The ensemble for Hooper in The Half-Blood Prince carries over from the previous score, but a more significant role for light choir is an important addition. Thematically, the composer references his own ideas from the previous score and two elements from Williams' work (an improvement, but barely). Once again, Doyle's efforts to musically define Harry and Voldemort are dismissed by Hooper, still a major irritation given the potential for the mingling of the two themes in these later scores. Returning from Hooper's material is, most prominently, the possession theme, representing the encroaching influence of Voldemort but losing what little cohesive touch the theme's adagio format in the other score contained. In fact, casual listeners may not even notice the integration of the idea because it was so nebulous to begin with. While the Professor Umbridge theme understandably isn't reprised in full, its dancing spirit heavily informs "Living Death." The Dumbledore's Army theme from The Order of the Phoenix is not explicitly developed here either. Instead, Hooper devises one new significant theme for The Half-Blood Prince, a choral hymn for Dumbledore. This almost religious, light choral chant in Latin is a limp version of something you'd hear in Hans Zimmer's The Da Vinci Code, very pretty in its rendering but too cerebral for even the most thoughtful wizard's violent decline. Presented in concert format in the end credit cue "In Noctem" (and moved to near the start of the album), this distant choral representation is reprised in the film several times even though it never receives a second full treatment on album. It does appear in fragments throughout the score, especially in "Journey to the Cave," but its construct is so airy that it too passes without much notice. Such caressing beauty is lovely to the ears, but not befitting a scene outside of the beloved character's funeral. The possession theme is the only other recurring identity, and its performances in the trio of climactic pieces are surprisingly underplayed, barely registering at times because of a lack of symphonic power. A new theme for Malfoy in "Malfoy's Mission" is an intriguing piano and synthetic-defined piece that almost conveys the characteristics of a Mark Snow creation; this too is an underdeveloped idea that badly needed some variation or merging with the other sinister material in the work.

And then, of course, we reach the point where we search for Williams' influence on Hooper's score. It's limited to four cues in The Half-Blood Prince, but only one that doesn't rely upon veiled fragments. The 'A' portion of Hedwig's theme makes it obligatory entry over the title opening and portions of the 'B' sequence of the theme are masked in ominous minor key figures later in "Opening." The only full statement of the complete theme exists in "Ginny," and when this statement arrives, it delicately blows open the windows like an incredible breath of fresh air in an otherwise stale room. So distinct is Williams' sense of spirit, adventure, and childhood fantasy in this theme that even fifteen seconds of material unaltered significantly amongst Hooper's otherwise unremarkable music seems far more important than it actually is. The other Williams' theme referenced is part of his Quidditch fanfare, though Hooper so thoroughly engrains it within his own material that the two uses here are not worth mentioning. Williams' identity for Quidditch was so well constructed that he used it to open his closing credits, so what's the purpose of re-writing it here? The same question applied to Doyle, but at least he was able to replace it with a monumental piece of his own. Ultimately, Hooper has once again created a score that doesn't sound like any part of the Harry Potter franchise. He confesses that he handled most of the cues in The Half-Blood Prince based on the individual needs of each sequence. Even within the realm of Hooper's music for the franchise, there is little continuity of enough volume and clarity to serve the purpose of connecting all the dots. The scenes of teen romance are provided dainty rhythmic prancing familiar to the awkwardly over-positive tone of the previous score, even resorting to soft, contemporary acoustic guitar material for almost the entirety of "When Ginny Kissed Harry." The Death Eaters are provided a percussive identity that is extended to elongated metallic percussion rattling and strikes when Voldemort's reach is addressed. The Weasley jokesters are scored with a reprise of the rowdy jig that burst in the "Fireworks" sequence of the previous score. The least effective single moments of the score are those of slight dissonance on strings for fright and extreme tension, culminating in a "The Killing of Dumbledore" cue that is extremely unsatisfying in its weak, shallow stature.

If you find all of this pounding of Hooper's barely effective and underdeveloped music for The Half-Blood Prince to be unfair, keep in mind that not only are these assignments the kind of once-in-a-lifetime types of opportunities for a man like Hooper (and maybe even Doyle, who made the most of it), but in franchises as tightly woven as this one, there is no escaping the legacy of the music that has come before. You simply cannot forget Williams' identities for Harry Potter. The maestro's music for the franchise is still recognized as outstanding, and if Hooper has done anything with absolute clarity, he has revealed Doyle's The Goblet of Fire as a more impressive score than it may have first seemed (due to the fact that his references to Williams' material were considered too few and far between). Williams reportedly stated at a lecture in the summer of 2007 that he desires to return for the final installment of the Harry Potter franchise. This is, of course, the hope of the mass majority of film music enthusiasts. In fact, a dream scenario would see Williams score both of the two final films adapted from the seventh book and, though extremely unlikely, make use of Doyle's touching theme for Harry's family. The studio could make this happen; Warner executives were reportedly the ones who forced Williams' primary theme into at least one of the later sequels. But Yates will be returning to direct these final two films, and he could be at odds with the studio on the issue of assigning the composer. It remains difficult to imagine that Warner wouldn't jump at the opportunity to bring Williams aboard once again, if only as a cash cow for the music department. In the meantime, listeners will need to consult with Williams' first three scores, Doyle's lone impressive entry, or even James Hannigan's popular music for the current Harry Potter video games. A note of interest involving the score release for The Half-Blood Prince is the availability of a 5.1 surround sound version of the score that be downloaded through the enhanced features on the CD. It's truly unfortunate that this wasn't an option for especially Doyle's massive recording. Hooper's bland music for this franchise simply doesn't connect with the concept. It lacks the depth and gravity to form an emotional connection in the fantasy genre, and without dominant themes to remember, his involvement in the series is irrelevant. Even standing outside the immense shadow of the Williams and Doyle scores, Hooper's second Harry Potter recording is less engaging than his first. For film music collectors, it could define the word "disappointment."   @Amazon.com: CD or Download