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Basil Poledouris - Music for Conan the Barbarian (transcribed for organ!)

Posted by Chris from Lafayette (A) on August 25, 2015 at 13:39:33

"Poledouris's score for Conan the Barbarian is considered by many to be one of the finest examples of motion picture scoring ever written."

It's true - Wikipedia says so!

In any case, there's a recent Naxos recording of Philipp Pelster's organ transcription of the Conan music that I just listened to on Classicsonlinehd at 24/44.1.



I love this score, and, as I listened, I kept trying to figure out where the appeal of this often simply constructed music resided. No doubt, there's something primal in it and it exerts perhaps the same sort of elemental appeal that the opening "O Fortuna" chorus of Orff's Carmina Burana does. In addition, there's what I hear as a strong Khachaturian influence in other sections of the score (such as the orgy music), which exerts its own appeal. And finally, there's another factor: the reported influence of music from the Greek Orthodox Church (such as, I imagine, that falling fifth harmonic sequence which sticks out in the main theme - I'm not really familiar with Greek Orthodox Church music). This combination makes for an often compelling musical work (at least to me), despite its non-complex structure.

Music is odd in this way: some of the most appealing music has this same type of simplicity (such as the aforementioned Carmina Burana, or the first Prelude in Bach's WTC, or, to really get simple, a work such as Chopin's A-major Prelude), while much more complex music, which might be expected to at least have a more intellectual appeal, fails even with relatively sophisticated audiences (think Reger, or the serialists). Greatness does not necessarily lie in the music's complexity, and I say this even while admiring and being moved by the often complex and demanding writing of such composers as Richard Strauss or late Scriabin.

And, BTW, how well does this new transcription work? Very well indeed - the music is not very dependent on subtle transitions in dynamics and instead relies much more on contrasting blocks of sound, which the organ can manage very idiomatically. I'd say, take a listen if you get a chance!

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