| Product Summary | | Label: Wea/atlantic | | UPC: 00075678349126 | | Release Date: 10/30/2001 | | Buy.com Sku: 60507448 | | Item#: MHJPH3 | | Buy.com Sales Rank: 25050 | Format:  CD |
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| The book that broke all publishing records-selling more than 97 million books in 115 countries in 40 languages! Original motion picture soundtrack featuring score by Oscar winning composer John Williams! Includes 19 tracks!...
"It features more than enough good stuff, musical magic and thematic content to satisfy any hardened heart... " Ryan Keaveney, cinemusic.net
| | Album Notes and Credits |
Notes & Personnel Info |  | Music composed by John Williams. | | Recorded at Air Lyndhurst and Abbey Road Studios, London, England. Includes liner notes by Chris Columbus. | | HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Score Soundtrack Album For A Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media. "Hedwig's Theme" was nominated for the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best Instrumental Composition. | | Personnel: London Voices (vocals); Randy Kerber (celesta). | | Audio Mixer: Simon Rhodes. | | Liner Note Author: Chris Columbus. | | Recording information: Air Lyndhurst Studios; Air Lyndlhurst Studios; EMI Abbey Road Studios, London, England. | | As a fan of J.K. Rowling's massively popular Harry Potter books and the composer of some of the best fantasy/sci-fi film scores, John Williams was a natural choice to write the music for Chris Columbus' film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. His score captures the childhood mischief, magic, and adventure of the film and the books, mixing winding, soaring melodies with instrumentation that spans the delicately spooky to the darkly majestic. However, his work here won't necessarily dispel Williams' reputation as an occasionally light-fingered composer: one of the score's main motifs, a light-as-a-cobweb celesta melody most clearly stated in "The Arrival of Baby Harry" and "Hedwig's Theme," recalls the work of both Danny Elfman and Tchaikovsky, while some of the other melodies sound like they're just a few notes away from themes in his own Hook and Star Wars scores. Harry Potter's score also tends to repeat these main themes a little too often; fortunately they're reinterpreted fairly creatively from piece to piece. "Harry's Wondrous World" and "Visit to the Zoo and Letters from Hogwarts" are sweeping and lighthearted, while "In the Devil's Snare and the Flying Keys," "The Chess Game," and "The Face of Voldemort" close the score with a trio of menacing, climactic musical cues. In between are pretty, delicate moments like "Fluffy's Harp" and whimsical pieces like "Christmas at Hogwarts," which manages to combine the festive, carol-esque melody with the atmosphere of a school for witches and wizards. The pomp and circumstance of "The Quidditch Match" is probably the score's most typically Williams composition; a thrilling mix of his heroic style and the rest of the music's spooky, supernatural feel. Not surprisingly, considering that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone runs nearly three hours long, Williams' score is on the long side, making it somewhat difficult to take in outside of the film's context. While it may not be one of his most inspired works, it's never less than perfectly appropriate and does include some brilliant moments. ~ Heather Phares | | When Chris Columbus was tapped to direct the eagerly awaited film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's best-selling multi-generational children's book, he made it clear that the legendary John Williams was the only choice to compose music for this magical yarn. Having conjured up mystical moods for timeless tales ranging from STAR WARS to SUPERMAN, it's no wonder Columbus was eager to hand this challenging assignment off to the master. | | With the world of HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE revolving around a boarding school for warlocks-in-training, the Long Island native uses a full range of symphonic splendor to make this one of his most memorable scores. The use of the delicate music box-like sounds of a celeste in the sweeping intro "Prologue" takes on a different meaning when this fairy-like sound is used with a darker edge on the closing "Hedwig's Theme." Key scenes get infused with Williams' crisp arrangements. "The Quidditch Match" benefits from a bellowing fanfare, abbreviated militaristic cadence and frantic strings, while the sinister aura cloaking "The Face of Voldemort" is defined by a perfect marriage of lower-end orchestration and forceful brass passages. John Williams pulls yet another compositional masterpiece out of his hat. | | As a fan of J.K. Rowling's massively popular Harry Potter books and the composer of some of the best fantasy/sci-fi film scores, John Williams was a natural choice to write the music for Chris Columbus' film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. His score captures the childhood mischief, magic, and adventure of the film and the books, mixing winding, soaring melodies with instrumentation that spans the delicately spooky to the darkly majestic. However, his work here won't necessarily dispel Williams' reputation as an occasionally light-fingered composer: one of the score's main motifs, a light-as-a-cobweb celesta melody most clearly stated in "The Arrival of Baby Harry" and "Hedwig's Theme," recalls the work of both Danny Elfman and Tchaikovsky, while some of the other melodies sound like they're just a few notes away from themes in his own Hook and Star Wars scores. Harry Potter's score also tends to repeat these main themes a little too often; fortunately they're reinterpreted fairly creatively from piece to piece. "Harry's Wondrous World" and "Visit to the Zoo and Letters from Hogwarts" are sweeping and lighthearted, while "In the Devil's Snare and the Flying Keys," "The Chess Game," and "The Face of Voldemort" close the score with a trio of menacing, climactic musical cues. In between are pretty, delicate moments like "Fluffy's Harp" and whimsical pieces like "Christmas at Hogwarts," which manages to combine the festive, carol-esque melody with the atmosphere of a school for witches and wizards. The pomp and circumstance of "The Quidditch Match" is probably the score's most typically Williams composition; a thrilling mix of his heroic style and the rest of the music's spooky, supernatural feel. Not surprisingly, considering that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone runs nearly three hours long, Williams' score is on the long side, making it somewhat difficult to take in outside of the film's context. While it may not be one of his most inspired works, it's never less than perfectly appropriate and does include some brilliant moments. ~ Heather Phares |
Producer: John Williams; John Williams |
Engineer: Simon Rhodes |
| | Technical Info | | Release Date : 10/30/2001 | | Original Release Date : 2002 | | Catalog ID : 83491 | | Label : Atlantic (USA) | | Number of Discs : 1 | | Runtime : 73m : 36s | | Studio/Live : Studio | | Mono/Stereo : Stereo | | SPAR Code : n/a | | UPC : 00075678349126 |
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| | Professional Reviews | | Entertainment Weekly (12/14/01, p.87)
- "...This is middling-to-fine Williams, withthe maestro going relatively easy onthe pomp..." - Rating: B |
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