I love the little influences from the 'Locket' theme and PS music. Gringotts is undoubtedly one of the 'weakest' tracks, because it's just very atmospheric and subtle. But I really like it. It's very weird, creepy and foreboding. It's not just a simple atmospheric track. The Dragon Flight is soaring and epic. I can imagine the dragon flying over London with this brilliant music. It will be a standout moment in the film and may even top Buckbeak's flight scene. Neville is my least favorite track on the soundtrack and it's nothing special at all. I don't even know why it's included in it. Could have been a bonus track. A New Headmaster is creepy, chilling and foreboding. I love Hedwig's Theme in it and the final 20 seconds definitely have to do with Snape and McGonagall's fight or something. Panic Inside Hogwarts is very foreboding and you can feel that shit gets real. It's very grand and builds up to 'Statues' beautifully. Statues is such an amazing action theme. Amazing and my second favorite after Underworld. The Grey Lady is another highlight and it balances moments of mystery and quietness (and sadness) with moments of great action perfectly. It will be very intense on the big screen. I can imagine Harry talking with the Grey Lady in the rushes, while Voldemort's armies start attacking the protections of Hogwarts. In the Chamber of Secrets is one of the 'least good' tracks, but this doesn't mean it's bad or anything. In fact, it's better than most action cues in OotP, HBP and DH1. The Diadem is another favorite of mine. It starts so beautifully (I can imagine Harry searching for the diadem in the corridors of the Room of Requirement) and the final 2 minutes or something are so exciting and action-packed. Brilliant work. Battlefield is another favorite of mine and I love how it reuses the Statues theme so well. Broomsticks and Fire is not a favorite, but it's more than decent. It will flatter the Inferno sequence brilliantly. Courtyard Apocalypse is a major highlight. I love the drums. I love the Apocalypse feel. I love the way it reuses the Statues theme so brilliantly, but it's a sad emotional track now. I can imagine seeing towers in flames, people dying etc. while the camera pans around the castle. Snape's Demise is amazing. Very upsetting and haunting in the beginning but then it becomes very emotional with the ethereal voice of that woman. Severus and Lily is one of my top favorites. A 6-minute epic, I might say. Nostalgia, romance, sadness, melancholy and tragedy all in 6 minutes. I felt so many emotions. Harry's Sacrifice reuses the Obliviate theme extremely well and it'll be a heartbreaking moment in the film. Very nice job, Desplat. Resurrection Stone is probably my favorite track here. It's so sad. Such a brilliant use of piano, strings and female choir. Mesmerizing. Harry Surrenders pays homage to Obliviate, but it's so intense. You can feel that this is Harry's end. This is his sacrifice. Procession is funeral-like. Epic. Reuses Lily's theme beautifully. A great variation. Does anyone feel something Asian in the music? It reminds me of Chinese or Japanese traditional music, somehow. Lily's Theme does that as well. Neville the Hero is pretty great. I love the first half of it and the second half is very exciting, but not really that memorable. Showdown disappointed me a bit. The first half of it is just good, but nothing special. Though, I love the 'Bathilda Bagshot' cue there. The second half of it, though, is really really great. Voldemort's End is spectacular. I love the epic variation of Lily's theme and how it ends with the female vocals again (probably building up to the entire Lily's Theme playing next). A New Beginning is lovely, nostalgic and warm. It will contribute to the viaduct scene beautifully. This will be another emotional highlight in the film.
All in all:
DH1
Obliviate 4.5/5 Snape to Malfoy Manor 4.5/5 Polyjuice Potion 3.5/5 Sky Battle 4/5 At the Burrow 4/5 Harry and Ginny 3.5/5 The Will 3/5 Death Eaters 4/5 Dobby 3/5 Ministry of Magic 2.5/5 Detonators 3.5/5 The Locket 4/5 Fireplaces Escape 4.5/5 Ron Leaves 4.5/5 The Exodus 4/5 Godric's Hollow Graveyard 4.5/5 Bathilda Bagshot 4/5 Hermione's Parents 3.5/5 Destroying the Locket 2.5/5 Ron's Speech 4/5 Lovegood 3/5 The Deathly Hallows 4/5 Captured and Tortured 3.5/5 Rescuing Hermione 2.5/5 Farewell to Dobby 4.5/5 The Elder Wand 4/5
TOTAL: 3.73/5.00=> 3.7/5
DH2:
Lily's Theme 5/5 The Tunnel 4/5 Underworld 4.5/5 Gringotts 3/5 The Dragon Flight 4.5/5 Neville 2.5/5 A New Headmaster 3.5/5 Panic Inside Hogwarts 4/5 Statues 5/5 The Grey Lady 4.5/5 In the Chamber of Secrets 3/5 Battlefield 4/5 The Diadem 4/5 Broomsticks and Fire 3/5 Courtyard Apocalypse 5/5 Snape's Demise 4/5 Severus and Lily 4.5/5 Harry's Sacrifice 4/5 The Resurrection Stone 5/5 Harry Surrenders 3.5/5 Procession 3.5/5 Neville the Hero 3.5/5 Showdown 3.5/5 Voldemort's End 4.5/5 A New Beginning 3.5/5
TOTAL: 3.96/5.00 => 4/5
Overall, it's an improvement from DH1's score and it has some masterful pieces that are some of the best that have been composed in the series. Still, my opinion might change on a few tracks in the future, but right now, I'm impressed.
