Filmography/Reviews | Recommendations | Biography

Basil Poledouris mixes Starship Troopers in 1997

"I write with a pencil, paper, and my Steinway piano from my childhood. It's the only way I feel connected to the music. I have attempted to write on the computer and it's a complete bust. I keep thinking it would be quicker, easier, more fun, but alas. I need to touch the material I'm working with."
-- Basil Poledouris in 1998

The music of Basil Poledouris is often remembered as grand and orchestrally rousing, yet his career produced a wide variety of creatively synthesized and choral compositions. After numerous television works, Poledouris' college connections earned him a job scoring Conan the Barbarian in 1981, and he was quickly catapulted into the national spotlight. His scores for action, adventure, and fantasy films such as The Hunt for Red October, Flesh & Blood, Quigley Down Under and Farewell to the King are reknown for their massive orchestral and choral beauty.

In the 1990's, Poledouris branched out and began scoring children's films as well as serious drama. While retaining his connections with directors John Milius, Randall Kleiser, Simon Wincer, and Paul Verhoeven, he began composing more romantic melodies for films such as Lassie, Free Willy, and The Jungle Book. He gained world-wide recognition in 1996 when he appeared in front of millions of television viewers and conducted his original piece, "Tradition of the Games" (a Conan-like fanfare), for the opening of the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. He received widespread critical acclaim with his dramatically potent score for Les Misérables in 1998 and impressed collectors with the diverse The Touch, his final feature score, in 2002.