Soundtrack Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Video Game (2004)

Posted by Jon Blough

July 23, 2009

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This is a review of the video game score Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by Jeremy Soule.

“More stylistically cohesive, but lacking thematic development it’s only a slight improvement on Chamber of Secrets”

Even the most ardent Potter fan should notice numerous issues with the initial scores for the series’ video games. Jeremy Soule’s resistance (inability?) to establish secondary motifs, as well as carry over motifs from his previous Potter VG scores, makes Azkaban…heck, all of his scores for the series sound too individualized. Musical sagas, even those in video games, should have something that ties them all together, at least when they’re by the same composer. All of Michael Giacchino’s Medal of Honor scores retain at least one franchise theme. The Halo Trilogy gradually built its synthetic constructs into full orchestra while retaining the same thematic base. Even Patrick Doyle and Nicholas Hooper retained Hedwig’s theme, even if mostly in lip (ear?) service. Soule, on the other hand, appears to have no overarching plan for the series, meandering from one level to the next without regards to thematic depth or development.

Better Main Titles

That aside, his score for The Chamber of Secrets had enough above average to very good tracks scattered throughout that made for a likeable listening experience, and Azkaban continues the trend. The main titles do get better with each score, and the subdued lament here is boasted by a powerful choral presence, but with no theme spread throughout the album such praise can only remain to the first cue. A similar choral chanting is used in “Patronus Boggart” (perhaps the most exciting and memorable action cue Soule had written for the series up to this point) while a more eerie effect defines the “Shrieking Shack”. If more of the elements in those two cues were utilized perhaps the score could have achieved stronger footing.

Short Cues

Additionally, both Buckbeak cues practically float on air, with the first soaring with graceful strings and sparkling piano and the second throwing in a gorgeous female vocal accompaniment to start. “Marauders Orb” and “End Cut Scene” are also wonderfully majestic in their brass useage, similar to David Arnold’s expansive action scores in the 1990s. Unfortunately, these cues suffer from being too short. As I’ve probably said a handful of times on this site, the best video game scores are those that take the time to develop their ideas past the situational constructs of their medium. With both Buckbeak cues I was elated right before a precipitous cutoff, and many listeners will most likely have thoughts like “that’s all?” or “come back!” run through their heads. The same could apply to action cues like “Carpe Night Bus” and “Dementor Patronus” that create an acceptable ruckus but never seem fully realized. A good contrast would be “Hogwarts Express”, another relaxing, occasionally regal cue that takes over two minutes to establish a definite identity.

Conclusion

To his credit, Soule has improved on his Williams references from Chamber of Secrets. With more aggressive orchestrations surrounding the driving brass writing in cues like “Duelling Two”, “Light Action H and H”, “Werewolf Fight”, and “Glacius Boss”, one may therefore think parts of the album came from one of the Maestro’s scores for the films themselves. I’ve always been a bit bothered when video game scores sound completely out of place with their respective film accompaniment, so the nods solve a little personal quirk of mine. In fact, the entire score seems more stylistically cohesive, with the album containing none of the rapid shifts from happiness to bristling brass that defined the previous two Potter VG scores. Part of that could be due to Azkaban being a shorter release than Chamber of Secrets, appropriate for such a situational soundtrack. The album fails to craft a definitive personality, mostly due to the utter lack of thematic development, and absent memorable consistency the score is only a slight improvement on Soule’s Chamber of Secrets. That none of the action approaches the expansive, energetic fare in Quidditch World Cup will be a big disappointment for most. But the groundwork is in place for a strong sequel score to emerge, and I’m glad the composer didn’t devolve back to Sorcerer’s Stone VG quality.

Album (34:42)
1.   Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Main Title (2:40)
2.   Buckbeak Night Flight (1:35)
3.   Carpe Knight Boss (0:54)
4.   Charms Tension (1:10)
5.   Dementor Patronus (1:09)
6.   Follow Rain (1:10)
7.   Duelling Two (1:14)
8.   Light Action H and H (1:00)
9.   Werewolf Fight (1:06)
10.   Extreme Patronus (1:33)
11.   Flying Buckbeak (1:03)
12.   Glacius Boss (1:17)
13.   Follow Snow (1:09)
14.   Hogwarts Express (2:26)
15.   Light Action (1:18)
16.   Marauders Orb (0:55)
17.   Wander Rain (1:16)
18.   Carpe Prison (1:20)
19.   Muggle Robot Boss (1:12)
20.   Patronus Boggart (1:23)
21.   Wander Snow (1:10)
22.   Flying Hedwig (1:20)
23.   Shrieking Shack (1:59)
24.   Stealth 2 (1:09)
25.   Choral Ending (1:30)
26.   End Cut Scene (0:55)