Overview

2007's film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix saw a still-darker tone, yet another person in the director's chair, and another composer providing the music. Nicholas Hooper's score for the film would divide fans, with many claiming that it was far weaker than John Williams' or Patrick Doyle's efforts for previous films in the series. A little of this discussion carried over into the inevitable video game adaptation of the film, which saw a composer other than Jeremy Soule take up the baton for the first time.

Not only that, but series newcomer James Hannigan was given leave to use John Williams' iconic themes for the movie series in the game's score for the first time. The game would ultimately feature Hannigan's arrangements of Williams' themes, his own original music and themes, and tracked-in leftovers from Soule's four scores. With such a mishmash, it was easy to expect Hannigan to underperform — especially as compared with Soule, one of the most popular VGM composers in the business.

Body

Fortunately, Hannigan was able to strut his stuff in an impressive fashion, creating a work that paid homage to both Williams and Soule while retaining his own voice. Indeed, one could argue that Hannigan's compositions and extended use of Williams themes outshone those of the movie composer, who only used fragments of the Harry Potter themes and was criticized for underplaying the film's more dramatic moments by fans.

The score unveils its primary themes in the first few tracks, beginning with "Welcome to Hogwarts." A sweeping "friendship theme" of sorts debuts there, and is malleable enough to be reworked into a love theme ("Cho and Harry") or action cue ("To Catch an Owl," easily the highlight of the album). A darker theme, with shades of Williams' troubled Prisoner of Azkaban, is heard alongside it, reappearing whenever the action turns serious as in "Dumbledore and Voldemort." "Dolores Umbridge" introduces a third main theme, an insistent, swaggering four-note theme similar to a tag often used by James Horner.

Such thematic richness is well-matched by the very clear sound of the music; performed by a live ensemble, the depth in the recording is excellent. This is especially notable when the score turns to serious action; Hannigan's music sounds suitably enormous in this context even when it's not quoting a theme as in the savage "Inquisitorial Squad." That's not to say that lighter music is neglected; there's a delightful sense of magic and mischief in cues like "Courtyard Frolics," often scored with a waltzlike swagger that may have been inspired by Patrick Doyle's music. With the possible exception of the troubled, ambient "Encounter with Malfoy," there really are no weak songs to be found.

Hannigan's score was released as a digital download a few months after the game hit store shelves. None of the adaptations of Williams' music from the game are present on the album for contractual reasons, and this is a mixed blessing: while it puts Hannigan's original music front and center, it also means that, as with the Soule albums, the music is frustratingly incomplete. At least the clipping problems from the earlier releases was solved — Hannigan's music is well-mastered and attractively presented.

Summary

With a generous 50 minutes of music, a well-produced album, and a stunningly clear sound, Order of the Phoenix is a revelation. Hannigan proved his abilities in the genre and outpaced both Nicholas Hooper and Jeremy Soule to provide not only the finest Potterverse game score to date but one that tops the music present in the movie. The lack of Hannigan's adaptations of John Williams' themes is regrettable, but this album is still one that should be in every fan's collection.