Angela Gheorghiu, soprano; Vangelis. Decca B0032900-02.
By John J. Puccio
You may remember Vangelis as one of those pioneering synthesizer artists who rose to prominence in the company of people like Wendy Carlos and Tomita. While audiences probably know Vangelis best for his popular scores for the movies Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner, he has done much of his recorded work recently in the field of space exploration. Juno to Jupiter is another such undertaking, inspired by the launch of NASA’s Juno probe to the planet Jupiter in 2011. The album features the voice of soprano Angela Gheorghiu and interweaves various sounds from the real space mission with music newly composed by Vangelis. The album may not mark a high point in the composer’s career, but it is as interesting as usual, and taken in small doses it provides some fascinating listening.
The Greek composer and musician Vangelis (born Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou in 1943) says of the current album: “On the occasion of the NASA mission Juno to Jupiter and my involvement in it, it would be my omission not to thank and state how grateful I am, as everyone on this Planet should be, to all those who have dealt and still deal with the observation and exploration of the stars, the planets and the Universe. ...After all, we shouldn’t forget that Space, Universe, Cosmos, in whichever name we call it, is our hope and future and we need to be careful not to make the same mistakes in space that we made on our planet, as it is the only chance we have--our future.”
The album’s eighteen tracks generally follow the Juno mission from its beginnings on the launch pad to its orbit around Jupiter, and many of the sounds from the actual flight help make the journey more realistic. That said, I wish Vangelis had done more with his music than simply fill in background tunes. The recording comes off seeming a lot more like the soundtrack of a second-rate sci-fi movie than a serious consideration of space travel. Be that as it may, some of the segments manage to call up an appropriately atmospheric mood, and a few even manage a sweet tone. So, as I say, bits and pieces.
Here’s a rundown on the selections:
01. Atlas’ Push
02. Inside Our Perspectives
03. Out in Space
04. Juno’s Quiet Determination
05. Jupiter’s Intuition
06. Juno’s Power
07. Spaces Mystery Road
08. In the Magic of Cosmos
09. Juno’s Tender Call
10. Juno’s Echoes
11. Juno’s Ethereal Breeze
12. Jupiter’s Veil of Clouds
13. Hera/Juno Queen of the Gods
14. Zeus Almighty
15. Jupiter Rex
16. Juno’s Accomplishments
17. APO 22
18. In Serenitatem
The album begins with Juno’s take-off, which is pretty much what we would expect, with the sound of the rocket dominating the first half of the track along with a static rhythm and a little percussion from Vangelis’s keyboard. The second half introduces a musical theme that Vangelis develops in the second movement. It, too, is a rather raucous affair, but at least it has a melody one can identify. Once “Out in Space” we get some fairly stereotypical outer-space spacey sounds from Vangelis that held my attention for about half a minute and then began to annoy.
By the time we get to track four, Vangelis has created something more interesting, a creative landscape for his space voyage with novel sound effects and a pleasantly alluring melody. As with the rest of the album, however, it tends to overstay its welcome and becomes somewhat ponderous after a while.
Most of Vangelis’s music here seems more like background music to me than anything substantial. I kept visualizing a movie with George Clooney or Matt Damon piloting a rocket on its first manned expedition to Jupiter, which I suppose is a good thing because it does show that Vangelis was able to communicate something to me in the way of atmospheric sensory clues. Still, I heard little in the recording I had not heard before in one way or another. Bacially, it lacked the one or two big tunes that made his most-popular work so famous, his Chariots and Blade Runner themes.
The closest we come to a big tune is Ms. Gheorghiu’s wordless lullabye, “Juno’s Tender Call.” It is lovely and seques smoothly into a noteworthy piece called “Juno’s Echoes.” Thereafter, we get primarily more of the same until we reach “Zeus Almighty” and “Jupiter Rex” and their attendant grandeur. Maybe its the sudden nobility and spendour of this heroic music that catches the ear off guard and makes it more impressive than it probably is; whatever, it’s a highlight of the score.
I suspect Vangelis was trying his best to create another Holst “Planets” with his music, which is certainly a worthy ambition, and the inclusion of Ms. Gheorghiu in the proceedings was a brilliant gesture. I just didn’t find enough substance in the music to warrant some seventy-two minutes of my time, and I had the feeling I’d heard it all before.
