We’ve had mention of various television show scores on here, so now it’s time to mention my personal favorite: Battlestar Galactica (BSG). Composer Bear McCreary consistently blows the mind, not just with the way he develops themes but also the vast array of instruments he uses. BSG is a show about humanity in microcosm; to use instruments hailing from different corners of human culture makes sense. That means you can expect a dudek, an erhu, bagpipes, and taiko drums just to name a few.
Another thing unique to BSG is the role of music in the show. Many mysteries run through BSG, but the mystery at the heart of the fourth season revolves around a song and its meaning. I’ve never seen another show that took music and made it central to the show.
For now, let me leave you with these two solo piano pieces from that same season. When these songs come into play, a central character is mired in self-doubt, unsure of who she is and what she’s supposed to do. For some reason, talking to a pianist seems to help. Essentially, these two songs are his, which is why they sound similar.
Piano was never my favorite instrument to listen to solo. Maybe that’s because I grew up hearing one from the next room over. But if I could play piano, these would be at the top of my playlist.
 
You don’t like solo piano? You make me sad, Schyler :*-(
Chris, let me rephrase: solo piano performances are typically not as interesting to me as solo performances featuring other instruments. Doesn’t mean I don’t like solo piano. Especially if it’s a piece of music I like. Maybe I take pianos for granted…