Varèse Sarabande completes its trilogy of Deluxe Editions of John Powell’s magnificent scores to the How to Train Your Dragon series with How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019). DreamWorks Animation’s third and final animated film is a heartfelt and bittersweet conclusion, written and directed by Dean DeBlois, as the “hidden world” of the title becomes a refuge for the dragons, which separate from humankind for their own protection.
Composer Powell, working closely with the filmmakers, set the theme for the final film: “With love comes loss.” “He articulated that exact phrase when we were talking,” says DeBlois in Tim Greiving’s new liner notes, “and I put that in the script. I think it is a powerful idea, that if you’re going to engage in the euphoria of love, then you have to recognize that there will be pain, inevitably—pain and separation.”
To complete the saga, Powell wrote a masterful, majestic score for large orchestra and choir, reprising themes from previous films and adding new ones in the best symphonic film music tradition. His ongoing Dragon collaborator, Icelandic singer Jónsi, wrote and performed the song, “Together From Afar.”
Powell’s Dragon scores are admired and beloved for their themes, emotion and symphonic majesty. This 2-CD set Deluxe Edition of The Hidden World is released in conjunction with Omni Music Publishing’s full printed score, allowing fans and scholars a rare opportunity to appreciate both the recordings and the written compositions of a pivotal work.
CD One:
1. Rescue Mission - Busy Busy Berk
2. Marry Her-Grimmel’s Terms
3. Legend Has It
4. Mysterious Creature
5. Toothless In Love
6. Dart Trap
7. Grimmel Visit-First Fight
8. Town Hall Speech-Exodus
9. Setting Up Camp
10. Valka’s Warning
11. Forbidden Courtship
12. Toothless Flies Alone
13. Near Miss Valka
14. Romance In The Clouds
15. New Berk Feast
16. Ambush-Cage Fight
17. Stronger Together
18. New Island
19. Into The Hole
20. The Hidden World *
21. With Love Comes Loss
CD Two:
1. Grimmel’s Surprise
2. The Hiccup I Know-Armada Battle
3. Ultimate Sacrifice-Freedom
4. Viking Wedding-Boat Epilogue
5. Together From Afar (How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World) #
6. The Hidden World Suite
Bonus Tracks:
7. Busy Busy Berk
8. Legend Has It
9. Forbidden Courtship
10. Toothless Flies Alone
11. Romance In The Clouds
12. Viking Wedding
Music Composed and Produced by John Powell
* Composed by John Powell and Jonsi
# Composed and Performed by Jonsi