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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: (John
Williams/William Ross) The
Harry Potter locomotive steamed into
its second film installment with only a year having passed from the
first film, mirroring and competing with the breakneck franchise pacing
of Peter Jackson's
The Lord of the Rings films. Despite the
competition from both
The Lord of the Rings and the renewed
Star Wars franchise in 2002,
Harry Potter and the Chamber of
Secrets held its own with both adults and a slightly younger set of
audiences. The second story in the
Harry Potter series, however,
begins a movement towards a darker and more mysterious journey for the
young witches and wizards at Hogwarts, causing each successive entry to
lose the flighty innocence conveyed by composer John Williams' score for
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. The second film's more
ominous tone, despite several flurries of comedy in its ranks, provided
a much darker overall canvas for the veteran Williams to work with, this
time utilizing the adaptation and conducting assistance of long-time
associate William Ross to complete the score on schedule. Williams was
no stranger, of course, to the blockbuster scene, with scores for
sequels coming as a natural assignment for the maestro. With an
effective, Oscar nominated score for the first film, director Chris
Columbus was just as enthusiastic about Williams' musical production for
the second venture. The path to the completion of that work was
complicated, however, by the extremely busy year that the composer was
experiencing in 2002. The assignment of
Harry Potter and the Chamber
of Secrets came just as the finishing touches were being put on
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones for George Lucas and
Minority
Report for Steven Spielberg, and Williams had already committed to
the latter director's
Catch Me If You Can when he realized that
there would be a conflict with Columbus for the second
Harry
Potter film. Since he was absolutely resolute on the issue of
continuing his music for the franchise, he called Ross early in 2002 and
asked him to assist in arranging the themes from
Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone into the new material he was frantically composing
for the sequel in available time.
Contrary to popular belief, Ross didn't actually compose
any of that new music for
Harry Potter and the Chamber of
Secrets. A veteran orchestrator and a capable composer, Ross had
written solo scores in the late 1990's that had often reminded listeners
of the composers for whom he had orchestrated (and this especially
applied to Alan Silvestri), so the emulation of Williams was not a task
out of his ability. As Ross stated at the time of the film's release,
"John communicated how important it was for him to establish musical
continuity between the first and second installments of the series.
Although he planned to write the new themes and new musical material for
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, there would be areas of
the new film in which he intended to utilize and adapt themes from the
first Potter score." Ross' duties were to be limited to the areas in the
film that had been designated (during their joint spotting sessions with
Columbus) to receive adaptations of the previous score's material. "John
was very specific about what material and themes would be played where,"
Ross continued. "By [May of 2002] he had begun writing new themes and
material. There were a few instances where he suggested I use some of
the new musical ideas to elaborate and expand the music from the
original score that I was working with." Williams wrote five significant
themes for the film, four of which he adapted himself into the concert
suite versions that exist near the start of the commercial album for
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Some of this material
was sent to Ross as late as the final day of recording with the London
Symphony Orchestra; the conducting of the famed group was Ross' duty for
this score, a responsibility that thrilled the less experienced
composer. While performing Williams' music with their usual precision,
Ross stated, "They truly made me feel at home and comfortable."
Ultimately, Ross diligently attempted to push all the credit for the
score back on to Williams, though the maestro insisted that Ross be
given adaptation credit on screen and album, causing much of the
confusion about the attribution of the work and, consequently,
Harry
Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was the only of Williams' three
scores for the franchise not to be nominated for an Academy Award.
The finished score for
Harry Potter and the Chamber of
Secrets is one that contains all of the expected musical references
to the first film and expands upon Williams' plethora of fresh ideas for
newly introduced characters and locations. The integration of character
cross-references is, of course, a strong highlight of the books, and
Williams had proven with the increasingly complex
Star Wars
prequel scores that such merging, crossing, overlapping, and
counterpoint is no difficulty for him. This area of subtlety is where
Williams' lack of involvement in each moment of the score's arrangement
causes the most problems, however. Each of the new themes for
Harry
Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is adequate (though none could
argue that any of them are as strong as the primary three he composed
for the first entry), but they rarely mingle with each other. Nor do the
themes from the first film exist with the masterful integration as they
had in that film's extremely intricate score. Williams had a knack for
inserting extremely subtle references to the other themes in almost
every prominent statement of an idea in
Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone, and that level of sophistication is somewhat
lacking here. Instead, we hear a score that contains several strong
thematic ideas, but ones that are mostly self-contained. The album
release for
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets complicates
matters even more, because although the product clocks in at over 70
minutes in length, it doesn't offer many of the better adaptations by
Ross and thus cuts the two parts of Hedwig's theme from most of what you
hear on that presentation. You can almost distinguish the fragmentation
of Williams' process of writing in the lack of cohesion from which the
score suffers. One of the great disappointments of
Harry Potter and
the Chamber of Secrets is that none of its themes exist for concepts
general enough to classify any of them as "the primary theme" of the
film. Ironically, it's the theme for Harry and his friendship with Ron
and Hermione (heard in the concert suite "Harry's Wondrous World"
reprised in full on this album) that transcends the three major,
magic-related themes from
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
and plays a significant role in the sequel score.
