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The most obvious difference between the two supporting rhythmic devices in this score (for the title theme and villain's theme) is the major-key usage by the former and the minor-key usage by the latter. They're surprisingly straight forward in that manner, which is curious given the questioned allegiances in parts of the story. Otherwise, they move with Desplat's usual sense of precise alacrity, the villain's theme bursting with flute lines that any enthusiast of the composer will love. As mentioned before, out of the progressions in the villain's theme comes a motif of mystery previewed at 2:15 into "Sky Battle" and bracketing "Deathly Hollows" with a pensive demeanor and clanging metallic effect in the background (likely deep chimes to drive home the gravity of the moment). It turns melodramatic on strings early in "Rescuing Hermione" as well. The final recurring theme in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 is one of suspense that possibly follows the targeted locket in the tale; it slithers into "Dobby" (at 2:20 into the cue) and receives full treatment at the start and end of "The Locket." Outside of these ideas, Desplat does launch off onto several tangents for individual characters or settings; these resemble, in some regards, the supporting, self-contained pieces that Williams wrote for his entries in the franchise. The most memorable is easily the stately but light-footed theme in "Ministry of Magic," with a robust string rhythm that would serve well as the propulsion for a nightly news jingle. Another distinct moment of lighter personality comes in "Detonators," its prancing woodwind rhythms a relief on album. The specialty instruments employed by Desplat are largely confined in their roles to the cues for "Dobby" and "Lovegood," both quirky ideas but the latter particularly interesting given its almost Latin flavor that yields to a touch of retro Marvin Hamlisch technique in its woodwind applications. The score also features several tender but not particularly gripping character themes that don't readily interconnect. This light material in "Godric's Hollow Graveyard," "Ron's Speech," "Farewell to Dobby," and "Hermione's Parents" is basically soothing but not really very engaging, lacking in the swells of emotion that Williams and Doyle exhibited in similar situations. Likewise, the action sequences in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 don't build off of each other to form a cohesive whole, either. The highlight of these occasional outbursts is "Sky Battle," this score's rowdy equivalent to "Ice Bear Combat" from The Golden Compass. It's in cues like this that Desplat really does prove his mastery of an orchestra; yet, he can never sustain a good flow in these situations. Incidentally, fans might be reminded of Williams' raptor chases from Jurassic Park in "Fireplaces Escape," which features a great Williams-like flourish late.

Among the less attractive action sequences in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 that have no connection to greater structural development in the score are the flailing, dissonant pounding of "Bathilda Bagshot," an effective but not listenable dissonant interruption of an otherwise heroic motif in "Destroying the Locket," the resounding timpani of "Captured and Tortured" (a tip of the hat to Williams' chess game music from the first film?), and an anonymous (though powerful) rhythmic crescendo closing out "The Elder Wand." Like the more palatable dramatic themes, these action cues don't seem to emanate from a consistent base of structures from Desplat, each handling the moment at hand with a fresh approach. The resulting anonymity of the score as a whole may send some listeners grasping back at references to established themes. Ignoring the Doyle and Hooper ideas entirely, Desplat only really includes fragments of Williams' Hedwig's Theme as a sidenote. Only the "A" phrase of that theme is stated, the bolder "B" phrase for the castle never used. Familiar instrumentation performs the first half of that "A" phrase at the end of "Polyjuice Potion," with Desplat altering the progression at will. A more impressive reference at about 1:50 into "Sky Battle" is likely along the lines of what listeners were hoping for, joined by an outstanding expression of remorse using a fragment of the theme at 2:00 into "Ron Leaves." A slight performance of the first phrase in "The Will" remembers Professor Dumbledore fondly, but without much consequence. Other references are so vague that they aren't worth mentioning; the majority of casual viewers won't pick up on them anyway. Pope's involvement does present a few moments when a touch of Williams' style is clearly intended, highlighted by the warmth of "At the Burrow" and, as a result, those same movie-goers will likely hear all the "magic" in the score that they require. The sum of all of this discussion about thematic identity is where the disheartening feelings about Desplat's music for the franchise will likely result. It's great music in many of its individual cues, but Desplat is simply unable to create any kind of consistency or narrative flow with which to augment the larger arc of the story. As such, the score sounds much like a compilation of the composer's greatest techniques rather than a cohesive accompaniment for a tightly-woven story. If you love hearing Desplat simply being Desplat, regardless of the requirements of an assignment, then Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 will thrill you. Otherwise, don't be surprised if purists of the franchise treat this score with some of the same grumbling complaints that Desplat's music for the Twilight franchise received. That may not mean that he necessarily failed here for all, but it definitely suggests unrealized expectations.