Less Harry Potter like? Really guys, that's a lame excuse. Do I want to hear 'Harry's Wondrous World' during this? Hell no. I want to hear battle tracks and emotional pieces that signify the end. This soundtrack is epic to say the least, and I listened to all of DH1 and then all of DH2, and DH2 is definitely better.
Thanks, Henrick. Well, I could tell that reviewer had no use for Harry Potter at all just from all the snarky comments at the beginning, so once he gets to talking about the score, you knew it wouldn't be good!
Yes, we miss John Williams, but I honestly loved "Obliviate" as much as anything Williams ever did. I haven't found a track on Part 2 that I have to just play over and over like that, but much of it still sounds really good. Now this comment I did sort of agree with (to an extent, though I wasn't quite THIS negative): "The final track is about as underwhelming as it's possible to get. The chiming brass finales of the earlier episodes may not be entirely appropriate, but the score just fizzles away to nothing." However, that's why many of us have suspected that "A New Beginning" might just be the background to dialogue on the viaduct and then "Leaving Hogwarts" just might end it all.... So to end with a Star Wars quote (since he loves Star Wars so much): You assume too much! ;-)
Comments
I'm listening to it right now. From Lily's Theme to A New Beginning, I'm just stunned. It's the best score since PoA. And if it's eligible at the Oscars (I hope and think so), it will definitely be nominated. Mark my words.
I really really hope that it's for another scene besides the epilogue, because I think I'll be rather disappointed if it is for the epilogue.
Holy....! Is that the theme from the first film when they enter the fault I hear in Underworld?! Sounds like it at least. >.>
Snapes Demise
Resurrection Stone
Lily's Theme
Statues
Courtyard Apocalypse
Lord Stafford.
visit my blog!
www.mediahype101.blogspot.com (tv shows/reviews)
The score has some masterful pieces: Underworld, Dragon Flight, The Grey Lady, Severus and Lily and Resurrection Stone. Which convey much deeper emotions musically and also contain so many different colours and shapes with all sorts of twists and turns, I think Underworld is the best action track on the score for that reason. There are plenty of good moments on the score as well; I’m partial to Battlefield but much of the action music comes across as somewhat generic: Courtyard Apocalypse seems uninspired and Showdown falls under the radar. The Tunnel I don’t find anything special about either. So while Despat seems to have hit all the right notes with the drama and emotion I’m still not sold on his action writings, I don’t think that’s his strong point and might be why the battle doesn’t seem to have much music in itself.
Lord Stafford.
if anything it is strong, the score is much more grand and operatic...which it should be
this film isnt about owls, sweets and quidditch
Lord Stafford.
listen to statues , showdown and courtyard....
plus it seems we are getting leaving hogwarts, so theres your magic
i think the score is very well made...tied with POA as my favorite one
but hey, not everyone likes it...its cool
Lily's Theme is the best HP theme since 'A Window to the Past'.
The Tunnel is very exciting and its first 30-40 seconds are amazing.
Underworld is probably the best action track of the soundtrack. So many different parts, such an exciting track. The final 30-40 seconds are so grand and soaring. I love the little influences from the 'Locket' theme and PS music.
Gringotts is undoubtedly one of the 'weakest' tracks, because it's just very atmospheric and subtle. But I really like it. It's very weird, creepy and foreboding. It's not just a simple atmospheric track.
The Dragon Flight is soaring and epic. I can imagine the dragon flying over London with this brilliant music. It will be a standout moment in the film and may even top Buckbeak's flight scene.
Neville is my least favorite track on the soundtrack and it's nothing special at all. I don't even know why it's included in it. Could have been a bonus track.
A New Headmaster is creepy, chilling and foreboding. I love Hedwig's Theme in it and the final 20 seconds definitely have to do with Snape and McGonagall's fight or something.
Panic Inside Hogwarts is very foreboding and you can feel that shit gets real. It's very grand and builds up to 'Statues' beautifully.
Statues is such an amazing action theme. Amazing and my second favorite after Underworld.
The Grey Lady is another highlight and it balances moments of mystery and quietness (and sadness) with moments of great action perfectly. It will be very intense on the big screen. I can imagine Harry talking with the Grey Lady in the rushes, while Voldemort's armies start attacking the protections of Hogwarts.
In the Chamber of Secrets is one of the 'least good' tracks, but this doesn't mean it's bad or anything. In fact, it's better than most action cues in OotP, HBP and DH1.
