Among the most anticipated games of 2023 there is certainly him: Hogwarts Legacy. The new title from Warner Bros. Games and Avalanche Software will take us to the magical castle of Hogwarts, catapulting us into the world of Harry Potter with the controller, mouse and keyboard. While waiting for the release – the game will be released in February – let’s start discovering the music of Hogwarts Legacy.
It is no coincidence that Warner Bros. Games and Avalanche Software have published a video called Making the Music in these hours. This is a behind-the-scenes video that shows us the stages of making the many songs of the videogame soundtrack. Among these also the wonderful Overture to the Unwritten.
Making the Music: la musica di Hogwarts Legacy
There is definitely a feeling of thrill to hear the theme played by the orchestra. And Making The Music opens just like that, with the violins taking us to Hogwarts. Seriously, if you close your eyes you see Hagrid. But then reopen them, because the movie shows us
the numerous and complex decision-making processes that led to the creation of the orchestral music that will pervade the Hogwarts Legacy gaming experience.
To create the ancient Hogwarts melody, the composers chose very unique instruments, such as the “Slab of Thunder” – a huge piece of metal – and a water phone to play the sounds of magic. As the music represents every movement the player makes in the game, the composers had to balance the darker side of the game with slow emotional chords to help guide the player and enhance the overall experience. By exploring the common rooms in each of the Hogwarts houses, the team instilled different dynamic personalities through the use of music. There original soundtrack almost becomes an additional character in the game, immersing the player in the complex magical world of the 1800s.
The musicians we see are all students of the University of Utah, BYU and the Salt Lake Symphony Orchestra. These young people are joined by renowned artists such as Nicole Pinnell, Nicole Klossner, Ryan Shupe, Abe Kaelin, Bart Olson, John Knudsen e Dune Moss. The total is a 54-piece orchestra conducted by Nathan Hofheins, who we can see at work in the aforementioned Overture to the Unwritten piece.
All Hogwarts Legacy music will be available on launch day in the Hogwarts Legacy (Original Video Game Soundtrack). The game will be available from February 10th on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store). The pre-order is already available at this link. But if you are little wizards from Nintendo Switch, don’t worry: the game will also arrive for you on a date not yet announced.