WaterTower Music has released two separate albums of music from Hogwarts Legacy - the open-world role-playing-game set in the 1800s wizarding world. The two albums offer fans a total of 75 tracks from the game soundtrack composers Chuck E. Myers 'Sea', J Scott Rakozy, and Peter Murray. Each respective album contains a completely different set of songs from the other...

Fans of the film music of John Williams are in for a treat as so many of his film scores are referenced here. From Star Wars to Jaws, War Horse to Harry Potter (obviously). It would appear someone is a huge fan of the composer and knows his work inside out.

One of the most obvious homages can be heard in 'Fig's Search', which gives a nod and a wink to the 'Emperor's Throne Room' from Return of the Jedi.

Elsewhere, 'The House Cup' borrows heavily from David Arnold's work on Stargate, whilst 'The Greenhouse' has a segment that reminded my of Howard Shore's music for Mrs. Doubtfire.

The album contains 34 tracks (1 hr, 55 min. 38 sec) and not for a second does the quality dip. From the opening notes to the emotionally draining closer, 'Tribute', this is a wonderfully diverse and life affirming collection of intricate themes. An essential purchase whether you're a fan of the game or not.

10

Darren Rea