Legendary film composer John Williams, who Potter fans know for (among other classics) scoring Sorcerer's Stone through Prisoner of Azkaban, just completed two nights of "Music of the Movies" at The Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

MuggleCast co-host Matt and I attended Saturday night's show and we were treated to something Williams has never done before at these annual performances - he dedicated the first hour of the show to Potter films. The setlist: Hedwig's Theme (SS), Aunt Marge's Waltz (POA), Diagon Alley (SS), Knight Bus (PoA), Nimbus 2000 theme (SS), Fawkes the Phoenix (CoS), Window to the Past (POA), Chamber of Secrets (CoS), and Harry's Wondrous World (SS) - all performed by Williams and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Some songs included video montages from the films that were sync'd with the live music.

As an extra treat, legendary UK actress Lynn Redgrave sat beside John and introduced each Potter score. She connected one to another and ran through several facts that proved the success of the franchise. It was similar to a series of performances hosted in Boston last year.

With all this Potter goodness going on at the show, we can't help but wonder if this franchise is stuck on his mind. Rumors of his return have been swirling ever since an article quoted him as saying he believed "with confidence" (link goes to John Williams Fan Network) that he'd be back for the final film. Were these performances to get back into the Potter groove?

According to JWFan.net, Nicholas Hooper will not return to score Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Hooper has composed the soundtracks for both Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince.

The post states that the films have put "too great a strain on his family life" and that he believes a "certain composer" [John Williams] should complete the series he started.

Until we receiver further confirmation, please treat this as a rumor! Thanks to Matthew for the tip!

Fandango has posted a very cool video of the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince scoring sessions at Abbey Road Studios.

The video depicts the orchestra, composer Nicholas Hooper, and several others making the mix. Definitely check it out if you're a fan of film scores!

Barnes & Noble's website now has 30 second samples of each song on the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince soundtrack!

You can check them out at this link. Are you liking how this soundtrack is sounding?

Thanks to Brandon for the tip.

The folks at AOL Radio have announced that they are playing one track from the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince soundtrack at the top of every hour on the Movie Scores station.

To listen, click the "Listen to Movie Scores on AOL Radio" on this page.

Thanks to Chris for the tip!

Warner Brothers has just issued a press release concerning the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince soundtrack, and they've revealed some cool new info:

The score selection lineup features 28 diverse tracks, offering the listener over 60 minutes of music from the film, which opens nationwide on Wednesday, July 15.

Nicholas Hooper, who also scored “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” returned to create another powerful and enchanting score. In a first for a Harry Potter film soundtrack, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” will be an enhanced CD giving fans a free digital download of the entire soundtrack in 5.1 Surround Sound audio, along with bonus exclusive content.

Recently, short clips from the Half-Blood Prince soundtrack have appeared online courtesy of cell phone ringtone websites.

A Potter fan put them all together into a YouTube video, which you can see at this link.

How do you think the soundtrack is shaping up? Let us know in the comments! Thanks to Nataliee for the tip.

A new article released by The Boston Globe today talks about composer extraordinaire John Williams. Potter fans know him well for having composed the scores of Sorcerer's Stone, Chamber of Secrets, and Prisoner of Azkaban.

Besides interesting information about Williams performing some of his Potter scores in Boston later this week, the article notes that he is hard at work on several soundtracks including Half-Blood Prince. But as was revealed back in November, Nicholas Hooper is set to score the sixth film.

So what's the deal? The article cites "industry reports," and a quick check on IMDB reveals that Williams is credited for the Harry Potter theme in Half-Blood Prince. The theme was originally composed for Sorcerer's Stone and has been used for every film since.

The newspaper could have mistakenly assumed this meant he was actually involved. We'll let you know what Warner Brothers has to say!

Warner Brothers and MuggleNet are giving our visitors a special deal on the brand new Order of the Phoenix Deluxe Edition soundtrack (we were the first to tell you about this set back in June)! By clicking here, you'll be able to get it for $24.99! That's 40% off the retail price of $39.98.

HURRY! There are only a limited number of soundtracks available at this special price. Look for a contest on MuggleCast centered around this deluxe edition soundtrack soon. Enjoy!

A day before its release, the entire Order of the Phoenix soundtrack is now available for listening online. AOL music has this streaming audio and says "the brilliant score for the latest Potter installment is filled with rebellion and enchantment." Take a listen!

A new audio interview with the Order of the Phoenix soundtrack composer Nicholas Hooper was conducted by ScoreNotes.com. Hooper admits himself that he is a fan of the books and is "completely hooked" and that it brought his wife and him together. He talks about how he felt about being involved with the films after two other composers and how he felt about picking up the series in the fifth movie:

"It could have been difficult, but because of David's [Yates] help and the fact that he so much knew what the kind of music he'd want, that made a huge difference. Following John Williams is always a bit forbidding really, because he is such a great composer, but at least I had his theme to work with which I enjoyed doing too and I think just working from the base, working with David so well, and the fact that I knew the books so well, I had a lot going for it really."

The soundtrack will be released July 10th in the US.

Warner Brothers Records has sent MuggleNet details about a special edition Order of the Phoenix soundtrack set. Encased in a custom hinged box with Navy "velveteen" fabric, the set also includes a 20-page booklet with a foil embossed front cover.

Check out your first look at this special edition soundtrack right here! You'll see the box also has a clear plastic dome on the front with Voldemort inside. More details coming soon!

In other soundtrack news, WBR has released a widget for your MySpace or website that will play samples from the soundtrack. Check it out here!

Soundtrack.net has an exclusive preview of the entire Order of the Phoenix soundtrack. You can listen to a 30-second clip and view a description of each song.

The soundtrack, composed by Nicholas Hooper, is due to be released on July 10, a day before the movie comes out in the US.

A listing on Amazon.com has revealed that the Order of the Phoenix Soundtrack will be released on July 10th at a price of $18.95. You can pre-order it on Amazon at the link above. Thanks to Andrew for the tip!

A few days ago, the nominations were announced for this year's batch of World Soundtrack Awards. A song on the Goblet of Fire soundtrack, "Magic Works," was nominated for "Best Original Song Written for Film."

These winners will be announced on October 14th at the Flanders International Film Festival in Ghent, Belgium. We'll let you know if GOF wins as soon as we find out. Thanks to everyone who e-mailed with the tip!

HPANA recently reported that Nicholas Hooper will be composing the soundtrack for the next Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Warner Bros. confirmed yesterday to Film Music Radio that he will indeed be scoring the soundtrack for the fifth film.

In 2004, Hooper won the BAFTA for Best Original Score and was nominated several other times for prestigious awards.

Thanks to Bun Bun for sending this in!