Thus,
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a
disappointing score in terms of its thematic constructs and their
relation to the first film. The only major cue in the film to touch upon
the material from the previous entry is the opening "Prologue: Book II
and the Escape from the Dursleys," which seems like a cursory and
blatant attempt to provide some early screen time for each of the four
major ideas from the first score without altering them significantly.
This cue opens with the delicate, celesta performance of the magical
side of Hedwig's theme (technically for the owl but also encompassing
the general world of wizardry) and builds to a relatively lonely French
horn and bass string performance of the second half of the theme,
representing Hogwarts, for the actual title sequence. Celesta and
woodwinds cover some of the lesser motifs from the first score before,
at 1:35, the flying theme, otherwise denoting magical mischief, is
introduced. The flying theme's concert arrangement dominates the middle
portion of the cue, yielding at the 2:50 mark to Harry's theme, also
seeming pulled from the concert arrangement. The lack of a strong
presence for the two parts of Hedwig's theme in the remainder of the
score is the most devastating problem facing
Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets. The new themes are adequate, but not nearly as
memorable. The first of these ideas is the one for "Fawkes the Phoenix,"
a stately piece that very well could have represented Professor
Dumbledore himself and finally exhibits some of that Gryffindor pride.
Fluttering woodwinds are the trademark element of flight in this theme,
adding a sense of whimsy to the otherwise conservatively dramatic
strings that represent the bird. A more varied and natural exploration
of this idea exists in the entirety of "Fawkes is Reborn," and a slower
tempo lends majesty to the theme at the climax of the film in "Dueling
the Basilisk." Performing groups looking for a piece from
Harry
Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to represent the score in their
compilations often choose the actual "The Chamber of Secrets" concert
suite, which does a disservice to the score given the fact that the
piece doesn't actually have much to do with the rest of the entire
work.
The merits of the theme in "The Chamber of Secrets" are
admittedly quite strong, taking a mutated version of both the Hogwarts
theme and flying theme from the first score and transforming them into a
demented, tumultuous march of evil. The closing minor third progressions
from the Hedwig themes also conclude the phrases of this new theme,
strongly suggesting the connection between Potter and the Chamber. The
sequence starting at 1:05 into the concert suite touches upon all three
of the magic-related themes from the first score in succession, with a
creative, minor-key approach and even a hint of the theme for the Ark of
the Covenant from
Raider of the Lost Ark. On the whole, this
theme is engaging, but it does not figure to any effective degree
whatsoever in the rest of the score, not even in the cue "Dueling the
Basilisk" that actually involves the chamber (a massive flaw in the
score). A little scherzo for "Gilderoy Lockhart," complete with cute
harpsichord to match the fraudulent, pompous professor's prissy
personality, is an obnoxious part of the score for
Harry Potter and
the Chamber of Secrets that isn't particularly listenable on album
(despite its effectiveness for the film). Its short concert suite
arrangement is joined by a comedic performance early in "The Dueling
Club" and a fragmented, serious arrangement in "Cornish Pixies." An
exuberant, swirling brass theme for the flying car is heard in just the
one cue in the score ("The Flying Car") but is among Williams' more
enticing fantasy creations of light-hearted spirit. An intentionally
awkward little piece for "Dobby the House Elf" defines the character on
meandering woodwinds, and the lack of any anchor in this seemingly
listless idea is a perfect representation for the character's
personality (though like Lockhart's theme, it doesn't make much of a
dramatic impact on the score). Among the lesser motifs representing
specific situations in the film, the choral-aided version of Harry's
theme for "Moaning Myrtle," with whooping female voices, is pleasant and
an eerie, descending woodwind motif for the spiders in the forbidden
forest (heard in "The Spiders," "Meeting Aragog," and "Cakes for Crabbe
and Goyle") is functional. The lack of overlap in any of these themes
remains the most surprising aspect of
Harry Potter and the Chamber of
Secrets, leaving that duty up to the fleeting use of the previous
score's identities.
