Music Review: Music Composed by Bear McCreary - Battlestar Galactica - Season 4

After taking over the reins from Richard Gibbs, who scored the Battlestar Galactica mini-series in 2003, Bear McCreary has been off to the races. Since the very first note of "33" you could tell that the music for this series was going to be something special. Of course, it took me until the release of season 3 for me to actually pick up one of the disks, but no mind.

With that release, I could finally stop just thinking about how cool the music was and could take the time to listen to it. Now, having heard that, plus this two-disk season 4 release I feel pretty safe in saying that no one has composed television music like him before. Actually, there probably are not that many who equal him on the big screen either.

Listening to Bear McCreary's work for Battlestar Galactica is a near transcendent experience. His music takes you on a journey with recurring themes, a variety of styles and instruments, and the willingness to experiment. Even in what is essentially a "greatest hits" collection, it is very easy to get caught up in the flow. Whether it be the softer, emotion filled, contemplative pieces like "Lament of Gaeta" or "Diaspora Oratorio" or the more intense moments like "Roslin Escapes" or the later portions of "Boomer Takes Hera," it is very easy to get caught up in the music to the point of forgetting what you were doing.

With season 4, Bear is completing the circuit. What began with a more militaristic, percussive sound, the music has changed, evolved, morphed, and grown through a number of permutations. As the series moved into more philosophical ground and the characters began to find themselves (or lose themselves, as the case may be), the music changed with them, reflecting their state of mind, or the new surroundings they find themselves in.

This final season collection sees the bulk of the music turning inwards, reflecting the change from the early military sounds to this. Much like the characters, the music has gone through its own arc. An arc that has afforded its composer to experiment with a variety of sounds and instruments, never bound by any rules of composition, given free reign to wild. The end result is music that incorporates a large variety of influences from around the world into one cohesive work that is as epic as it is deeply personal.

Article Author: Chris Beaumont

Christopher Beaumont spends much of his time writing about music and movies when he isn't indulging in them. He is always ready to talk about his favorite form of entertainment and offer up recommendations. Follow: Twitter and Tumblr. Visit: Critical Outcast. …

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