Development
Powell described the project "a maturation story" and stated that he too tried to achieve the same maturation in the structure of his music by developing further every aspect of his compositions from the original film. [2] By late-2012,Powell had begun writing music for the film and took eighteen months to complete. Recording took place during April 2014 at Abbey Road Studios in London [3] with a 120-piece orchestra,a 100-voice choir, [4] and a wide array of ethnic instruments,including celtic harp,uilleann bagpipes,tin whistle,bodhrán,and Highland bagpipes;the latter of which were performed by pipers from the Scottish group The Red Hot Chilli Pipers. [5] The ensemble was conducted by the composer's usual collaborator Gavin Greenaway. [4] After recording was done,Powell worked on the mixing,music editing,mastering and technical arrangements of the score material. [4]
The main cue "Lost and Found" was one of the central themes,he had composed for the film. [6] [7] Some of the cues,had incorporated from the score of the first film,including the score cue for Hiccup and Toothless flying,being taken from the first film. All the score materials,for the preliminary characters were reused from its counterpart,for the introduction to its sequel for the first eight minutes. [6] The use of Northern European instruments for the Vikings sequence,which in turn created a "viking music" genre,Powell had stated this in an interview to Time ,saying "The way we associate certain sounds with cultures is a learned thing,and often it’s not necessarily the truth. What we think of as Norse music and British Isle music,all these folk traditions are completely up for grabs. You have bagpipes in every part of the world. It’s just a very common pipe." [8]
Sigur Rós' lead vocalist,Jónsi,who wrote and performed the song "Sticks &Stones" for the first film,provided two new original songs for the sequel in collaboration with Powell:"For the Dancing and the Dreaming" (performed by Gerard Butler,Craig Ferguson &Mary Jane Wells) and "Where No One Goes" (performed by Jónsi himself). [5] [6] Belarusian-Norwegian artist Alexander Rybak,who voices Hiccup in the Norwegian dub of the film,also wrote and performed the song "Into a Fantasy". The latter song is featured only in the European versions of the film. [9]
Instrumentation
The soundtrack is scored for an exceptionally large orchestra,as follows:
Woodwinds:4 flutes (3rd and 4th doubling both piccolos and alto flutes),3 oboes,(3rd doubling cor anglais),3 B♭clarinets (1st and 2nd doubling A clarinets,3rd doubling bass and contrabass clarinets),3 bassoons (3rd doubling contrabassoon),Irish flute,penny whistle,tin whistle,2 bagpipes,uilleann pipes
Brass:9 F horns,4 B♭trumpets,6 trombones (3rd and 6th double euphonium;3rd,4th,5th,and 6th double bass trombone),2 tubas (2nd doubling euphonium)
Percussion:Timpani,and 10 percussionists playing:dhol,shaker,gran cassa,tam-tams (high and low,then a third "large",or 80" one),gong,bell tree,mark tree,wind chimes,triangles (small and medium),hand bell,2 snare drums,field snare drum,piccolo snare drum,mini snare drum,marching snare drum,bodhran,piatti (small,medium,large),suspended cymbals (small,regular,large),china cymbal,sizzle cymbal,chimes,glockenspiel,5 tuned desk bells (G,B♭,C,D,F),2 slate marimbas,glass marimba,wooden marimba,bass marimba,sleigh bells,surdo,breketes (small,wide,and large),2 anvils,concert tom toms,pot log,tambourine,Verdi bass drum,garbage can,small ethnic cymbal,djun djun,taiko,small African drum,darbouka,temple block,balafon,agogo bells
Strings:16 violins I &II,14 violas,12 cellos,8 double basses,2 harps (both doubling Celtic harp),mandolin,3 dulcimers,guzheng
Keyboards:Piano,celesta,harmonium,kalimba
Electric instruments:2 synthesisers ("sampled piano","synth backing vocals","Rev Piano FX","Pulsing","Shrieking Wail"),electric guitar,synth bass,electric drumset,electric frame drum
A large choir (SMzSATBarB) and vocal soloists are also required,with lower voices singing in falsetto in parts. In addition,some songs are sung by singer Jónsi and backing vocalists.
Reception
Zanobard Reviews assigned a score of 8/10, calling it as "the score to How To Train Your Dragon 2 is nothing short of magnificent". He further wrote "Powell took all the best thematic elements from his previous score and then expertly intertwined them with some pretty fantastic new ones, altogether making for a rather breathtaking and indeed highly enjoyable album." [14] Movie Wave's James Southall wrote "How to Train Your Dragon 2 takes the first score, does all the good things it did, adds even more great ones. There’s Wagnerian theatrics, genuine emotion, rousing action, thrilling adventure, an endless array of bright colours." [15] City Newspaper's Matt DeTurck wrote "Composer John Powell's score to "How to Train Your Dragon 2" musically achieves what we hope from all sequels: incorporating established themes while expanding them with new elements that are just as strong. It's a delicate line to tread, but it's one that Powell faces with aplomb." [16]
Renowned for Sound-based Marcus Floyd wrote "The soundtrack to How To Train Your Dragon 2 is a collection of unique tracks that would reign suitable for an action packed animated feature such as those in the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy; each piece obviously had a story to tell, as would each scene in the film and it would seem they would go hand in hand to deliver a strong impacting film." [17] Jonathan Broxton wrote "if How to Train Your Dragon 2 is anything to go by, Powell is nowhere close to running out of ideas, or of falling out of love with the medium. This score is spectacular – by far the most enjoyable romp of 2014 to date; anyone who loved the first score in this series will surely have the same reaction here, and anyone who loves good, old-fashioned, proper orchestral music, written by a composer who knows what he’s doing, performed by an ensemble of musicians at the top of their game, and containing an overwhelmingly positive sense of life, joy and enthusiasm will love it too." [18]
