Although the show is long dead, the reimagined Battlestar Galactica still continues to be of interest and influence. With six albums of music from the show already released, the seventh has taken a dramatically different approach.

Originally the score used a combination of unusual or ethnic instruments coupled with fairly large sections which relied on percussion. Primarily, this was to acoustically move the show away from the over orchestrated approach favoured by most science fiction shows. It was intended that this would also remove the need for character themes, instead the show utilised the musical technique of leitmotif, which attached a malleable musical phrase to people and places, yes you’ve guessed it, it’s a fancy way of creating themes.

The show's composer, Bear McCreary, had already taken an orchestrated version of the music on the road, but was becoming interested in other ways of expressing the score. The result became the two set CD, The Music of Battlestar Galactica For Solo Piano. Clearly, although there was a wealth of material to choose from, much of it was ill suited to being transposed onto a piano, the percussion pieces especially.

Having chosen the pieces McCreary posted a few to YouTube. Now, McCreary is a talented pianist in his own right, but felt that he was too close to the pieces to be able to bring any great reinterpretation, so the majority of the pieces are played by Joohyun Park, herself an extremely talented pianist. McCreary does appear on the duet ‘Kara Remembers’. Soprano Melanie Henley Heyn is guest vocalist on 'Battlestar Operatica', revisiting the vocal piece which she originally sung for season one.

The quality of the overall composition and playing is astonishing, if the track names were changed, and all reference to Galactica removed, this would still stand as a very good piece of classical music. Obviously the tracks will be available on iTunes and other reputable download sites, but true fans will want to get hold of the CD, which comes with beautifully crafted, eleven page, liner notes from Randall Larson, which, not only takes a look at the work of Bear McCreary, but also add some explanations to each track, including where the piece originally sat in the show.

CD #1:

'Roslin and Adama', 'Wander My Friends', 'Passacaglia', 'The Shape of Things to Come', 'Dreilide Thrace Sonata No. 1', 'Elegy', 'Battlestar Sonatica', 'A Promise to Return', 'Allegro', 'Pegasus', 'Battlestar Muzatika' and 'Prelude to War'.

CD #2:

'Battlestar Operatica', 'Worthy of Survival', 'Something Dark is Coming', 'Violence and Variations', 'Resurrection Hub', 'Kara Remembers' and 'Apocalypse'.

Bonus tracks:

'Wander My Friends (simplified version)' and 'Roslin and Adama (simplified version)'.

The pieces have a beautiful, melancholic presence. Some which are instantly recognisable, like 'Kara Remembers', take on a whole new set of shades and nuances when played on the piano. This is the album to play to people who think that everything attached to science fiction is for kids and nerds. It’s an emotive masterpiece.

10

Charles Packer