Humanity has been fascinated with the red planet, Mars, for centuries. But in the past few years, as the Americans intensify their exploration of the earth's nearest planetary neighbour, there has been a plethora of articles, films, books and documentaries about Mars. It was inevitable that music would also come to celebrate the renewed interest in the planet.
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1. Introduction
2. Movement 1
3. Movement 2
4. Movement 3
5. Movement 4
6. Movement 5
7. Movement 6
8. Movement 7
9. Movement 8
10. Movement 9
11. Movement 10 |
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Mythodea, the latest offering from Evangelos Papathanassiou, better known as
Vangelis, is unlikely to replace that association, but it certainly is considerably better than most of the latest Mars soundtracks, including
Ennio Morricone's music for
Mission to Mars and
Graeme Revell's soundtrack for
Red Planet.
The CD's full title is “Mythodea: Music for the NASA Mission: 2001 Mars Odyssey”. Vangelis composed the work, which includes an introduction and 10 movements, as part of the publicity campaign around the launch of the Odyssey spacecraft. Odyssey's mission is to map the chemical surface of Mars, look for water and analyse the radiation environment.
Mars Odyssey was launched on 7 April last year and reached Mars on 24 October. It began its mapping mission in February this year. According to Nasa, the primary science mission will continue until August 2004. Odyssey will also serve as a communications relay for US and international spacecraft scheduled to arrive at Mars next year and 2004 in preparation for more comprehensive surveys planned for 2004.
Mythodea was performed in concert last year at the Temple of Zeus in Athens, Greece, to an audience of thousands at the site and a much larger additional audience who watched it on a giant video screen in the Marble Stadium, built for the revival of the Olympic Games in 1896.
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Vangelis does use his electronic keyboards, but Mythodea is predominantly an orchestral album |
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The London Metropolitan Orchestra, conducted by Blake Neely, adequately conveys the sense of spirituality implicit in Vangelis's composition and arrangement. Vangelis, who produced the CD, has said the work is influenced by both science and mythology.
Mythodea is not only a celebration of the future as humanity explores beyond the confines of its own world and moon, but a tribute to the stories of our past. The haunting vocals of the National Opera of Greece Choir, singing in a hybrid language, add an almost sacred atmosphere. The influence of Carl Orff (who composed Carmina Burana) is evident at several points. Sopranos Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman deliver sterling performances that enhance the ethereal quality of the work.
Vangelis possibly also associates Holst's work with the red planet, as its influence on Mythodea is also evident. The first movement in particular is reminiscent of “Mars, the Bringer of War”, and the throbbing accompaniment in Movement 10 also recalls that piece.
People seldom like change, and those looking to hear Vangelis's synthesised sounds may be disappointed. While Vangelis does use electronic keyboards now and then, Mythodea is very much an orchestral album. But if you enjoy the likes of Carmina Burana, Paul McCartney's Standing Stone, and even some of the more modern minimalist choral works, then this will be a welcome addition to your music library.
The reason it does not, for me, replace Holst as the music of Mars is that it generally lacks a melodic quality, which means it is not going to stick in my mind after hearing it. But that will be a good excuse to listen to it as often as possible.
Internet links:
Mythodea
Sony Classical
More music reviews:
Marc Anthony: Mended
Deep Forest: Music Detected
Bruce Springsteen: The Rising
John Mayer: Room For Squares
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