3/5 Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
  by Race (Florida)
It's a good score, it does not feel like a Harry Potter score. It's dark and very different but yet some what good in it's own way, only wish it had more of Hedwig's Theme. Personaly I wish John Williams would have composed the entire Harry Potter series. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

2/5 Music CD from the Half Blood Prince
  by A. Andrews
I don't usually write a review unless I can be positive so I'll start that way then tell you what I really think. Ordering from Amazon is a good experience. The CD arrived much faster than I expected and was/is in excellent condition. The music on the CD is a disappointment.
After John Williams and Patrick Doyle I can't fathom why the people behind the Harry Potter franchise would go to Nicholas Hooper. With Williams and Doyle you have the feeling that there is a lot more going on even when all you hear is a quick vignette to go with a short scene.
Hooper could be writing commercial jingles for all the complexity and depth he shows.

4/5 Imperfect score, but still very good
  by J. Chrisman (Utah)
I've been listening to this score for almost a month now and it keeps growing on me. Here are my favorites so far: Opening, In Noctem, Dumbledore, Dumbledore's Foreboding, Inferi, Harry & Hermione. These tracks are quite durable and I think it will be a while before I give them a break on my playlists. That said, not all of the tracks are gold. Some of them are quite generic unfortunately.

I really see this album as Nicholas Hooper growing. I feel that he's added an element of realism to Harry Potter that Williams's brilliant music did not(John's was more fairytale-ish). I look forward to seeing who will take the job next. Speculation is that it may be Williams again? Any other suggestions for Deathly Hallows?

3/5 Subtle & effective
  by H. W. H. Baur
A subtle soundtrack for one of the year's biggest blockbusters? Yes indeed. Of course the score features some 'big' moments, during which sometimes fragments of John William's themes surface, but the real strenght of this work comes from the emotional moments. Composer Nicholas Hooper approaches them with subtle delicacy, like the harp that underlines Hermione's heartbreak, or the constrained violins that mourn Dumbledore's last scène.
Hooper never goes over the top, allowing the audience to participate and identify with the many emotions the characters go through - like all good filmmusic should do.
The album might have benefited from a shorter running time though, as some tracks aren't very interesting. It's perhaps a less spectaculair album than one might expect, but lets not forget that the movie is an INTIMITE epic - and it can be proud of an equally intimite soundtrack.

4/5 Totally a Step-Up!
  by RG
I'll keep it short, I love this CD. It simply is an amazing soundtrack. I admit, I was not impressed by the 5th Harry Potter soundtrack, but this one has totally gone beyond the standards. Each orchestral piece of note and score is top-notch and can definately stand on its own without having Harry Potter tagged to it. My only negative criticism is the wish that it could have had a better cover art to definately serve it the justice that it deserves.