Composer
Nicholas Hooper infused the sixth film in the Harry Potter series with much of the same utilitarian weight and whimsy that drove his work on 2007's Order of the Phoenix. As the third composer to be brought in to the world of Hogwarts,
Hooper deftly balanced
John Williams' original themes with those of his own creation, a track he continued to stroll down for 2009's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Unlike its predecessor, the
Half Blood Prince score is nearly bereft of any of
Williams' or
Patrick Doyle's themes.
Hooper treats the transitory story to a rather transitory score, opting for atmosphere over memorable melodies, but while it may not be the most glamorous of Potter scores (that would belong to 2003's
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), like the story itself, it certainly gets the job done. ~ James Christopher Monger