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Author	Topic: Nicholas Hooper for Order of the Phoenix?

NeoVoyager Standard Userer	Hello everyone, I guess I am writing this mostly to the British users out there, but here goes... David Yates' choice of composer was a slap-in-the-face kind of shock for me, being a HUGE fan of the Azkaban, Chamber, Goblet, and Stone scores (in that order ). Doyle was definitely different for the worse in my taste from the monumental achievement that was the Prisoner of Azkaban (which I think was the highest level to which the scores have yet risen). Here's my question, have any of you heard any of Mr. Hooper's compositions, and if so, what do you think about him receiving the Potter mantle? What do you think could have made David Yates choose him? Thanks to you all!
posted 10-27-2006 08:50 PM PT (US)

nuts_score Standard Userer	Nicholas Hooper is David Yates' composer of choice. He's a very respected artist in England who's work has garnered much attention inside the U.S. Frankly, I applaud Warner Bros. decision to trust their director and his choices; just as I was ecstatic with glee when Doyle was chosen to score Order of the Phoenix. John Williams isn't exactly the end-all composer of all time. Sure, he's reputable and respectable and he has a hell of a filmography with many of my favorite scores; but other than Prisoner of Azkaban, his Potter music isn't too special. I'm holding out hope that Trevor Jones and James Newton Howard get to try their hands at a Potter score before the franchise runs out. JNH certainly seemed to be emulating JW on Peter Pan (though he still kept to his particular style) and Jones is such an under-used composer it's not even amusing. I know I'm in the minority in saying that I think that Doyle's effort is the best of the Potter material - followed very closely by PoA - but I'm sticking to my guns. I'm hoping that Hooper surprises us all.
posted 10-27-2006 09:24 PM PT (US)

nuts_score Standard Userer	Also, a Dario Marianelli Potter score would be incredibly special to me; I would love for that to come to fruition someday.
posted 10-27-2006 09:26 PM PT (US)

Dinko Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by nuts_score: *just as I was ecstatic with glee when Doyle was chosen to score Order of the Phoenix.* He was? I thought it was Hooper... ;p
posted 10-27-2006 09:52 PM PT (US)

NeoVoyager Standard Userer	quote: Nicholas Hooper is David Yates' composer of choice. He's a very respected artist in England who's work has garnered much attention inside the U.S. Frankly, I applaud Warner Bros. decision to trust their director and his choices; just as I was ecstatic with glee when Doyle was chosen to score Order of the Phoenix. John Williams isn't exactly the end-all composer of all time. Sure, he's reputable and respectable and he has a hell of a filmography with many of my favorite scores; but other than Prisoner of Azkaban, his Potter music isn't too special. I'm holding out hope that Trevor Jones and James Newton Howard get to try their hands at a Potter score before the franchise runs out. JNH certainly seemed to be emulating JW on Peter Pan (though he still kept to his particular style) and Jones is such an under-used composer it's not even amusing. I know I'm in the minority in saying that I think that Doyle's effort is the best of the Potter material - followed very closely by PoA - but I'm sticking to my guns. I'm hoping that Hooper surprises us all. No, I don't even think for one second that Williams is the be all and end all of composers. Quite to the contrary, the majority of Williams' work does not appeal to my tastes. I find his Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets writing quite gray and forgettable for the most part. There are always a few standout pieces though. I was pondering just yesterday which composers I would NOT want to touch a Potter score, and the first one that came to mind was Thomas Newman. I shudder when I think of what he would do to it (think Lemony Snicket, wink wink). Then I got to thinking of possible future scorers, and my two first thoughts were (coincidentally) Dario Marianelli and James Newton Howard. Marianelli just might be a perfect match for the story line of Half-Blood Prince. Hmmm. I don't know about JNH though... I really like most of his stuff outside the fantasy genre, but heaven forbid it sound like Peter Pan. I really detest his flagrant electronics in that. Argghhhh. I read in a press release that Nicholas Hooper has never written for a full orchestra before? Did I misunderstand? Thanks for the comments and I hope to hear more about Mr. Hooper. I have my hopes high too, I can assure you. It better be dark. Really dark. Can't wait to see (and hear!) the 'Potter as Nagini' and 'Potter as Voldemort' sequences, if you know what I mean.
posted 10-27-2006 10:05 PM PT (US)

nuts_score Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by Dinko: He was? I thought it was Hooper... ;p Eh, I meant to say Goblet of Fire . . . they're technically the same movie.
posted 10-28-2006 03:41 AM PT (US)

Green Knight Standard Userer	>>> but other than Prisoner of Azkaban, his Potter music isn't too special.<<< Yes i will agree with that but don't forget that the main theme is very very good and unforgetable even to those who dont hear this kind of music! Doule's effort was very good indeed but the moment you hear the Williams main theme you're in that world...
posted 11-03-2006 12:18 PM PT (US)

nuts_score Standard Userer	"Hedwig's Theme" is a good example of establishing melody in a fictional universe, something that JW is a master of. I don't discredit "Hedwig's Theme" one bit, it's the rest of the music that doesn't appeal to me.
posted 11-03-2006 01:03 PM PT (US)

