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. 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.

For more info and ordering, visit Varèse Sarabande.