Rosetta
Studio album by
Vangelis
Released23 September 2016
Recorded2014–16
Genre
Length53:35
LabelDecca
ProducerVangelis
Vangelis chronology
Chariots of Fire: Music from the Stage Show
(2012)		 Rosetta
(2016)		 Nocturne: The Piano Album
(2019)

Rosetta is a studio album by Greek composer and musician Vangelis, released on 23 September 2016 by Decca Records. It is dedicated to the Rosetta space probe mission, launched in 2004,[1] being one of his several works which were inspired by space travel (Albedo 0.39), or produced in collaboration with space missions (Mythodea).[2] Rosetta received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Age Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.[3]

Overview

The project is a result of a 2014 video call made between ESA astronaut André Kuipers and Vangelis, during Kuipers' mission on board the International Space Station. After their conversation, Vangelis was inspired to write an album dedicated to the first mission.[4][5] In November 2014 three videos with three compositions were released on the ESA official YouTube channel in celebration of the first ever attempted soft landing on a comet by the mission: "Arrival", "Philae's Journey", and "Rosetta's Waltz".[6][7]

Vangelis dedicated the album to everyone who made ESA's ongoing Rosetta Mission possible, and "Rosetta's Waltz" shows his appreciation to the mission team.[8]

Carl Walker from ESA commented: "When we put the mission footage images together with the music, we thought it captured how people would feel if they were to see the comet for real in close-up. With music, you can enhance emotions and create memories: I believe that what Vangelis wanted to do was share a lasting memory of our Rosetta mission through his music".[4]

The music from the album was used in the digital animation Chasing Stars, by Ross Ashton and Karen Monid from The Projection Studio, which was projected onto Blackpool Tower as part of the Blackpool Illuminations LightPool show in September 2016.[9]

Release

The album is available in digital download, streaming, CD,[1] and Vinyl LP format.[10]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Arts Desk[11]
laut.de[12]
The Bolton News[13]

Ulf Kubanke for laut.de rated it as 4/5, stating it has something for everyone, being effective in result, a "real spacy popcorn without a taste crash", with the highlight being title track "Rosetta".[12] Johnny Sharp writing for Prog noted that "you get the feeling that the title track was always intended as the centrepiece of the album, with its plucked strings and folky dulcimer-style accompaniment emulates Morricone's mournful majesty, before triumphant brass lends an air of pomp and circumstance", but "here he's doing what he did then, and since: taking the listener on a truly fantastic journey".[14] Barney Harsent of The Arts Desk in a 3/5 review concluded "if there is a problem with Rosetta as an album, it lies in the suggestive cinematic tropes it employs. The music is, if anything, too descriptive, too literal, and leaves the listener with very little work to do. It can, on occasion, feel like watching a documentary film on a telly with no picture. It's certainly testament to how well Vangelis can script his music, and that's a skill in itself, but it doesn't always make for the most consistently engaging listen."[11]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Origins (Arrival)"4:22
2."Starstuff"5:14
3."Infinitude"4:30
4."Exo Genesis"3:33
5."Celestial Whispers"2:31
6."Albedo 0.06"4:45
7."Sunlight"4:22
8."Rosetta"5:02
9."Philae's Descent"3:04
10."Mission Accomplie (Rosetta's Waltz)"2:12
11."Perihelion"6:35
12."Elegy"3:06
13."Return to the Void"4:19

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[15] 58
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 10
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[17] 32
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[18] 33
French Albums (SNEP)[19] 31
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[20] 55
Greek Albums (Billboard)[21] 3
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[22] 23
Italian Albums (FIMI)[23] 30
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[24] 41
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[25] 25
Scottish Albums (OCC)[26] 32
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[27] 37
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[28] 29
UK Albums (OCC)[29] 40
US New Age Albums (Billboard)[30] 2

Personnel

  • Composer, arranger, performer and producer – Vangelis[31]
  • Engineer – Philippe Colonna
  • Liner Notes – Tim Cooper
  • Photography – Stathis Zalidi
  • Art Direction and design – Salvador Design
  • Artwork (Images) – European Space Agency, ESA/ATG Medialab

References

  1. 1 2 "Rosetta CD". uDiscover. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Vangelis Re-enters the Stratosphere with 'Rosetta'". uDiscover. 2016-07-29. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  3. ↑ Unterberger, Andrew (6 December 2016). "Here Is the Complete List of Nominees for the 2017 Grammys". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  4. 1 2 Todd, Iain (2016-08-18). "Vangelis to release Rosetta-inspired album". BBC Sky at Night. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  5. ↑ Emily (2016-07-29). "New Vangelis Album Inspired By ESA's Rosetta Mission". European Space Agency. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  6. ↑ Claudia (2014-12-19). "Music Of The Irregular Spheres". European Space Agency. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  7. ↑ Tramz, Mia (2014-12-12). "Celebrate Philae's Comet Landing With These 3 Mesmerizing Music Videos". Time. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  8. ↑ Welsh, April Clare (2016-07-29). "Vangelis to release Rosetta album inspired by comet landing mission". Fact. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  9. ↑ Parkinson, Shelagh (2016-09-21). "Vangelis album to debut at LightPool". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Rosetta LP". uDiscover. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  11. 1 2 Harsent, Barney (18 September 2016). "CD: Vangelis – Rosetta". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  12. 1 2 Kubanke, Ulf (19 May 2022). "Spacy Popcorn: So klingt eine Space-Mission". laut.de (in German). Retrieved 23 September 2016.
  13. ↑ Sime, Ian (23 September 2016). "CD review: Vangelis, Rosetta (Decca) ****". The Bolton News. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  14. ↑ Sharp, Johnny (1 November 2016). "Vangelis - Rosetta album review". Prog. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  15. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Vangelis – Rosetta" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  16. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Vangelis – Rosetta" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  17. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Vangelis – Rosetta" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  18. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Vangelis – Rosetta" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  19. ↑ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes - SNEP (Week 39, 2016)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. 2013-06-10. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  20. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Vangelis – Rosetta" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  21. ↑ "Vangelis chart results". Billboard Biz. Billboard. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  22. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2016. 40. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  23. ↑ "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 39 (dal 2016-09-23 al 2016-09-29)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  24. ↑ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
  25. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – Vangelis – Rosetta". Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  26. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  27. ↑ "Top 100 Albumes — Semana 39: del 23.09.2016 al 29.09.2016" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  28. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Vangelis – Rosetta". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  29. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  30. ↑ "Vangelis Charts - New Age Albums History". Billboard. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  31. ↑ "Vangelis - Rosetta". Discogs. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
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