Watertower Music release the soundtrack to Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore by James Newton Howard, who returns to the franchise after scoring Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Professor Albus Dumbledore knows the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts Magizoologist Newt Scamander to lead an intrepid team of wizards, witches and one brave Muggle baker on a dangerous mission, where they encounter old and new beasts and clash with Grindelwald’s growing legion of followers. But with the stakes so high, how long can Dumbledore remain on the sidelines...?

James Newton Howard returns, once again, to the wizarding world of Fantastic Beasts. For The Crimes of Grindelwald, Howard delivers some impressive new themes, as well as revisiting a few familiar favourites including, very briefly, John Williams' work on Harry Potter.

Talking about the score Howard says: "Composing the music for the Fantastic Beasts movies has been a musically fulfilling and challenging adventure. What more could a film composer want than to be given a canvas as rich and exciting as Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore."

The score contains 39 tracks (1 hr, 49 min, 55 sec) and straight away the listener is transported to another world, but one familiar to fans of the franchise. It also includes the song 'Heaven', performed by Gregory Porter.

Howard delivers another incredible collection of themes that works wonderfully as a standalone album of beautiful music in its own right.

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Darren Rea