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| Williams |
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| Ross |
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 since 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 more melodramatic 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
music for sequels coming as a natural assignment for the maestro. With a
highly effective and memorable, 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 continuing
his music for the beloved 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 the 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 seven or eight
distinct themes for the film, four of which he adapted himself into the
concert suite versions that exist near the start of the initial
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, which had been unavailable
for the preceding score but offers superb performances here. 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 most 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 was no difficulty for him. The extent of the subtle
integrations between old and new themes in
Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets isn't as extensive as hoped, the adequate new
themes for the sequel rarely merging with the prior score's main
melodies outside of a few choice highlights. On the upside, however, the
themes from the first score generally receive significant adaptations in
their self-contained, reimagined forms. The Hedwig, Harry, and mystery
themes all receive significant development in this score, and the
composer, with Ross' help, twists their personalities to fit the
darkening atmosphere of the second picture. None of the new themes in
this work is as memorable as those that dominated the original, but they
are no less effective at their task in this story. Without more
sophisticated integration between the new themes and old, however, the
score may strike listeners as an attraction of many singular highlights.
The original album release for
Harry Potter and the Chamber of
Secrets complicated 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 prior score's themes from
most of what you hear on that presentation. That product suggests a
fragmentation in the score's cohesion that was actually not present in
the film, and only in the absolutely necessary, longer album to come
many years later could listeners piece together the smart choices made
by Williams in the spotting sessions for the project. Still, one of the
disappointments of
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is
that none of its themes exists for a concept general enough to classify
one of them as "the primary theme" of the film. Not surprisingly, the
"Harry's Wondrous World" suite of ideas for the children, as
illuminating Harry's friendship with Ron and Hermione, transcends in the
sequel, though the magic-related themes play a significant role in the
sequel score as well.
Williams' dedication to his existing melodies in
Harry
Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is admirable, and he presents them
with satisfying frequency without making their spotting sound forced.
The Hedwig theme and its secondary variation for Hogwarts are
extensively explored in the score, and their performances here are, in
many cases, more enjoyable than those in the first work. In "Prologue:
Book II," Williams 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. Of all
eight films' opening title sequences, none of them opens with as
beautiful a combination of visual and aural appeal as
Harry Potter
and the Chamber of Secrets, Williams borrowing two notes from the
Hedwig version's second phrase and applying them to the first phrase of
the Hogwarts version of the theme to give the latter a feeling of eerie
displacement. The pure Hedwig/magic melodic progressions are rather
scarce in this score, heard in snippets during "Hagrid's Arrest,"
"Dumbledore and Harry," and "Lucius Returns," among a few others. The
composer seems content withholding that identity as a threat to the pure
optimism of the prior score. Along those lines, the Hogwarts variation
of the theme really builds off of the opening title performance to
dominate the score, utilized in several important scene changes
throughout the film. This more resolute identity, which might have
become the de-facto melodic phrase for the franchise if Williams had not
left and subsequent composers turned more to the Hedwig variant, turns
up in "Knockturn Alley" before the castle's reveal in "The Train Station
and the Flying Car" affords the idea its obligatory choral introduction,
although brief here due to the movement of the scene. The castle's theme
receives extensive attention in "Filch's Warning and Boys Receive
Detention," the latter half of the cue presenting a rousing rendition
for full horns over descending bass strings between the two phrases that
would return at the end of "Meeting Tom Riddle." Lush renditions of the
Howarts theme in "Potion Wears Off/The Diary" and "Lucius Returns" are
truncated but equally attractive. Early recordings of "Prologue: Book
II" show repeated attempts to turn this theme towards the darkness, the
forceful bass string accompaniment quite striking.
