Battlestar Galactica: Season 4
|
List Price: Our Price: $15.98 You Save: $7.97 (33%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $14.47 (click here) Category: Music CD See more new music releases 
|
|---|
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Free Music Notes for Battlestar Galactica: Season 4
Free Music Review: Truly a Gift
Hit: 5 Stars
Bear McCreary should be scoring $200 million films. His music is that good. It is intensely lyrical, conveying more emotion than many movie soundtracks. It is too good for television . . . almost too good for the classic drama that is Battlestar Galactica. Without a doubt he is the best composer in American television right now (even better than Lost's and Star Trek's Michael Giacchino). It's time for him to move on to bigger things.
This album, of course, is an improvement on the first three, which is remarkable considering the quality of his music in BSG's first three years. It begins with "Gaeta's Lament", a wonderful ballad that sounds like a piece from a Broadway musical. After that the album takes off, and, despite two hours and sixteen minutes of music, you won't want it to stop.
Many of the favorite motifs in the series make their appearances here. Especially of note is the Adama/Roslin motif in "Roslin and Adama Reunited" and "So Much Life". The phrases for their theme are both joyful and sad, an appropriate statement of the course of their relationship. "Resurrection Hub", along with "Prelude to War" from the second season, is his best space battle music. Instead of tribal percussion, he gives us a mournful and haunting cue that conveys the endless repetition of Human-Cylon battles. Also great is "Dreilide Thrace Sonata No. 1", which appears when Boomer re-seduces Chief Tyrol and kidnaps Hera. All of Bear's piano cues arrive in a sonata, on a much higher level technically than the popular "Battlestar Sonatica" from season three. And then there's "Diaspora Oratorio". If you can, put this piece on full blast with a good subwoofer and just soak it in. And these are just on the *first* disc. Don't even get me started on the second!
The whole album is classic. More please, Bear McCreary!
Free Music Review: Pretty much what everyone else said
Hit: 5 Stars
I am a huge fan of BSG and McCreary. I have the soundtracks to season 2, 3 and now 4. Usually I form an opinion and get into the tracks very soon on earlier seasons, but I must say that this one is taking a bit longer. It's not because it isn't good, it's McCreary's best work yet, it's simply overwhelming. Soundtracks from past seasons usually a little over twenty songs. Season 4 has thirty-four songs on two disks making for a total of a little over 136 minutes of music.
I have my favorites though, and the soundtrack encompasses several moods and styles of music. Songs like: "Gaeta's Lament" and "Boomer takes Hera" provide a haunting aspect. In fact, one of the most haunting things you will hear is the last few seconds of "Boomer takes Hera". But songs like "So much life", "An easterly view" and "Diaspora Oratorio" provide a warm aspect.
Many themes from the last 4 seasons return. The most prevalent is "the Adama Theme", but also we get the fantastic "Roslin and Adama Theme's".
Perhaps some of the most interesting songs are the piano pieces "Elegy" and "Dreilide Thrace Sonata No.1". Both are sweeping and fantastic, coupled with the piano being out of tune for affect.
Like some of the others here I'll also say that this score SURPASSES John Williams and is ON PAR with scores such as Howard Shore's "The Lord of the Rings".
This is an awesome music experience. The only sad part is that this will be the last one. But I'm sure McCreary will have a great career.
(Did anyone else notice the dots on the left side of the CD case? Look familiar?)
Free Music Review: Another jewel in the BSG soundtrack crown.
Hit: 5 Stars
Like most of the other reviewers, I knew the minute "Gaeta's Lament" began that this was going to be a real roller-coaster of a soundtrack and I was not proved wrong. Everything the other reviewers said about that track, as well as all the others, is straight on target. "Diaspora Oratorio" is enough by itself to warrant buying the soundtrack. "Elegy", "Kara Remembers", "Among The Ruins", "Funeral Pyre"; so many good pieces!
The two I'd love for folks to go back and play again would be "Caprica City, Before The Fall" and "Earth". If those don't wrench your heart like a wet towel, you have a heart of stone. To hear, literally hear, the innocent and decadent beauty of Caprica and the colonies in all their terrible, wonderful glory, the people living their lives not knowing of the dark end to come to their civilization while it is at it's height and power and us with our foreknowledge of what is to come, the music simply wrings your heart dry with emotion. The music for "Earth" is similar to "Caprica City, Before The Fall" only it is brighter somehow, maybe because this new Earth is a new beginning as well as an end, and a new opportunity for the mankind of the BSG world to flower once again. Someday, I'll get those two tracks off repeat. Until then, I'm keeping tissues handy.
I hope The Plan and Razor soundtracks come out soon, especially Razor. If they live up to McCreary's already high standards, they should be really good.
Free Music Review: One word...Genius.
Hit: 5 Stars
Bear McCreary proves once again that he isn't just the best composer on television, he's one of the best composers of any medium.
Although I own soundtracks for several films, this is the only television show that produces music I believe is worth listening to repeatedly. Bear McCreary started off strong with the Season 1 soundtrack, and yet has managed to top himself with each concurrent season. The Season 4 soundtrack is a culmination of everything done on the show thus far, and it really is amazing to listen to the progression throughout the years. The sheer number of instruments used is enough to inspire awe, but what's more, they're used perfectly, never becoming overbearing. They're also used in several different genres in a way that's unique to my ears. You don't have to like BSG to appreciate what he's done. You don't even have to watch BSG to appreciate what he's done. Just pop in the CD (or mp3s), sit back, and come to appreciate what the BSG viewers already know...Bear McCreary is a genius.
A few tracks I'd recommend: Gaeta's Lament, Laura Runs, Funeral Pyre, Roslin and Adama Reunited, Kara Remembers, Laura's Baptism, Kara's Coordinates, Elegy and So Much Life. Truthfully, I'd recommend almost every song (Not a fan of The Cult of Baltar). If you love music, this is a must-own album.
Free Music Review: A grand culmination to the journey
Hit: 5 Stars
Since the initial miniseries in 2003, BSG as a show started strong and went up from there to become not just great sci-fi, but simply great drama. Since Bear McCreary took over as composer for the series, the score itself has also grown and matured, becoming more powerful and intricate with each season. As much as John Williams did with Star Wars, and later Christopher Franke did with Babylon 5, McCreary has redefined what "sci-fi music" sounds like. And the musical art is richer for his influence. I've collected a good number of movies scores over the years, with James Horner's score to "The Wrath of Khan" probably my all time favorite. This score has well earned itself a place in that company.
From the Alessandro Juliani's haunting vocals in "Gaeta's Lament" through the epic "Assault on the Colony" at 15 minutes by itself, the soundtrack to season 4 carries us through the emotional roller coaster and the epic journey that was BSG's final season.
As a fan of the show and of movie scores in general, I must highly recommend this one. It's a rare thing that, in this digital age, that I buy full albums of anything anymore. With well over two hours of intricate themes woven together, this is one that was an easy purchase.