The Diadem is another favorite of mine. It starts so beautifully (I can imagine Harry searching for the diadem in the corridors of the Room of Requirement) and the final 2 minutes or something are so exciting and action-packed. Brilliant work.
Battlefield is another favorite of mine and I love how it reuses the Statues theme so well.
Broomsticks and Fire is not a favorite, but it's more than decent. It will flatter the Inferno sequence brilliantly.
Courtyard Apocalypse is a major highlight. I love the drums. I love the Apocalypse feel. I love the way it reuses the Statues theme so brilliantly, but it's a sad emotional track now. I can imagine seeing towers in flames, people dying etc. while the camera pans around the castle.
Snape's Demise is amazing. Very upsetting and haunting in the beginning but then it becomes very emotional with the ethereal voice of that woman.
Severus and Lily is one of my top favorites. A 6-minute epic, I might say. Nostalgia, romance, sadness, melancholy and tragedy all in 6 minutes. I felt so many emotions.
Harry's Sacrifice reuses the Obliviate theme extremely well and it'll be a heartbreaking moment in the film. Very nice job, Desplat.
Resurrection Stone is probably my favorite track here. It's so sad. Such a brilliant use of piano, strings and female choir. Mesmerizing.
Harry Surrenders pays homage to Obliviate, but it's so intense. You can feel that this is Harry's end. This is his sacrifice.
Procession is funeral-like. Epic. Reuses Lily's theme beautifully. A great variation. Does anyone feel something Asian in the music? It reminds me of Chinese or Japanese traditional music, somehow. Lily's Theme does that as well.
Neville the Hero is pretty great. I love the first half of it and the second half is very exciting, but not really that memorable.
Showdown disappointed me a bit. The first half of it is just good, but nothing special. Though, I love the 'Bathilda Bagshot' cue there. The second half of it, though, is really really great.
Voldemort's End is spectacular. I love the epic variation of Lily's theme and how it ends with the female vocals again (probably building up to the entire Lily's Theme playing next).
A New Beginning is lovely, nostalgic and warm. It will contribute to the viaduct scene beautifully. This will be another emotional highlight in the film.
All in all:
DH1
Obliviate 4.5/5
Snape to Malfoy Manor 4.5/5
Polyjuice Potion 3.5/5
Sky Battle 4/5
At the Burrow 4/5
Harry and Ginny 3.5/5
The Will 3/5
Death Eaters 4/5
Dobby 3/5
Ministry of Magic 2.5/5
Detonators 3.5/5
The Locket 4/5
Fireplaces Escape 4.5/5
Ron Leaves 4.5/5
The Exodus 4/5
Godric's Hollow Graveyard 4.5/5
Bathilda Bagshot 4/5
Hermione's Parents 3.5/5
Destroying the Locket 2.5/5
Ron's Speech 4/5
Lovegood 3/5
The Deathly Hallows 4/5
Captured and Tortured 3.5/5
Rescuing Hermione 2.5/5
Farewell to Dobby 4.5/5
The Elder Wand 4/5
TOTAL: 3.73/5.00=> 3.7/5
DH2:
Lily's Theme 5/5
The Tunnel 4/5
Underworld 4.5/5
Gringotts 3/5
The Dragon Flight 4.5/5
Neville 2.5/5
A New Headmaster 3.5/5
Panic Inside Hogwarts 4/5
Statues 5/5
The Grey Lady 4.5/5
In the Chamber of Secrets 3/5
Battlefield 4/5
The Diadem 4/5
Broomsticks and Fire 3/5
Courtyard Apocalypse 5/5
Snape's Demise 4/5
Severus and Lily 4.5/5
Harry's Sacrifice 4/5
The Resurrection Stone 5/5
Harry Surrenders 3.5/5
Procession 3.5/5
Neville the Hero 3.5/5
Showdown 3.5/5
Voldemort's End 4.5/5
A New Beginning 3.5/5
TOTAL: 3.96/5.00 => 4/5
Overall, it's an improvement from DH1's score and it has some masterful pieces that are some of the best that have been composed in the series. Still, my opinion might change on a few tracks in the future, but right now, I'm impressed.
And, it's not good.
http://soundtrack-express.blogspot.com/2011/07/harry-potter-and-deathly-hallows-part-2.html
im writing desplat a letter, and i know darthhorcrux is too
Mixed, I guess.
http://www.filmwerk.co.uk/?p=6800&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Yes, we miss John Williams, but I honestly loved "Obliviate" as much as anything Williams ever did. I haven't found a track on Part 2 that I have to just play over and over like that, but much of it still sounds really good. Now this comment I did sort of agree with (to an extent, though I wasn't quite THIS negative): "The final track is about as underwhelming as it's possible to get. The chiming brass finales of the earlier episodes may not be entirely appropriate, but the score just fizzles away to nothing." However, that's why many of us have suspected that "A New Beginning" might just be the background to dialogue on the viaduct and then "Leaving Hogwarts" just might end it all.... So to end with a Star Wars quote (since he loves Star Wars so much): You assume too much! ;-)