Harry Potter composer sings praises of LSO

The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) has been described as the best in the world to record with by one prominent composer.
Music and movies often go hand in hand and, it is fair to say, a proportion of a film’s success can be attributed to the soundtrack.
This is the case with the series of Harry Potter movies, which have called upon the many talents of composers including John Williams, William Ross, Nicholas Hooper and Patrick Doyle.
The seventh and penultimate film is scored by French composer Alexandre Desplat who has also worked on movies including The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Golden Compass.
Speaking in an interview with Classic FM, Desplat has sung the praises of the LSO, which he recently collaborated with for the Harry Potter film.
“The LSO is for me the best orchestra in the world to record with. Every opportunity I am given to record with them I really jump at it,” he explained to the news provider.
In particular, Desplat praises the LSO’s ability to “play the music” on a first reading, rather than just the notes.
“You can’t escape the weight of the previous six films. You’re into a big league here. I can’t think of many franchises that have been so successful, and so critically acclaimed. But I try to get my voice through whatever I do,” he said.
The composer added that working on a film score should be considered a team effort and approached in a different way to concert performing.
He explained: “Making a movie is a very collective art work … suddenly you are one little ant. You have to keep your humility. If you want to be a good artist you have to have an ego, but with a lot of humility, otherwise you don’t progress.”