New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The Decca Records/Universal
Music release Vangelis' new album 'Juno to Jupiter'. The album is now available on CD and digital formats, with vinyl releasing on 4th February 2022 and a limited-edition box set following on 3rd of June 2022.
The work, inspired by NASA's ground-breaking mission by the Juno space probe and its ongoing exploration of Jupiter, is a multi-dimensional musical journey featuring the voice of opera superstar
Angela Gheorghiu. The album includes sounds from the Juno launch event on earth, from the probe and its surroundings and Juno's subsequent journey that have been sent back to earth from the probe, which continues to study Jupiter and its moons: 365 million miles away from the earth at its closest point.
The Juno mission, one of NASA's most challenging and scientifically ambitious planetary missions ever attempted, is named so after Hera (in Roman Juno), who, according to Greek mythology, was the mother of Gods and humans and the wife of Zeus, in Roman Jupiter, who was the father of Gods and humans. In order to hide his mischiefs, Jupiter drew a veil of clouds around himself. However, Hera/Juno was able to peer through the clouds and discover her husband's activities with her special powers. Similarly, the Juno spacecraft is looking beneath the clouds revealing the planet's structure and history and how our solar system has been formed.
''I thought to put emphasis on the characteristics of Jupiter/Zeus and Hera/Juno that according to the Greek Theogony, had a special relationship. I felt that I should present Zeus/Jupiter only with sound, as the musical laws transform chaos into harmony, which moves everything and life itself. Unlike, for Hera / Juno, I felt the need for a voice.
Angela Gheorghiu, represents in this historical depiction of the mission to the planet Jupiter, Hera / Juno, in a breathtaking way. '' - Vangelis
This July marks the five-year anniversary of the Juno spacecraft's orbit insertion at Jupiter. Launched in 2011 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Juno arrived at Jupiter on July 4, 2016. Due to its importance the mission that primarily was scheduled to be completed 31st of this July, has been extended by NASA and now Juno will continue exploring the full Jovian system - Jupiter and its moons - until
September 2025.
Voices featured on the album, courtesy of NASA, include scientists Randall Faelan (Lockheed Martin, Deep Space Exploration Real-Time Operations Lead), Chris Leeds (Lockheed Martin, Telecom Sr. Engineer), Jennifer Delavan (Lockheed Martin, Spacecraft Systems) and Matt Johnson (Juno Mission Manager, JPL/Caltech).
Vangelis, a pioneer in electronic music, with his ever-expanding imagination and innovative experimentations, is the one that, as no other, has made the perfect blending between the acoustic and electronic world. His orchestrations for this new album expand once again the horizons of electronic music by blurring the line between it and acoustic symphonic music which culminate in a breath-taking and in the same time soothing musical journey. Vangelis' characteristic use of synthesizers, bold brass riffs and expansive strings convey a sense of mystery about life beyond our own world and commemorate all those who have dealt and still deal with the observation and the exploration of the stars, the planets and the Universe; and who have dedicated their lives to understanding the final frontier and the secrets of our solar system.
''The music of a film is instrumental in the feeling one gets, this idea is clear to all film makers, as the music touches our souls in a way that far surpasses the visual experience. This is the case in so many films that
Vangelis has scored and is again true for Juno to Jupiter which provides a new dimension to our connection with nature and humanity's quest to reach out beyond Earth and touch the part of us that is present throughout the solar system and beyond.'' - Dr. Scott Bolton, Juno Mission Principal Investigator
Vangelis, without formal training, began playing piano at the age of four and by age six was giving public performances of his own compositions -- his natural gift coming from a place he calls memory -- a place he says we can all tap into if we can only remember. Since his childhood,
Vangelis is constantly composing music and has released over forty albums, over twenty movie/TV soundtracks, two ballets, one modern dance performance, six plays, three choral symphonies and has major audio/visual spectaculars to his credit.