If existing for a standalone film, the score for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 would easily achieve four stars. Despite its own continuity issues, it features enough highlights to recommend. But it has two substantial flaws. Less significant to the music itself is the ridiculous album situation for the score, with Warner's WaterTower division milking fans out of money during one of the worst economic times in recent history by rolling out three different presentations of the score. But more problematic in regards to Desplat's achievement and the franchise as a whole is the continued lack of identity for "Harry Potter" music in general. Some listeners contend that Williams himself began to "lose" the identity of his previously established sound for the franchise in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but despite his dismissal of some of the themes from the first two films, he kept the nucleus of the musical identity intact through smart placements of recurring elements and, more importantly, the simple continuation of his distinct style of writing. Compared to the efforts of his successors, he undoubtedly had an unfair advantage in this regard. In truth, Doyle really began this trend towards dissolution, and it has been exacerbated by Hooper and now Desplat. Each composer seems intent upon leaving their own stylistic mark on the franchise without much regard (outside of studio demands that Hedwig's Theme be used) for the superior thematic templates (and stylistic mannerisms) created by Williams for the first three films. Some argue that the stories have become so dark that those original themes no longer apply. That's outright rubbish. These composers are professionals paid handsomely for their work on these assignments, and as such, they should be able to dazzle us with ways to manipulate the core themes of any franchise into intriguing new identities. Just because the hobbits in the The Lord of the Rings went through harrowing, life-altering challenges didn't mean that Howard Shore should abandon their core material at their darkest hour. The same applies to the Star Wars, Star Trek, and James Bond franchises and even "Lost" and "Battlestar Galactica" more recently on television. Like the actors and their characters, thematic identities should change, mature, endure torture, and reach closure. Simply omitting them doesn't suggest closure. It suggests lazy composing or bad choices by a director. This final story needed Hedwig's identity in the most tragic of ways, both for the owl and the castle; Desplat could have jerked tears from the audience by using that theme in outwardly poignant fashion. The world around each of us can be shattered, sure, but the essence of our souls remains, and that is what these themes often speak to. Either Desplat doesn't subscribe to this notion (and forgot his own words) or the filmmakers encouraged him to take this path.