The flying theme from the first score, otherwise denoting
magical mischief by the protagonists, is solidified in
Harry Potter
and the Chamber of Secrets, introduced significantly in "The Escape
From the Dursleys." This choice makes some sense, as the scene involves
mischief and a flying car. The flying theme's concert arrangement
dominates the middle portion of the cue and returns later with more
robust alterations in "Quidditch, Second Year." It's intriguing to hear
Williams abandon his fanfare-like Quidditch theme from the first score
completely in this scene, using a combination of the flying theme and a
unique rhythmic phrase that strongly foreshadows the desperate rebel
escape motif from
Star Wars: The Last Jedi instead. The entire
"Quidditch, Second Year" cue, in fact, is full of juicy stylistic
references to Williams'
Star Wars music. The comedic side of the
flying theme bubbles along on tuba in "Cakes for Crabbe and Goyle,"
extending the composer's trusty use of the blurting instrument to
represent fat and/or stupid people. Such moments are highly reminiscent
of
Home Alone, almost to a fault. The employment of Harry's
Hook-derived theme, as summarized in the suite, "Harry's Wondrous
World," is among the most extensive of reprised ideas in
Harry Potter
and the Chamber of Secrets. Expected tenderness is supplied to the
idea in the latter half of "Prologue: Book II" before it is redeemed in
full at the end of "The Escape From the Dursleys;" both the two
performances contain the interlude sequence reminiscent of the upbeat
Hogwarts and Quidditch charm from the prior score. Lighter development
prevails in "Knockturn Alley" before the theme is conveyed by exciting
brass in "The Train Station and the Flying Car" just prior to the
Hogwarts thematic placement. The softness of the theme returns in "Harry
is a Parselmouth," slowing its pace in seeming exhaustion that is also
reflected by oboe in the middle of "Car Drives Off." The theme turns to
straight action in "Dueling the Basilisk" and dissolves to
sentimentality in "Fawkes Heals Harry." The "Reunion of Friends" cue
presents highly engaging renditions of Harry's theme leading to perhaps
the franchise's best finale, as Williams offers a resounding combination
of the Harry and Hedwig themes to close out the score. The brass
counterpoint both above and below the melodic lines in the closing
minute are nothing less than sublime. While
Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets may be among the most forgotten film scores of
the franchise, it arguably contains the best-arranged opening and
closing minutes of them all.
The most surprising but intriguingly effective returning
theme from the previous score in
Harry Potter and the Chamber of
Secrets is that of mystery for objects of Voldemort's interest. In
the first work, it represented mostly the Sorcerer's Stone, and here it
occupies itself with Tom Riddle's diary. The author's concept of
Horcruxes had not yet been developed by this time, but one could easily
see Williams setting up his mystery theme for that purpose had
subsequent composers obliged. In
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's
Stone, the idea eventually merged with Voldemort's proper theme, and
the same happens here with Williams' new identity for the Chamber of
Secrets. Incidentally, Voldemort's established theme from Williams, an
awkwardly twisted variant on Hedwigs' theme, is not a major presence in
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets outside of one excellent
performance when Riddle reveals himself to Potter. Otherwise, only hints
of the theme, such as the oboe phrasing late in the first minute of
"Harry Meets Fawkes," persist. Instead, the mystery theme shines once
again, heard in both its three-note primary progression and accompanying
four-note answer that, when bloated to full choir, remains reminiscent
of the Ark theme from
Raider of the Lost Ark. Representing the
diary of Tom Riddle, the motif bursts forth in "The Writing on the Wall"
as the film suddenly turns dark, yielding only to a suspenseful
rendition of the Hogwarts theme to close out the cue. The motif takes
hold in "Transformation Class," in which the creepy electronic effects
from the previous score return. Two different versions of the motif at
the conclusion to this cue exist, the fuller choral one as heard in the
film not to be missed. The motif's lighter suspense mode returns in
"Petrified Justin," "Christmas Break," and "Potion Wears Off/The Diary,"
and "Meeting Tom Riddle" before the climax of the last cue takes the
theme to new horrific heights with brass and choir. A more subdued
crescendo for the churning idea returns in "Dad's Cloak," and its final
development comes throughout "The Chamber Opens and the Search for
Ginny." It unfortunately does not accompany the destruction of the diary
in "Dueling the Basilisk." With Voldemort mostly absent from
Harry
Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the mystery and Voldemort themes
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 and his
interests despite Voldemort's official resurrection in that story.
