John Williams (4) – Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture)

John Williams has delivered a lot of workman-like scores over the past 15 years. It's a sad reflection of the times with so very, very few film scores actually being based around melodies, themes, or even orchestras. Can any of you honestly hum the "theme tune" to ANY of the Marvel movies or big franchises these days? This approach to movie music seems to be dying, horribly, and even Williams is not putting in the effort any more (be this fatigue or choice, I don't know).

Harry Potter was his last true memorable effort, beginning with a strong main theme and developing several layers and textures for Harry's wondrous world. Occasionally you can almost hear elements of Indiana Jones (specifically the Last Crusade and "Christmas at Hogwarts" just about stops itself from becoming "Duncan's Toy Chest" from Home Alone 2. Not that this is a bad thing, William's christmas scores are among the best and the Harry Potter movies always drew more atmosphere during the Christmas scenes.

I don't believe that the early Harry Potter movies have aged well at all. Those breathtakingly awful child actors and early 2000s CGI effects are wince-inducing at this point, but the score is timeless and has many nuances and moments you might not have noticed when paired with the movie. This album is not exactly chronological and is arranged into suites, but it's not too far removed from its screen counterpart.

Williams only scored 2 Harry Potter films (William Ross actually scored Chamber of Secrets despite the Williams credit) with the remaining movies building upon the groundwork he created. It endures as one of the finest points of his career and, listening to it now, you will realize how much modern movies suffer by choosing generic, forgettable, and bland scores. Williams always leaned more towards classical, which is a huge reason why he has been so successful. There's something to be learned from that.