They say – a Czech is a musician. And there will be some truth in that, because Prague is currently a very popular city for film productions. According to musician and producer Tibor Engler, it offers a great combination of excellent musicians and affordable prices. The orchestra, in which the trained engineer works, normally records music for films around the world, but on Saturday 10 February, they will play John Williams’ iconic music for a screening of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
“Today we have a lot of young composers who create excellent music and in high quality, but John Williams is as if he had jumped one league higher. It’s because he has a fantastic classical education, both as a recording musician and at the same time his classical jazz education gives him a set of tools that few contemporary composers have at their disposal,” praised the legendary composer, who received 5 Oscars and 46 nominations in his lifetime .
Tibor and his colleagues dissected Harry Potter’s music down to the last note, so he knows exactly what he’s talking about. The genius of Williams, according to the podcast guest, is that he has every detail figured out, and even though the parts are complicated, they still sound good. Tibor’s favorite musical moments from the first Harry Potter include the opening logo, the walk down Diagon Alley and the first shot of Hogwarts Castle. At the Prague concert, you will also hear passages that you may have never noticed. “In our show, the mix of music and dialogue is different than on TV. The music is more amplified and therefore you will hear it even in parts with dialogues where it would disappear,” reveals Tibor.
Kidman and Evans in Prague
There are several top orchestras in Prague where productions record their music for series, films and documentaries for Netflix, HBO, National Geographic and others. Tibor revealed that the creators do not have to go to the studio, but it is enough if they connect via video call during the recording and check how the Czech Philharmonic is recording their music. According to Tibor, Czech musicians are so skilled that they do not rehearse film music from scores at all and play and record it in high quality the first time.
A world-famous musician came to Prague to see them David Lynch, actress Nicole Kidman or actor and musician Luke Evans. “They are very pleasant. The higher you are in that league, the more authentic and pleasant you are. Of course, there is always someone who can be nervous about some deadlines, but basically most of these superstars are very easy-going people and they like people to treat them normally,” concluded Tibor.
Tibor Engler revealed in the Blesk Podcast what Warner Bros. watches for Harry Potter concerts and how much it costs to record in Prague:
