Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (soundtrack)
Encyclopedia
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the soundtrack to the 2007 film of the same name
, based on the book
by J. K. Rowling
. Nicholas Hooper
composed the film's score, following John Williams
, who scored the first three films, and Patrick Doyle
who did the fourth. Though new to the series, he has worked with director David Yates
before. The soundtrack was released 10 July 2007, the day before the film's release.
for the first film and heard in all the subsequent films. In March and April 2007, Hooper and the London Chamber Orchestra
recorded nearly two hours of music at Abbey Road Studios
in London. Two new main themes were made to reflect the new character Dolores Umbridge and Lord Voldemort
's invasion of Harry's mind. A Japanese Taiko
drum was used for a deeper sound in the percussion. The trailer features a track by X-Ray Dog
, entitled Divine Crusade. Divine Crusade first appeared on the album K-9 Empire before being licensed to Order of the Phoenix.
Hooper said he reviewed the previous soundtracks of the Harry Potter films by John Williams, particularly the third soundtrack, but ultimately "decided that it was best if I moved into my own way of composing rather than trying to emulate John Williams, which is impossible."
, selling about 16,000 copies in its first week and has since sold a total of 356,000 copies in U.S. and a million copies worldwide. The soundtrack also charted at five on the Top Soundtracks Chart.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a 2007 fantasy film directed by David Yates and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the fifth instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Michael Goldenberg and produced by David Heyman and David Barron...
, based on the book
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling, and was published on 21 June 2003 by Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Scholastic in the United States, and Raincoast in Canada...
by J. K. Rowling
J. K. Rowling
Joanne "Jo" Rowling, OBE , better known as J. K. Rowling, is the British author of the Harry Potter fantasy series...
. Nicholas Hooper
Nicholas Hooper
Nicholas Hooper is a British film and television composer. He has scored the award-winning BBC productions Land of the Tiger and Andes to Amazon, as well as the TV movies The Girl in the Café and My Family and Other Animals among others...
composed the film's score, following John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
, who scored the first three films, and Patrick Doyle
Patrick Doyle
Patrick Doyle is a Scottish musician and film score composer. A longtime collaborator of actor/director Kenneth Branagh, Doyle is known for his work scoring such critically acclaimed films as Henry V , Sense and Sensibility , Hamlet , and Gosford Park , as well as noteworthy blockbusters as Harry...
who did the fourth. Though new to the series, he has worked with director David Yates
David Yates
David Yates is an English filmmaker who rose to mainstream prominence directing the final four films in the Harry Potter film series. He helmed the series' fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth installments, all of which became an instant blockbuster success and made him the most commercially...
before. The soundtrack was released 10 July 2007, the day before the film's release.
Development
Hooper incorporated into the new score "Hedwig's Theme", the series' theme originally written by John WilliamsJohn Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
for the first film and heard in all the subsequent films. In March and April 2007, Hooper and the London Chamber Orchestra
London Chamber Orchestra
The London Chamber Orchestra ' is the longest established professional chamber orchestra in the UK. Based in London, LCO has a residency at St John's Smith Square in Westminster.-History:...
recorded nearly two hours of music at Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios is a recording studio located at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music company EMI, its present owner...
in London. Two new main themes were made to reflect the new character Dolores Umbridge and Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort
Lord Voldemort is the main antagonist of the Harry Potter series written by British author J. K. Rowling. Voldemort first appeared in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, which was released in 1997...
's invasion of Harry's mind. A Japanese Taiko
Taiko
means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...
drum was used for a deeper sound in the percussion. The trailer features a track by X-Ray Dog
X-Ray Dog
X-Ray Dog is an American musical study which is located in Burbank, California. They compose music for Hollywood movie trailers and soundtracks...
, entitled Divine Crusade. Divine Crusade first appeared on the album K-9 Empire before being licensed to Order of the Phoenix.
Hooper said he reviewed the previous soundtracks of the Harry Potter films by John Williams, particularly the third soundtrack, but ultimately "decided that it was best if I moved into my own way of composing rather than trying to emulate John Williams, which is impossible."
Release
The soundtrack was also released in a special edition, with a custom hinged box with Navy velveteen fabric. Inside the box is a 20-page booklet with a foil-embossed front cover.Reception
Critical reaction to the score was fairly mixed compared to the previous scores in the series. Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks awarding the score three stars out of five, saying "...it fails to provide continuity within either its own confines or those of the franchise as a whole". Archie Watt of MovieCues said "This isn’t a bad score by any means, but there can be little argument that it is the weakest of all the Harry Potter scores to date".Chart performance
The soundtrack debuted at number 43 on the U.S. Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling about 16,000 copies in its first week and has since sold a total of 356,000 copies in U.S. and a million copies worldwide. The soundtrack also charted at five on the Top Soundtracks Chart.
Track listing
- "Fireworks" – 1:49
- "Professor Umbridge" – 2:35
- "Another Story" – 2:41
- "Dementors in the Underpass" – 1:45
- "Dumbledore's Army" – 2:42
- "Hall of Prophecy" – 4:27
- "Possession" – 3:20
- "The Room of Requirement" – 6:09
- "The Kiss" – 1:56
- "A Journey to Hogwarts" – 2:54
- "The Sirius Deception" – 2:36
- "Death of Sirius" – 3:58
- "Umbridge Spoils a Beautiful Morning" – 2:39
- "Darkness Takes Over" – 2:58
- "The Ministry of Magic" – 2:48
- "The Sacking of Trelawney" – 2:15
- "Flight of the Order of the Phoenix" – 1:34
- "Loved Ones and Leaving" – 3:15
- "Divine Crusade" – 2:43 (Trailer theme by X-Ray DogX-Ray DogX-Ray Dog is an American musical study which is located in Burbank, California. They compose music for Hollywood movie trailers and soundtracks...
)
- "Another Story", "The Hall of Prophecies", "The Room of Requirement", and "A Journey to Hogwarts" contain samples of "Hedwig's Theme" written by John WilliamsJohn WilliamsJohn Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
. - Like most of X-Ray DogX-Ray DogX-Ray Dog is an American musical study which is located in Burbank, California. They compose music for Hollywood movie trailers and soundtracks...
's music, "Divine Crusade" is generally not open to the public other than on some editions of this CD. - "The Kiss" was later used in Alexandre Desplat'sAlexandre DesplatAlexandre Michel Gérard Desplat is a French film composer. He has received four Academy Award nominations, five BAFTA nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, winning a Golden Globe for his work on The Painted Veil in 2006, and two Grammy nominations. In 2011, Desplat won his first British...
"A New Beginning" in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2.