Vangelis' music is often linked to themes of science, history and exploration. Alongside his Academy Award-winning score for Chariots of Fire and his acclaimed Blade Runner music, he has written the choral symphony 'Mythodea' for NASA's 2001 Mission to Mars, as well as films including Antarctica, 1492: Conquest of Paradise and Alexander.
Vangelis also collaborated with the European Space Agency (ESA) on his album Rosetta to mark the culmination of the Rosetta Mission to land a probe on a comet for the first time in history, as well as for the broadcasting by ESA into space of his CD single dedicated to the late Professor Stephen Hawking, as a mark of respect and remembrance. His music has also been used in the documentary series Cosmos: A Personal
Voyage by Carl Sagan.
NASA has presented
Vangelis with their Public Service Medal. Also, the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory named the Asteroid 6354 which is located between Jupiter and Mars ''Vangelis'' in his honour, due to the international impact and appreciation of his work as well as his rapport with the Universe.
''Vangelis has composed all of the music for Juno videos, documentaries, and simulations of observations […]. It is not often that an Oscar-winning (and not only) composer is inspired to write music about space. So, the Juno mission has had its public impact multiplied by the unique talent of Vangelis' music. This libretto is a continuation of the Juno story....'' - Stamatios (aka Tom) Krimigis, Principal Investigator, Voyager 1 and 2
Vangelis' position and strongest wish is that 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 constantly made in our planet, as it is the only chance we have - our future.
Vinyl and a limited-edition box set to follow in 2022.
CD TRACK LIST
ATLAS' PUSH -
Spoken word samples courtesy of NASA
INSIDE OUR PERSPECTIVES
OUT IN SPACE
JUNO'S QUIET DETERMINATION
JUPITER'S INTUITION
JUNO'S POWER
SPACE'S MYSTERY ROAD
IN THE MAGIC OF COSMOS
JUNO'S TENDER CALL
Angela Gheorghiu, soprano, as Juno
JUNO'S ECHOES
JUNO'S ETHEREAL BREEZE
JUPITER'S VEIL OF CLOUDS
HERA/JUNO QUEEN OF THE GODS
Angela Gheorghiu, soprano, as Juno
ZEUS ALMIGHTY
JUPITER REX
JUNO'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Angela Gheorghiu, soprano, as Juno
APO 22
Spoken word samples courtesy of NASA. Voices: Randall Faelan, Lockheed Martin, Deep Space Exploration Real-Time Operations Lead; Chris Leeds, Lockheed Martin, Telecom Sr. Engineer; Jennifer Delavan, Lockheed Martin, Spacecraft Systems; and Matt Johnson, Juno Mission Manager, JPL/Caltech.
IN SERENITATEM
VINYL TRACK LIST
SIDE A
ATLAS' PUSH -
Spoken word samples courtesy of NASA
INSIDE OUR PERSPECTIVES
OUT IN SPACE
JUNO'S QUIET DETERMINATION
JUPITER'S INTUITION
SIDE B
JUNO'S POWER
SPACE'S MYSTERY ROAD
IN THE MAGIC OF COSMOS
JUNO'S TENDER CALL
Angela Gheorghiu, soprano, as Juno
JUNO'S ECHOES
JUNO'S ETHEREAL BREEZE
SIDE C
JUPITER'S VEIL OF CLOUDS
HERA/JUNO QUEEN OF THE GODS
Angela Gheorghiu, soprano, as Juno
ZEUS ALMIGHTY
SIDE D
JUPITER REX
JUNO'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Angela Gheorghiu, soprano, as Juno
APO 22
Spoken word samples courtesy of NASA. Voices: Randall Faelan, Lockheed Martin, Deep Space Exploration Real-Time Operations Lead; Chris Leeds, Lockheed Martin, Telecom Sr. Engineer; Jennifer Delavan, Lockheed Martin, Spacecraft Systems; and Matt Johnson, Juno Mission Manager, JPL/Caltech.
IN SERENITATEM (VINYL VERSION)
COSMOS AUTOPATOR
