Soundtrack Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

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This is a review of the motion picture score Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by John Williams.

“Certainly a good score, but among the least essential compositions of the decade for the composer.”

2002 was the busiest John Williams had been in five years.  The composer tackled scores for four major films, with Attack of the Clones receiving widespread praise and Catch Me If You Can drawing an Oscar nomination.  Certainly Minority Report is the forgotten score of that year (perhaps deservedly), but Chamber of Secrets also falls to the back of the pack.  Part of that is due to the lack of hype surrounding it in regards to other Potter scores by Williams, with the first being perhaps overly anticipated and the third receiving the most critical praise.  This seemed puzzling to me before I heard all the Potter scores, as the composer’s writing have always maintained a high level of quality, at least on a technical level.  Yet after listening, I can safely say that of all the scores Williams composed for this series, Chamber of Secrets features the most moments that make me think of other, better scores by the maestro.

More of the Same

As stated in my Sorcerer’s Stone review, there’s a difference between stylistic similarities (e.g. the dense flurries of notes that define much of Williams action writing over the last decade) and cut-and-paste tendencies, and certainly in the first two Potter scores (more so here) there are numerous instances that fall squarely in the latter category. “The Flying Car” and “The Spiders”, while flighty fun and pounding excitement respectively, are straight out of Indy 2 when they aren’t referencing series themes. The admittedly delightful “Dobby The House Elf” spends the majority of its running time mirroring Home Alone.  “Meeting Aragog” and “Cakes For Crabbe And Goyle” are mostly rearrangements of suspense music from the Star Wars prequels, while “Cornish Pixies” does the same thing for the frenetic moments from Hook.  “Gilderoy Lockhart” introduces perhaps the least imaginative of any of the composer’s themes for the saga as the comedic bouncing is pure recycling of “No Ticket” from Indy 3.  Much of the following “humorous” cues, whether for Lockhart (“The Dueling Club” being at times the most blatant imitation) or not, continue the trend.

Intelligently Constructed

Still, even if Williams is on autopilot for some of the score, his self-references are still more intelligently constructed, densely orchestrated, and beautifully performed than any other composer asleep at the wheel.  You don’t have to turn as much of your brain to enjoy it as you would with, say, Transformers, and all the whirring, bouncing, and soaring parts should suffice as a good listen for the vast majority of listeners.  This score also features a powerhouse highlight in its theme for “Fawkes The Phoenix”, a noble, optimistic idea that soars with the grace of the composer’s Across the Stars theme for the same year’s Attack of the clones while also at times sparkling with whimsy like Hook.  It’s the kind of music that can endlessly enchant (read: you will hum it at random moments during your day) and is this score’s rebuttal against those who say the music of the series “lacks magic”.  Its use in the thrilling “Dueling the Basilisk” helps the cue overcome the Star Wars prequel similarities to become one of the album’s few great cues.

Conclusion

Perhaps given just the above assessment the score could be about as strong as its predecessor.  Yet the score on album fails to seen cohesive, with no overarching idea for the film and none of the themes from the previous score receiving substantial expansion.  The biggest culprit is the Chamber of Secrets theme.  A dark, portentous motif, its stately announcements mirror the progressions of the Hook motif from that score, while the strings churning in the background recall the ominous suspense moments of the Star Wars prequels.  References aside the theme works, but sadly you can’t find a statement outside of the concert arrangement.  More uses would have helped give the score its own definitive personality.  The “emulation” feeling from references to older themes probably stems from orchestrator William Ross composing.  Almost every statement of Hedwig’s theme and the friendship theme sound overly familiar (“Harry’s Wondrous World” is disappointingly redundant”), with the finale of “Reunion of Friends” the lone, warm exception.  The few references of Voldemort’s theme in “Meeting Tom Riddle” and “Cakes For Crabbe and Goyle” (certainly ominous enough) are not enough for a supposedly darker score.  I’m not saying Ross did a bad job here, for his imitations are spot-on, but the personality of the score seems a bit less well-rounded than we’re used to for Williams’ fantasy scores. Certainly Chamber of Secrets is a good score, but it remains among the least essential compositions of the decade for the composer.

Album (70:17)
1. Prologue: Book II and the Escape from the Dursleys (3:31)
2. Fawkes the Phoenix (3:45)
3. The Chamber of Secrets (3:49)
4. Gilderoy Lockhart (2:05)
5. The Flying Car (4:08)
6. Knockturn Alley (1:47)
7. Introducing Colin (1:49)
8. The Dueling Club (4:08)
9. Dobby the House Elf (3:27)
10. The Spiders (4:32)
11. Moaning Myrtle (2:05)
12. Meeting Aragog (3:18)
13. Fawkes is Reborn (3:19)
14. Meeting Tom Riddle (3:38)
15. Cornish Pixies (2:13)
16. Polyjuice Potion (3:52)
17. Cakes for Crabbe and Goyle (3:30)
18. Dueling the Basilisk (5:02)
19. Reunion of Friends (5:08)
20. Harry’s Wondrous World (5:02)

Listen to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by John Williams below:

Find more videos like this on Soundtrack Fans

Other articles of interest:

• Soundtrack Review: Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Soundtrack Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
• Soundtrack Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001)
• Soundtrack Review: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
• Soundtrack Review: Saving Private Ryan (1998)

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