"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" - Patrick Doyle

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Composer: Patrick Doyle

Release date: November 15, 2005

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Amazon users rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

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All About Soundtracks Review:
After composing the scores for the first three movies in the Harry Potter saga (and providing the memorable and famous Hedwig’s Theme), John Williams was replaced by Patrick Doyle for the fourth installment, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
(Read more.)


The longest book in the saga suffered many cuts to fit one movie, resulting in a fast-paced movie that consists of nearly constant action. Such an exhilarating experience needed a different direction for the music than the one Williams gave to first three movies, since, in this one, the innocence is gone and the Dark Lord (aka Voldemort) returns in bone, flesh and blood. Patrick Doyle excels in providing such direction to the music.
The tone is established in the opening cue, The Story Continues, with its brass explosions and sinister chord progressions beginning actually with a minor variation of William’s Hedwig’s Theme. Doyle sets a series of motifs used to set the ominous mood of the movie, used excellently only in the underscore and expanded in standout cues, like Dark Mark, Goblet of Fire, and especially the ultra-climatic Voldemort.
The dark tone is intense, but Doyle also explores the other aspects of the movie. Harry in Winter is a lovely theme for Harry and his love interest, Rita Skeeter is comically insinuating (as the character), action cues like Golden Egg and Black Lake are epic and thrilling, and the closing cues from the score, especially Another Year Ends, bring a sad tone to the ending of the movie.
There’s still something that Doyle manages to do and Williams never did: getting a right sense of place to the music. While William’s scores were a tribute to American music, Doyle’s score is full of Celtic and Irish references, like one can hear in Quidditch World Cup.
The energy and symphonic sinister magnificence here makes for a perfect score for an Harry Potter movie. One can just hope that Doyle is the one to score Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (since Part 1 is already being scored by Alexandre Desplat), given the intimidating music he can produce, his amazing theme for Voldemort and his ability to score the intense action scenes.

However, the odds are much more on the side of John Williams for composer of the final installment on the saga. Unfortunately.

Ups: sets a new musical direction that was right for the tone of the story and, unfortunatelly, wasn't followed by Nichollas Hooper scores for the sequels; brings excelent themes and instrumentation and provids an exhilarating listening experience.

Downs: might let down avid fans of the first three scores in the franchise and those who dislike such ominous, intimidating and opresssive listening experiences; three songs from the movie are placed at the end of the album, which might also bug those who love the song-free albums of the three predecessors in the franchise.

Noteworthy tracks: Story Continues, Quidditch World Cup, Dark Mark, Foreign Visitors Arrive, Rita Skeeter, Golden Egg, Neville's Waltz, Harry in Winter, Potter Waltz, Black Lake, Voldemort, Another Year Ends, Hogwarts Hymn.

Score note: 9,5/10

Preview:
Track 1 - The Story Continues


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