Vangelis JUNO TO JUPITER. Decca

AT THE DAWN OF CONSUMER TRAVEL INTO SPACE, JUNO TO JUPITER IS A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL MUSICAL JOURNEY IMMERSED IN SOUNDS FROM THE COSMOS

THE RECORDING BY VANGELIS FEATURES ANGELA GHEORGHIU, SOPRANO, AS JUNO

CD ALBUM AND DIGITAL OUT NOW VIA DECCA RECORDS

VINYL AND A LIMITED-EDITION BOX SET TO FOLLOW IN 2022

Decca Records has just released 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