There are other odds and ends that return from
Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, including another motif that
represents the mystery of magic. Initially memorable from the opening
sequence of that first film, it returns here at the outset of "The
Escape From the Dursleys" as Harry cannot figure the approaching flying
car. This celesta motif is also heard at 0:32 into "Petrified Justin;"
both performances include the meandering string sequence that follows
the celesta portion. The exuberant spirit of Hogwarts, though not the
actual school theme Williams wrote for the prior film, is reprised in
"Christmas Break" with all the appropriate metallic percussion. The low
string and woodwind theme for the forbidden forest is heard again in
"Meeting Aragog," though without the same electronic ambience in the
background. These singular moments are joined by a slew of new ideas
that Williams conjures for
Harry Potter and the Chamber of
Secrets, not all of them clearly associated with a concept but
offering nuggets on which to speculate. None of the new themes competes
with the top three or four from the prior score, but most are adept at
the task at hand. The closest to achieving memorable status is Williams'
theme for the Chamber of Secrets itself, the score's typical
representation in concert performances. The strong suite for the theme
in "The Chamber of Secrets," heard over the final passage of the end
credits, is a monumentally enticing expression of dread by Williams. The
melodies in its ranks are cleverly devised from both the Hogwarts theme
and flying theme (and, by association with the former, the Voldemort
theme) from the first score, 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, Voldemort, 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,
and the result is frightfully masterful. In the film, the theme is
introduced tentatively but resolutely at 1:29 into "The Writing on the
Wall," its underlying rhythm providing an immediate change in the
score's mood. After subtly mingling with the mystery motif in "Petrified
Colin," the theme enjoys even greater presence in "Petrified Justin." In
the duo of "It's a Basilisk" and "Ginny Gets Snatched," Williams finally
unleashes the theme properly in the score. Oddly, after hints of the
theme in "The Chamber Opens and the Search for Ginny," it senselessly
leaves the scene completely in "Dueling the Basilisk."
Perhaps the greatest weakness of
Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets is the lack of development of its main theme when
needed the most, failing to punctuate the pivotal scene involving the
location the theme supposedly represents. The "Dueling the Basilisk" cue
is an outstanding Williams entry, with multiple passages for harrowing
adult choir akin to Christopher Young horror staples, but the film's
"Chamber of Secrets" theme is strangely absent from this important
moment. More precisely applied are all the other new themes Williams
wrote for the picture. The redemptive identity of the story 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 representing the bird. A more varied and
natural exploration of this idea exists in the entirety of "Harry Meets
Fawkes," and after a burst of fragmented heroics in "Dueling the
Basilisk," a slower tempo lends majesty to the theme at the climax of
the film in "Fawkes Heals Harry." A concert arrangement in "Fawkes the
Phoenix" is heard over the middle portion of the end credits. 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, "Gilderoy Lockhart," is heard in
the film after the idea had already been previewed at the outset of
"Flourish and Blotts." Later on, it vaguely informs "Cornish Pixies"
before wrapping up its formal duties in "The Dueling Club," at which
point it is emasculated and disappears. 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 wayward personality. Its
secondary phrase owes much to
Hook, but don't expect the identity
to have much impact on the score compared to the other new themes.
Formally represented by "Enter Dobby" in the score, this quirky idea
continues in "Dobby Warns Harry" and disappears until a brief reprise at
the end of "Dobby is Freed." The concert suite arrangement of the theme
in "Dobby the House Elf" was not featured over the end credits but was
aimed instead at the album and remains a rather tepid addition to the
overall experience.
Among the lesser motifs in
Harry Potter and the Chamber
of Secrets is a whirling choral expression for castle ghost Moaning
Myrtle, with whooping female voices conveying a pleasant airiness for
the character. Floating into the score in "Moaning Myrtle Appears," the
idea is teased further in "The Diary" before being expanded upon in
"Myrtle's Tale" and lingering in "The Chamber Opens." An itchy,
descending woodwind motif for the spiders in the Forbidden Forest is a
functional representation of the concept, previewed at 1:01 into "The
Writing on the Wall" and "Petrified Justin" before taking the forefront
in "Follow the Spiders" and "Meeting Aragog," where the crawling motif
is tough to tolerate. Interestingly, the descending fragments of this
motif don't really factor in the ambitious, metallic and brassy action
cue, "The Spiders Attack." An exuberant, swirling brass theme for the
flying car is heard not in the original rescue sequence featuring the
ride, but it instead debuts as Harry and Ron lurch about in the
disobedient vehicle in "The Flying Car." Among Williams' more enticing
fantasy creations of light-hearted spirit, this idea continues in
"Whomping Willow and the Car Escapes" and defies the fluttering of the
spiders in "Car Drives Off." Perhaps the least known motif in the score
is that of the Weasley family's clumsy owl, Errol; the idea is a clear
manipulation of the Hedwig theme to give it a less elegant personality.
