Mythodea: Music for the NASA Mission: 2001 Mars Odyssey
An avatar of orchestral synthesis for 30 years, Vangelis has only now made his full orchestral outing with the ambitious and epicMythodea. Currently linked as theme music for NASA's Mission to Mars program,Mythodeadates back to 1993, when Vangelis premiered the work in a live performance. After the amorphous synthesizer opening, Vangelis is little-heard, using his keyboards only to support the large orchestra, 100-voice mixed choir, massed timpani, and the twin soprano leads ofKathleen BattleandJessye Norman. Echoes of Gustav Holst, Gustav Mahler, and Carl Orff suffuseMythodea, with its stentorian choirs, rumbling percussion, and dense string writing. Singing a hybrid language, Norman and Battle spiral through Vangelis's evocation of an ancient Greek landscape. By turns smothering and grandiose, and often turgid,Mythodeais nevertheless studded with memorable themes, notably "Movement 9." It's a poignant, haunting melody, with the sopranos looping back and forth in ascending arcs, recalling Delibes's aria from "Lakmé," better known as the British Airways theme. This is the Vangelis of "L'Enfant," and "Heaven & Hell," where the composer's true voice is heard.--John Diliberto