Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (soundtrack)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is a motion picture soundtrack to the 2011 film of the same name composed and conducted by Alexandre Desplat. The soundtrack was nominated for a Grammy Award, Satellite Award, Houston Film Critics Society Award, Denver Film Critics Society Award, and an IFMCA Award for Best Original Score for a Fantasy Film. The soundtrack won the San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Score. Development. It was confirmed on the Warner Bros. website that "Part 1" composer Alexandre Desplat  would return to score "Part 2". In an interview with "Film Music Magazine", Desplat stated that scoring "Part 2" is "a great challenge" and that he has "a lot of expectations to fulfil and a great deal of work" ahead of him. Desplat started writing the music in early 2011 and finished recording with orchestrators Conrad Pope, Jean-Pascal Beintus, Bill Newlin, Nan Schwartz, Clifford Tasner, Alejandro de la Llosa and the London Symphony Orchestra on 27 May 2011 at Abbey Road Studios, as stated on Pope's official Facebook page. Actress Evanna Lynch confessed in 2011's LeakyCon that  she was invited to the scoring sessions, when Desplat was recording the music for the Gringotts sequence. The main theme of the film, "Lily's Theme", was performed by Mai Fujisawa, daughter of Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi. In the film, several tracks are re-used from previous "Harry Potter" films, which are not included in the released soundtrack: a variant of "Hedwig's Theme"', originally composed by John Williams, which plays during a scene in "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets", is used twice in "Part 2". The first time is when Harry, Ron, and Hermione meet with their  friends in the Room of Requirement. Critics have claimed that this has added strongly to the deep, moving feelings made and the sense of hope given to the audience. The second time is when Snape is sent out of the castle, and the Order of the Phoenix takes over control. "Dumbledore's Farewell", composed by Nicholas Hooper for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", is used by Desplat in the track "Severus and Lily", which plays during the "Prince's Tale" sequence. A variant of Hooper's "The Kiss" from "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" also  makes an appearance throughout the Hogwarts viaduct scene. The final scene of "Part 2", set 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts includes "Leaving Hogwarts", composed by Williams for the first film, followed by a suite of "Hedwig's Theme" for the end credits. Desplat spoke of the use of Williams' themes in "Part 2", saying, "Well, we all know there's one theme, which has become iconic, "Hedwig's Theme" from John Williams. This theme is crucial to the success of the story, and it would have been disrespectful and stupid for me not to use it at the  crucial moments where we need to refer to these ten years of friendships that we've all had with these characters and kids, so "Hedwig's Theme" does reoccur a lot more [than] in Part 1 where loss of innocence was the main theme of the film [...]" Critical reception. The soundtrack received critical acclaim. Jorn Tillnes of Soundtrack Geek gave the soundtrack a 9/10 and noted, "Part 2 ends in anything but tears. It is a joy to listen to just like Part 1 and using the "Hedwig's Theme" by John Williams, which is the ultimate "Harry Potter" theme  after all, is a brilliant touch." Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks gave the soundtrack an overall rating of 4/5, the music as heard on the album 3/5, and rated the score in the context of the film a 5/5, and commented, "Desplat finally proves that his style can transcend his obvious technical mastery of an orchestra and reach levels of tonal majesty that can be summed up in a single word: epic." Danny Graydon from Empire Online gave the soundtrack a 5/5 rating, and said "Just as John Williams created "Harry Potter" musical language, Alexandre Desplat succeeds magnificently in completing it . Desplat crafts a highly emotional thematic anchor with its strings and solo vocalist." Another review came from Allmusic.com; James Christopher Monger gave the soundtrack a 3/5 and commented, "Bombastic, sinister, and triumphant, the appropriately dark and apocalyptic "Deathly Hallows, Pt. 2" may sit near the bottom of the Potter soundtrack pile, but it can hardly be called a failure." Later, a review came from Jonathan Broxton of Movie Music UK, who rated the score 5/5 stars, and commented, "I can't speak highly enough of Desplat's achievement in concluding the Harry Potter franchise the way he has..., Harry's  story was always about death, and Desplat's decision to build his score around a musical motif representing those departed souls was a perfect one. This is one of the scores of the year." Evening Hour rated the soundtrack 4.5/5, commenting, "Desplat has proved to be a formidable force in the success of the Deathly Hallows films, seamlessly blending emotional nuance with action-packed grandeur. He has, in short, created a satisfying and richly layered aural landscape that I will always love coming back to." Release. The soundtrack was released on 12 July 2011. Previews of the tracks were released  on 23 June 2011. Track listing. All tracks are composed, produced and conducted by Alexandre Desplat. Credits and personnel. Personnel adapted from the album liner notes.