Marian Schedenig Standard Userer	In my opinion, both HP:PS and HP:POA are excellent scores, among Williams' best. POA has incredibly complex orchestrations and counterpoints, but PS is one of the best examples of leitmotif writing in film scores (aside from Shore's LOTR). And while it doesn't go quite as far as LOTR in the area of theme interrelations, the orchestration and orchestral craftsmanship is in a class of its (Williams') own.
posted 11-03-2006 03:46 PM PT (US)

nuts_score Standard Userer	Yes, Marian, PoA is definitely amongst Williams' best (good of you to bring up counterpoints, his score for A.I. is another example of such melodies); for some reason, the leitmotives found in The Sorceror's Stone (or The Philospher's Stone for your likes ) never identified with me, aside from "Hedwig's Theme" which has become synonymous with the HP universe in film. For me, Williams never acheived the potential he had in Star Wars and Superman: The Movie with his motif writing. It's problematic to set a bar and (for certain fans) never proceed past that bar; it's how I best describe Williams' HP compositions (aside from PoA. I felt that Doyle brought a more mature thematic style to the universe. You certainly can't listen to "Harry in Winter" or "The Golden Egg" and not find yourself involved in the music.
posted 11-03-2006 09:55 PM PT (US)

Green Knight Standard Userer	>>>"Hedwig's Theme" is a good example of establishing melody in a fictional universe, something that JW is a master of. I don't discredit "Hedwig's Theme" one bit, it's the rest of the music that doesn't appeal to me.<<< I will agree with that except POA, which was indeed a surprise for the series
posted 11-04-2006 01:32 AM PT (US)

gkgyver Standard Userer	quote: You certainly can't listen to "Harry in Winter" or "The Golden Egg" and not find yourself involved in the music. Then you've never met me. I find those pieces you mentioned rank amongst the dullest of 2005.
posted 11-04-2006 06:31 AM PT (US)

Christian K�hn Standard Userer	quote: I know I'm in the minority in saying that I think that Doyle's effort is the best of the Potter material - followed very closely by PoA - but I'm sticking to my guns. I'm hoping that Hooper surprises us all. You certainly can't listen to "Harry in Winter" or "The Golden Egg" and not find yourself involved in the music. Hello, new best friend. I was a bit disappointed that Doyle didn't get a second Potter film to score, but I am quite intrigued to hear Mr Hooper's approach. That a second English composer is doing the score is quite a major plus in my books. Also..."Harry in Winter" shot straight to the #1 spot of my favorite single cues, where until then, Shore's "The Prophecy" had been sitting for the past four years. CK [Message edited by Christian K�hn on 11-04-2006]
posted 11-04-2006 06:49 AM PT (US)

NeoVoyager Standard Userer	quote: Originally posted by Christian K�hn: <BLOCKQUOTE><font size=1 face=arial>quote:</font><HR size=1>I know I'm in the minority in saying that I think that Doyle's effort is the best of the Potter material - followed very closely by PoA - but I'm sticking to my guns. I'm hoping that Hooper surprises us all. You certainly can't listen to "Harry in Winter" or "The Golden Egg" and not find yourself involved in the music. <HR size=1></BLOCKQUOTE> Hello, new best friend. I was a bit disappointed that Doyle didn't get a second Potter film to score, but I am quite intrigued to hear Mr Hooper's approach. That a second English composer is doing the score is quite a major plus in my books. Also..."Harry in Winter" shot straight to the #1 spot of my favorite single cues, where until then, Shore's "The Prophecy" had been sitting for the past four years. CK [Message edited by Christian K�hn on 11-04-2006] Hmmmm. Although I can identify with the emotion of the piece, and it is quite effective with its emotional appeal, I find "Harry in Winter" FAR too simplistic. The Jaws theme, for example, was very effective in providing suspense, but was it brilliant writing? Uh... no. To each his/her own, I guess. Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite Williams score ever, and just below the Lord of the Rings as my favorite score of all time I think. I just love his Baroque approach to the score and extraordinarily complex writing.
posted 11-05-2006 10:26 AM PT (US)

nuts_score Standard Userer	Here we run into a problem of you saying it's "too simplistic". By what means? Does that make it an ineffective work of music? The less notes a composer can get by to create an effective piece is an accomplished composer. You mention that it's effective in it's emotional appeal; thus it completed it's primary function. And it got it done effectively minimalist. You mention the "Jaws Theme"; which, yes is very atonal and minimalist, but it's the orchestration of that piece that makes it what it is. If you've heard anyone ever play that theme on piano, you'd be very unimpressed (as we've all heard Spielberg was); after the cello and strings and brass come in, however, that's when the tension sets in. It lets you know that the music is important.
posted 11-05-2006 10:42 AM PT (US)

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