As mentioned previously, many of Ross' adaptations of the
previous film's themes cannot be heard on the album, though there are
still certainly enough references to place
Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets in context. The opening cue indeed runs through
the previous four major themes in snapshot succession. The lack of the
first part of Hedwig's theme is the most surprising omission from the
subsequent major cues; Williams saves the most prominent performance for
the last half-minute of the work. Arguably the best part of the entire
score is this last flurry of Hedwig's theme, expanded to nearly
fanfare-level, symphonic bliss. Outside of the opening cue, the only
major performance of the Hogwarts phrase of Hedwig's theme is heard
later in "The Flying Car" as the castle is once again seen for the first
time. Given that this is the primary theme of the franchise, its usage
in the sequel score is surprisingly sparse. The flying theme is also
sparingly applied, translating into its mischievous variant on low
woodwinds and tuba in "Polyjuice Potion" and "Cakes for Crabbe and
Goyle," respectfully. These moments are highly reminiscent of
Home
Alone, almost to a fault. The employment of Harry's theme (heard in
the suite "Harry's Wondrous World") is the most extensive of reprised
ideas in
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It's the only
returning theme heard in extended performances, starting in the opening
cue and extending to "The Flying Car" and "Reunion of Friends," with
several shorter references in between. Its original concert suite
arrangement is also appended to the end of the album. Williams' theme
for Voldemort receives its due spotlight in the film, with Tom Riddle's
appearances perfect for further exploration of the idea. It's heard in
full, repetitive glory at the end of "Meeting Tom Riddle" (much like the
vault sequence in the first film) and simmers in "Cakes for Crabbe and
Goyle" before one last, unfortunately underplayed performance in
"Dueling the Basilisk." With Voldemort mostly absent from
Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, this theme by Williams would
become lost in the franchise from this point on. Patrick Doyle dropped
the ball in
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, failing to carry
on Williams' theme for the character despite Voldemort's official
resurrection in that story.
Overall, the general effectiveness of Williams' work
for the franchise was once again a debate surrounding the release of
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, with some listeners
still unconvinced that the composer infused a genuine sense of magic
into
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Many argued (with
valid points), that both of these first two scores in the franchise
lacked the sense of transcendent, powerful adventure that had defined
the height of Williams' career in the early 1980's. Not since the highly
acclaimed score for
Jurassic Park had Williams begun a
blockbuster franchise, and debate exploded in 2001 about whether or not
he maintained the same ability to start such a series with a bang. For
many listeners, the only method of judging the success of Williams'
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone arose from its comparison
to Howard Shore's
The Lord of the Rings pilot score and Williams'
own
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. When analyzing those three
franchises for only their music, both
The Lord of the Rings and
Star Wars fare better in the record stores with hardcore film
music collectors. The love theme from
Star Wars: Attack of the
Clones alone exceeded the combined music from Williams'
Harry
Potter scores in scope, with the possible exception of the stunning
and popular theme for "Buckbeak's Flight" in
Harry Potter and the
Prisoner of Azkaban. It's possible that expectations for
Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone were simply too elevated in all of
the hype generated before its release, and the score has indeed aged
well relative to its successors. As for
Harry Potter and the Chamber
of Secrets, listeners were once again treated to a clearly
identifiable return of Williams to his undeniably strong 1989-1991 style
of composition, presenting some originality problems that hinder this
score more than the similar usage in the previous effort. Portions of
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and
Hook, and
Home
Alone (among others, including the
Star Wars prequels scores
more recently) obviously influenced the
Harry Potter scores, and
the second entry's comedy portions especially suffer from a bit of
Williams "auto-pilot" syndrome.
While this continuation of style bothers some
listeners, it's also important to remember that John Williams, no matter
what era since the 1970's in which you place him, composes at a level
that exceeds many of the best works of his contemporary counterparts in
the industry. In short, Williams' rehashing of old ideas is still better
than practically any other composer today as his or her best, and it is
this general sense of atmospheric superiority that
Harry Potter and
the Chamber of Secrets has going in its favor. The recording quality
is superb, as are the performances of the London Symphony Orchestra and
the London Voices. In a technical sense, Ross accomplished his task and
the film maintained Williams' sound to a better degree than the later
entries in the franchise. On the other hand, in an intangible sense, the
music fails to adequately capture the gravity and awe-inspiring nature
of the films and, especially, the books. While
Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets contains a much scarier and sinister storyline,
the score never stirs the true power of the orchestra or voices to
extend that fright to a level even equivalent to the chess game scene in
the first film. The higher quantity of comical elements, from the
bumbling Lockhart and his pixies lesson to the celebrity status of Harry
and the quirky actions of Dobby, pull the score further from the dark
undertones that run throughout the book. The cute sub-themes are,
despite their necessity, a killer of cohesiveness. Williams has become
almost too predictable in his instrumentation, with the fat tuba
bubbling along for Slytherin fools Crabbe and Goyle, the high-pitched
strings for the spiders, and a sharp snare roll for the dueling club
scene. There is no special instrumentation of note in
Harry Potter
and the Chamber of Secrets, nor are the voices used to any great
extent. Nearly absent in key cues are the timpani and other percussion
that brought excitement to the climax of the previous score. Overall,
the score does its job, but Williams was obviously playing it safe. It
was the only of his three scores for the franchise not to be extensively
bootlegged within a few years of its release, and without an expanded
album treatment, the extent of the cohesion problems are difficult to
assess. The maestro took all of 2003 off before returning for
Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, an arguably more engaging
score.
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The insert includes extensive credits and a note from director Chris Columbus.
The packaging also unfolds into a rather unattractive poster of Dobby.
