Those of you who happen to have the pleasure, or curse, of being personally acquainted with me know that I am a complete and total addict to the re-imagined series of Battlestar Galactica. Following the story of the remnants of humanity fleeing across the universe after their race is completely devastated by a genocidal holocaust perpetrated by robotic beings of their own creation, BStarG (as I like to call it) is both a beautifully crafted character drama and a poignant allegory to our post-9/11 era. Dealing with issues such as suicide bombings, religious fanaticism, military occupation and what it means to be human, this amazing program is at the top of my recommendation list. Voted best show on television two years in a row by three separate reputable editorials, (The New York Times and Time magazine among them) you musn't let the sci-fi premise or cheesy name scare you away from perhaps the greatest television show of this or any decade. Once you begin to watch, the tragically flawed characters and arc-intensive story lines will have you glued to the screen!
But enough with the shameless endorsements, the real focus of this blog is the unsung hero of Battlestar's success, its composer, Bear Mcreary. In a time when most shows simply play the tracks of popular songs beneath their material, Bear brings a fresh and welcome change to the soundtrack line-up, employing original compositions and character themes to bring an entirely new context and emotion to the action playing out on the screen. Take, for example, the Roslin and Adama theme. Created as a tribute to the unrequited love of the two leaders of the rag-tag fleet, (Admiral Adama, played by Edward James Olmos, and Laura Roslin, portrayed by Mary McDonnell) this beautiful score begins mournfully, played on a solo violin, and ends in rapturous joy as the violin is joined by an acoustic guitar, percussion instruments and several other orchestral elements, referencing the conflicted relationship that they share. The effect is truly heartbreaking, leaving not a dry eye in the house of those who have followed these complex and compelling characters from the beginning.
Another surprising aspect of Battlestar's music is that it breaks the war-genre mold on how it portrays military victories. Upon destruction of a key enemy instillation in a recent episode entitled 'The Hub', instead of heralding our "heroes" victory with an uplifting full orchestra, Mcreary instead chose to score the sequence with a moving funeral dirge, giving tribute to the thousands of both 'good' and 'bad' that died to get to where humanity now finds itself and the shockingly-human enemies for whom one can't help but mourn.
In short, I urge all who read this to both tune in to Battlestar Galactica, (new episodes do not air until 2009, but you can find the previous seasons online) and look up the awe-inspiring compositions of Bear Mcreary.
And So Say We All.
2 comments:
I agree - I have the OST albums for each series and the mini, and as a collector of soundtracks I have to say Battlestar remains among my favourites.
As an Irishman, the Gaelic 'Wander My Friends' or 'Súilagí Cháirde' is a track that resonates strongly with me. A lament for lost friends and youth, played on the uillean pipes, it's one I wouldn't be shy about singing if the moment arose.
I love Galactica; I'd vote for Roslin, follow Adama into Hell, fly Apollo or Starbuck's wing, swab Tyrol's decks, whatever; but I'd listen to Bear McCreary all day...
I completely agree. McCreary is incredible. BSG , like Firefly, is a show in which the music is so great that it almost becomes another character.
Can't wait for the new episodes, even though they will be the last episodes (sob) and I will be paying close attention to the career of Mr. McCreary for a long time to come.
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