No matter the reasons for the seemingly widespread disappointment with Desplat's music for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1, it's made even more unsavory by the album situation, which includes three separate releases within a month of the movie's debut. The regular commercial album contains three tracks less than the digital download release. A limited edition adds six more cues (to release almost all of Desplat's 100 minutes of music for the film) and provides the 5.1 DVD audio (a download option on the commercial album) in pressed form. Unfortunately, the limited collector's edition box is nowhere near the $65+ value it was initially retailed for. For enthusiasts (or apologists, if you prefer) of the score, a second CD with the six additional tracks is preferable in lossless, pressed form than downloaded. Those cues aren't particularly noteworthy in their thematic statements or instrumentation, however, and some of them weren't even incorporated into the final cut of the film. The extension of the villain's material in "Voldemort" is extremely sparse; the cue is mostly atmospheric and accomplishes no real sense of depth or dread, a significant letdown when placed in its position right after the movement of anticipation conveyed in "Snape to Malfoy Manor." The only interesting portion of "Grimmauld Place" is the opening, rather grim statement of the theme for the children, a brief fifteen seconds not heard in the film. Some of the material from "The Will" is fleshed out in "The Dumbledores," confirming these motifs as specific representations of the deceased headmaster. This cue is perhaps the most attractive of the bonus selections, touching upon some of Desplat's other motifs (including the title theme) while maintaining an engagingly soft, rhythmic tone. At the end of this cue and in the latter half of "The Tale of Three Brothers" (after some challenging choral dissonance that was partially dialed out in the picture), Desplat revisits his Deathly Hallows and Lovegood material on guitar, but in fragmented and not particularly alluring fashion. The single best highlight of the bonus material comes at the start of "Bellatrix;" this explosive 30 seconds is a monumental statement of Bernard Herrmann fright and finality in the stylistic language of Elliot Goldenthal, a remarkable outburst that unfortunately yields to mundane suspense material in the rest of the cue. Following "The Dumbledores" in the film is the choral song "My Love is Always Here," a voice-only recording of a unique theme of solace that is unquestionably lovely but once again causes thematic and stylistic continuity issues given that it doesn't relate on any level to the music around it. On the whole, these cues are not worth much interest from casual collectors. Tragically, the 5.1 DVD audio disc in the set does not include these bonus cues, an absolutely stunning decision in light of the product's price. The opening passage of "Bellatrix" could have been magnificent in a 5.1 spread.

Surprisingly, the 5.1 sound on the limited set (and via download) is not as impressive as hoped, either, failing to illuminate Desplat's complex sketching out of the score and sounding mashed towards the center channel during several of the score's most bombastic portions. That means that there isn't much special separation to correlate the listening experience with microphone placements. Given how intelligent the composer's writing tends to be, there was much hope that hearing the sections of activity spread appropriately throughout the soundscape would lead to a better appreciation of the composition itself. That did not happen, with the mix not only failing to expose previously buried lines in the music (or even highlighting the specialty instruments that were not emphasized in the basic stereo mix), but not even really boosting the ambience of the score to anywhere near the incredibly resounding, chill-inducing DVD audio presentations of Shore's The Lord of the Rings scores. In fairness to Desplat's score, this issue likely relates more to engineering technicalities, though the fact that all of the composer's scores are super-dry in their reverb levels (a perpetual detraction from his albums) certainly can't help. A singular oddity is the seeming restriction of the pulsating bass tone in "Sky Battle" to the left channel only. At least the DVD allows for forwarding within a track. The packaging of the set is flimsy, the vinyl actually not full sized and therefore not demanding a box of such large dimensions. The three discs (regular, bonus, and DVD) are provided in sleeves cut out of a cardboard sheet, not fastened in well enough to keep them from bouncing around in the box during shipment (expect one or more of them to spill out on your lap when opening the product). The vinyl inclusion will only appeal to a small crowd and no extensive notation (or even a new liner for a jewel case) is provided. A poster, two 35MM film cells, a printed autograph on a cue sheet, and a certificate denoting the number of the release (Filmtracks received #4,041 of 10,000) round out the disappointing package. Ultimately, the commercial nonsense of the limited edition of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 simply adds to the foul sense that some will associate with their disassociation with this score. The fact that over 4,000 of them presumably sold immediately for over $60 boggles the mind. While it's great to have 5.1 surround sound options on a score that is still quite strong when considered outside of the context of the franchise, a bad aftertaste is inevitable. Williams stated his desire to return and finish the franchise, but whether due to scheduling conflicts or the filmmakers' commitment to Desplat, the latter composer was quickly confirmed to be returning for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 in 2011. That news was received by many as though it were a minor tragedy, because continuity in circumstances like this cannot be overrated. Closure, please!   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

• Music as Written for the Film:  ****
• Music as Written for the Franchise:  ***
• Music as Presented on the Albums:  **
• Overall:  ***

Bias Check:

For Alexandre Desplat reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.39 (in 31 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.22 (in 16,383 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.