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Review of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (John Williams/William Ross)
Composed and Produced by:
John Williams
Adapted and Conducted by:
William Ross
Orchestrated by:
Eddie Karam
Conrad Pope
Performed by:
The London Symphony Orchestra

The London Voices
Labels and Dates:
Atlantic Records
(November 12th, 2002)

La-La Land Records
(November 23rd, 2018)

Availability:
The 2002 Atlantic album was a regular U.S. release. The 2018 La-La Land set contains all three of Williams' scores for the franchise. It is limited to 5,000 copies and available initially for $100 through soundtrack specialty outlets.
Album 1 Cover
2002 Atlantic Common Cover
Album 2 Cover
2002 Atlantic Variation Cover
Album 3 Cover
2018 La-La Land

FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... without reservation on the 2018 La-La Land Records set, for the expanded presentation of the work illuminates thematic development and connectivity to its predecessor that greatly elevates the status of this score.

Avoid it... if you still believe that John Williams' music for the thematically superior but generally comparable Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone failed to generate enough magical spirit to represent the concepts in the stories.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
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.
  • 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: *****

TRACK LISTINGS:
2002 Atlantic Album:
Total Time: 70:17

• 1. Prologue: Book II and the Escape from the Dursleys (3:31)
• 2. Fawkes the Phoenix (3:45)
• 3. The Chamber of Secrets (3:49)
• 4. Gilderoy Lockhart (2:05)
• 5. The Flying Car (4:08)
• 6. Knockturn Alley (1:47)
• 7. Introducing Colin (1:49)
• 8. The Dueling Club (4:08)
• 9. Dobby the House Elf (3:27)
• 10. The Spiders (4:32)
• 11. Moaning Myrtle (2:05)
• 12. Meeting Aragog (3:18)
• 13. Fawkes is Reborn (3:19)
• 14. Meeting Tom Riddle (3:38)
• 15. Cornish Pixies (2:13)
• 16. Polyjuice Potion (3:52)
• 17. Cakes for Crabbe and Goyle (3:30)
• 18. Dueling the Basilisk (5:02)
• 19. Reunion of Friends (5:08)
• 20. Harry's Wondrous World (5:02)



2018 La-La Land Album:
Total Time: 152:30

CD 4: (75:56)

• 1. Prologue: Book II (1:37)
• 2. Vernon Gathers Family/Enter Dobby (2:15)
• 3. Dobby Warns Harry (2:17)
• 4. The Escape From the Dursleys (3:25)
• 5. Magical Household and Letters From Hogwarts (2:42)
• 6. Borgin and Burkes (0:53)
• 7. Knockturn Alley (1:51)
• 8. Flourish and Blotts/Harry Meets Lucius Malfoy (3:25)
• 9. The Train Station and the Flying Car (6:01)
• 10. Whomping Willow and the Car Escapes (1:55)
• 11. Filch's Warning and Boys Receive Detention (2:06)
• 12. Introducing Colin/Errol Delivers Mail (0:55)
• 13. Gilderoy Lockhart (2:09)
• 14. Cornish Pixies (2:15)
• 15. Eat Slugs (1:43)
• 16. Hermione and Hagrid (1:20)
• 17. The Writing on the Wall (3:21)
• 18. Dumbledore's Caution (2:01)
• 19. The Library and Transformation Class (4:03)
• 20. Quidditch, Second Year (6:15)
• 21. Petrified Colin (2:26)
• 22. Moaning Myrtle Appears (0:51)
• 23. The Dueling Club (Extended Version) (4:25)
• 24. Harry is a Parselmouth (0:54)
• 25. Petrified Justin (2:37)
• 26. Harry Meets Fawkes (2:17)
• 27. Christmas Break (2:31)
• 28. Cakes for Crabbe and Goyle/Polyjuice Potion (4:14)
• 29. Potion Wears Off/The Diary (3:29)


CD 5: (76:34)

• 1. Meeting Tom Riddle (Extended Version) (4:06)
• 2. Ransacked Dormitory and Petrified Hermione 1:56)
• 3. Dad's Cloak and Hagrid's Arrest (4:55)
• 4. Follow the Spiders (1:16)
• 5. Meeting Aragog (3:21)
• 6. The Spiders Attack (3:55)
• 7. Car Drives Off/It's a Basilisk (2:14)
• 8. Ginny Gets Snatched (2:24)
• 9. Myrtle's Tale (1:31)
• 10. The Chamber Opens and the Search for Ginny (3:29)
• 11. Dueling the Basilisk (5:06)
• 12. Fawkes Heals Harry (1:34)
• 13. Dumbledore and Harry (2:42)
• 14. Lucius Returns/Dobby is Freed (4:01)
• 15. Reunion of Friends (5:12)

End Credits Suite: (12:40)
• 16. Harry's Wondrous World (5:02)
• 17. Fawkes the Phoenix (3:47)
• 18. The Chamber of Secrets (3:51)

Additional Music:
• 19. Dobby the House Elf (3:32)
• 20. Prologue: Book II (Alternate) (1:28)
• 21. Filch's Warning (Alternate) (0:22)
• 22. Introducing Colin (Alternate) (0:55)
• 23. Transformation Class (Alternate Segment) (0:58)
• 24. Petrified Colin (Alternate) (2:35)
• 25. Christmas Break (Short Version) (1:04)
• 26. Follow the Spiders (Alternate) (1:23)
• 27. Car Drives Off (Alternate Segment) (0:26)
• 28. Fawkes Heals Harry (Alternate) (1:33)
• 29. Television Commercial No. 1 (0:38)
• 30. Television Commercial No. 2 (0:30)
• 31. Television Commercial No. 3 (1:07)
(Music from this score occupies CDs 4 and 5 on the set.)
NOTES & QUOTES:
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.
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The reviews and other textual content contained on the filmtracks.com site may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of Christian Clemmensen at Filmtracks Publications. All artwork and sound clips from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets are Copyright © 2002, 2018, Atlantic Records, La-La Land Records and cannot be redistributed without the label's expressed written consent. Page created 11/7/02 and last updated 3/3/19.