Heard briefly in "Letters From Hogwarts," this motif is more clearly
evident in "Errol Delivers Mail." A few singular motifs begged for
further development in the franchise, including rigid string figures for
the Dursleys in "Vernon Gathers Family," a charming ambience for the
Weasleys in "Magical Household," a distinct theme of malice for the
Malfoys in "Harry Meets Lucius Malfoy" (which Williams dances around but
doesn't reprise in "Lucius Returns"), a lovely woodwind passage for
Hagrid in "Hermione and Hagrid," a solemn variation on the Hedwig theme
for Hermione in "Petrified Hermione," and fragments of musical ideas in
"Meeting Tom Riddle" that would go unexplored in later films as well.
There's even an intriguing but brief passage at 3:26 into "Hagrid's
Arrest " that, in retrospect, reminds of James Newton Howard's later
theme for Dumbledore in the
Fantastic Beasts franchise. The lack
of overlap or further development in many of these themes and lesser
motifs remains the most surprising aspect of
Harry Potter and the
Chamber of Secrets, leaving the previous score's identities as the
connecting tissue of this music. It's a work of collective highlights
that mainly functions because of the first score's strength.
Overall, the general effectiveness of Williams' work
for the franchise was once again a heated debate at the time of 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 fared 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 competition. 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 may hinder
this score for some to a greater degree 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
Williams'
Harry Potter scores, and the second entry's comedy
portions especially exhibit a bit of his "auto-pilot" mode, if only
perhaps because of his quick turnaround on the product. While this
continuation of style may bother, 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. That statement definitely
still applies here.
Williams' rehashing of old ideas is still better than
practically any other composer at 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. Ross accomplished his task admirably, and the film maintained
Williams' sound to a better degree than other composers in the
franchise. While the story contains a much scarier and more sinister
storyline, the score rarely stirs monumental power to extend that fright
to a level 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
potential detriment. Williams had become predictable in his
instrumentation, too, 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, though the choral passages are well placed. The action
highlights are genuinely exciting and exhibit the best of Williams'
complexities. Despite some quibbling misgivings, it's difficult to
imagine a significantly better path to success with this music, and the
score's incredible opening and closing moments elevate it, albeit
barely, to a top rating. A 2018 La-La Land Records expansion of the
presentation on album is absolutely necessary to consider when realizing
the strengths of this score. So much of the narrative aspect of
Williams' keen spotting was missing from the haphazardly arranged 2002
album, and while the 2018 product will require some consolidation, there
is a wealth of notable new material on that set. Missing, however, is
the grand Voldemort theme reveal during the Chamber scene, a stunning
omission. After the full score, the label supplies 16 minutes of
original commercial spot scores and alternate takes worth your time.
Note that some recordings on the 2002 album, including the opening
title, remain unique. The 2018 album is stunning, part of a great
collection of all three Williams scores for the concept, and it is
guaranteed to better illuminate the score's deep connections to its
predecessor. Ironically,
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
was the only one of Williams' three scores for the franchise not to be
extensively bootlegged within a few years of its release, a poor
indicator of its quality. The maestro took all of 2003 off before
returning for
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, a wilder
deviation from the concept's musical roots.
@Amazon.com: CD or
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- Music as Written and Adapted for the Film: *****
- Music as Heard on the 2002 Atlantic Album: ****
- Music as Heard on the 2018 La-La Land Set: *****
- Overall: *****
| Bias Check: |
For John Williams reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.68
(in 91 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.54
(in 363,581 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
|
The insert of the 2002 Atlantic album includes extensive credits and a note from
director Chris Columbus. The packaging also unfolds into a rather unattractive poster of
Dobby. The album had five different exterior cover variants, but all contain the same
booklet cover (shown above as the "Common Cover"). The variation covers include one each
of Harry, Hermione, Ron, Hagrid, and Dumbledore. The Harry cover is shown above as well.
While none of the covers has been reportedly shortprinted, the Dumbledore cover sold
with more frequency than the others according to national retail outlets.
The 2018 La-La Land set contains extremely detailed information about the Williams scores for
the franchise, with several booklets containing a wealth of information. The track listings
are not featured in any convenient place on the packaging, however.
