Have you ever heard of a bloogle resonator before? Me neither, but I counted at least six of the whirly tubes in action tonight as the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Sydney Philharmonic Choir performed Nicholas Hooper’s score to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

We are now in the territory of Harry Potter movies I’ve seen only once before. They are dark now, more difficult to watch as people you care about die. Likewise, this score is one I am less familiar with. I recently discovered it languishing in an obscure folder on my music repository, not having it made it on to my phone.

That wasn’t always the case, as I do remember listening to it a decade ago last month, sitting in London’s Heathrow Airport on my first international trip by myself. But that is another story.

Being less familiar with the story meant it was often difficult to focus on the music over the movie. Hooper’s score still shone through, especially the choral In Noctem, the gentle harps of romance, the festive Fireworks music and, of course, the thrill of Quidditch.

You can spot the bloogle resonators as the Death Eaters converge on the Wesley’s home.

Nicholas Buc’s conducting was, as ever, superlative and fun to watch in itself. I’m also enjoying his contributions, along with Andrew Pogson and Dan Golding, in the Art of the Score podcasts.

That concludes the Harry Potter performances for 2019 with only Alexandre Desplat’s scores to the two Deathly Hallows movies remaining. Next time it’s back to the Star Wars universe!