Vangelis "Juno to Jupiter" Album review

Vangelis leaves his mark again.

In the wake of tourist space travel, Vangelis decides to take another leap forward and bring us a brand new album called “Juno to Jupiter.” This new sonic adventure has been inspired by the Juno Space probe and its ongoing exploration of Jupiter.

This is not the first time that Vangelis has ventured in a project under this vein. He wrote the soaring soundtrack for the NASA mission to Mars in 2001 and Rosetta in 2016 to mark the culmination of the Rosetta mission. On my vast music collection, I simply forgot how many Vangelis cd’s I own. I have a strong fascination for his work as a whole.

Vangelis could be best known for his Academy Award-winning works on Chariots of fire, Blade Runner, Antartica, 1942 Conquest of Paradise and Alexander. His music has been often linked to science fiction, history and exploration.

NASA presented Vangelis his Public Service Medal and the International Astronomical Union Minor’s planets named the asteroid 6354 (an asteroid located between Jupiter and Mars) “Vangelis” in his honor.

On this new release, he decided to take us a journey far beyond our stratosphere once again. Aiming for Jupiter, the 4th planet in our solar system. In Greek and Roman mythology, Jupiter drew a veil of clouds around himself to hide his wrongdoings. Juno, Jupiter’s wife, was able to peer through the clouds to finally see her husband true nature. Juno probe is doing the same thing, going through a mysterious veil of clouds to reveal the planet structure and history of Jupiter once and for all.

In his own words, “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."

Juno to Jupiter is available on Cd, a Cd box set, DD, and on a limited edition black vinyl 2 LP (scheduled for February 4 2022).

Angela Gheorghiu's voice is simply breathtaking on “Juno’s tender call.” Emulating Juno sending signal from the probe to NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Such beautiful and calming tones, you have to hear it to believe it.

On “Juno’s veil of clouds” there’s a mix of swirling synths and echoed piano that make you realize the thrill of the vast amount of information going back and forth for such event. The Tympani creates a nightmarish effect, similar to what a massive thunderstorm must sound like in an alien world. Again, you must experience it with your eyes closed, simply delightful.

On the next track, “Juno Queen of the Gods.” The Soprano put us again inside of the probe to marvel at the sight of the clouds threshold being parted as she spread her wings to fly back home from Jupiter. It’s so evocative, so beautifully orchestrated, a true work of art.

I can keep on trying to put into words what is like to listen to this record, to tell you the truth, my words make no justice to what you can find inside this album. Something similar happened when I first heard Rosetta.

I remember one night back in March 2017. I was at Franklin NC, with a bunch of family and friends. It was a beautiful starry night, everyone was inside and I decided to listen to Rosetta album all by myself while looking at all those celestial bodies under our canopy of stars. It was simply magical, can’t wait to visit Franklin NC again and sit on the same spot with “Juno to Jupiter” on my headphones.

Vangelis music is an acquired taste from my youth. I simply adore his lavishing instrumentation and mastery on keyboards. I got to add that Rosetta/Nocturne/Juno to Jupiter deserve a place on any record collection, they are that good.