Vangelis composed, arranged, produced, performed, and recorded the music with the help of scientific advisor Dr. Scott Bolton and the artistic and creative consultancy of Artistics Sciences, Inc. According to a booklet note, Vangelis recorded the album on Planet Earth - Europe, and got its release in July 2021. The audio is what one might expect from an electronic keyboard augmented by actual NASA-recorded accompaniment; that is, it’s fine in a non-critical evaluation, doing what it needs to do. Frequency and dynamic ranges are more than adequate, with overall balance a little on the soft, warm side.
JJP
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:
By John J. Puccio
The Greek composer and musician Vangelis (born Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou in 1943) says of the current album: “On the occasion of the NASA mission Juno to Jupiter and my involvement in it, it would be my omission not to thank and state how grateful I am, as everyone on this Planet should be, to all those who have dealt and still deal with the observation and exploration of the stars, the planets and the Universe. ...After all, we shouldn’t forget that Space, Universe, Cosmos, in whichever name we call it, is our hope and future and we need to be careful not to make the same mistakes in space that we made on our planet, as it is the only chance we have--our future.”
The album’s eighteen tracks generally follow the Juno mission from its beginnings on the launch pad to its orbit around Jupiter, and many of the sounds from the actual flight help make the journey more realistic. That said, I wish Vangelis had done more with his music than simply fill in background tunes. The recording comes off seeming a lot more like the soundtrack of a second-rate sci-fi movie than a serious consideration of space travel. Be that as it may, some of the segments manage to call up an appropriately atmospheric mood, and a few even manage a sweet tone. So, as I say, bits and pieces.
Here’s a rundown on the selections:
01. Atlas’ Push
02. Inside Our Perspectives
03. Out in Space
04. Juno’s Quiet Determination
05. Jupiter’s Intuition
06. Juno’s Power
07. Spaces Mystery Road
08. In the Magic of Cosmos
09. Juno’s Tender Call
10. Juno’s Echoes
11. Juno’s Ethereal Breeze
12. Jupiter’s Veil of Clouds
13. Hera/Juno Queen of the Gods
14. Zeus Almighty
15. Jupiter Rex
16. Juno’s Accomplishments
17. APO 22
18. In Serenitatem
By the time we get to track four, Vangelis has created something more interesting, a creative landscape for his space voyage with novel sound effects and a pleasantly alluring melody. As with the rest of the album, however, it tends to overstay its welcome and becomes somewhat ponderous after a while.
Most of Vangelis’s music here seems more like background music to me than anything substantial. I kept visualizing a movie with George Clooney or Matt Damon piloting a rocket on its first manned expedition to Jupiter, which I suppose is a good thing because it does show that Vangelis was able to communicate something to me in the way of atmospheric sensory clues. Still, I heard little in the recording I had not heard before in one way or another. Bacially, it lacked the one or two big tunes that made his most-popular work so famous, his Chariots and Blade Runner themes.
The closest we come to a big tune is Ms. Gheorghiu’s wordless lullabye, “Juno’s Tender Call.” It is lovely and seques smoothly into a noteworthy piece called “Juno’s Echoes.” Thereafter, we get primarily more of the same until we reach “Zeus Almighty” and “Jupiter Rex” and their attendant grandeur. Maybe its the sudden nobility and spendour of this heroic music that catches the ear off guard and makes it more impressive than it probably is; whatever, it’s a highlight of the score.
I suspect Vangelis was trying his best to create another Holst “Planets” with his music, which is certainly a worthy ambition, and the inclusion of Ms. Gheorghiu in the proceedings was a brilliant gesture. I just didn’t find enough substance in the music to warrant some seventy-two minutes of my time, and I had the feeling I’d heard it all before.
Vangelis composed, arranged, produced, performed, and recorded the music with the help of scientific advisor Dr. Scott Bolton and the artistic and creative consultancy of Artistics Sciences, Inc. According to a booklet note, Vangelis recorded the album on Planet Earth - Europe, and got its release in July 2021. The audio is what one might expect from an electronic keyboard augmented by actual NASA-recorded accompaniment; that is, it’s fine in a non-critical evaluation, doing what it needs to do. Frequency and dynamic ranges are more than adequate, with overall balance a little on the soft, warm side.
JJP
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:
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