CINCINNATI - July 5th marks the global release of the latest Cincinnati Pops Orchestra recording, Voyage, under the direction of Pops Conductor John Morris Russell. The first studio recording made at Cincinnati Music Hall following a major renovation draws inspiration from the stars and includes the world premiere recording of the title track by Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino. His composition, Voyage, was co-commissioned by the Cincinnati Pops and the National Symphony Orchestra and commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing and the historic “giant leap for mankind.”
“Michael Giacchino’s Voyage portrays the physical and metaphorical struggle to escape the gravity of our home planet to reach the eternal vastness of space,” said Russell. “This vivid and emotional work captures both the anxiety and thrill the world experienced as Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins made history together 50 years ago.”
Giacchino has always been fascinated by Apollo 11’s mission. He wrote, “I first became enthralled with the space program when my dad showed me photographs that he had taken of the television broadcast of the first Moon landing. I was too young to have any recollection of it, but seeing those photos taken in our family room inspired me to learn more. Voyage not only marks the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, but it also honors the men and women who dared to dream for us all.”
Giacchino won an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Grammy for his original score to the Disney Pixar film, Up, and an Emmy for the television series, Lost. Among his many film credits are Star Trek (2009) and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Musical selections from these two films are included on this new Cincinnati Pops recording.
The Voyage album also features selections from Gustav Holst’s The Planets including “Venus, the Bringer of Peace” set to the poem, “High Flight,” by John Gillespie Magee and read by Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actress Kate Mulgrew.
“’High Flight’ is often used to memorialize aviators and astronauts,” said Russell. “The eloquence of the words, music and heartfelt reading by Kate Mulgrew is our own tribute to the men and women of NASA who have given their lives in the pursuit of humanity’s final frontier.”
Mulgrew is best known for portraying Captain Kathryn Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager and more recently, Galina “Red” Reznikov on Orange is the New Black.
In addition to movie music by Giacchino, the Voyage album includes popular scifi favorites from film and television by John Williams, Justin Hurwitz, David Newman, and more.
Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble is the featured chorus on Giacchino-composed tracks on Voyage including Star Trek and two selections from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Funding Support
The Cincinnati Pops is grateful to Mrs. Edyth B. Lindner, along with Mr. and Mrs. Fred Heldman and George and Sarah Morrison III, for their generous support of this project.
The Cincinnati Pops Series Sponsor is PNC and annual support is provided by ArtsWave, the Louise Dieterle Nipprt Musical Arts Fund of the Greenacres Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council.
Credits
Released on the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra’s Fanfare Cincinnati label, Voyage is the 96th Cincinnati Pops album and was recorded at Cincinnati Music Hall on February 3, 2019.
The recording producer is Elaine Martone of Sonarc Music and the producer for the Fanfare Cincinnati is Sam Strater. The album was engineered by Michael Bishop of Five/Four Productions, with assistance from Ian Dobie of Dobie Digital, Ashley Shepherd of Audio Grotto Studios and Richard Hill of Manhattan Center Studio. Voyage was mixed and mastered by Bishop and edited by Thomas C. Moore of Five/Four Productions. The recording production assistant is Gene Chang and the art direction and booklet design is by Steve Kinney.
A remarkable artist with boundless enthusiasm for music-making of all kinds, John Morris Russell is a modern conductor who engages and enthralls audiences with the full breadth of the orchestral experience.
The Cincinnati Pops presents a diverse array of musical styles, all bathed in the world-renowned “Cincinnati Sound.” The Pops was officially founded in 1977 by Erich Kunzel, and just since 1980, the Orchestra has sold ten million recordings around the globe.
Actress Kate Mulgrew is an American actress noted for her roles as Captain Kathryn Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager, Mary Ryan on Ryan’s Hope, and, most recently, Galina “Red” Reznikov on Orange Is the New Black.
Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble is a chamber choir of professional singers, was founded in 1979 and is currently in its 39th season.
“I first became enthralled with the space program when my dad showed me photographs that he had taken of the television broadcast of the first moon landing. I was too young to have any recollection of it, but seeing those photos taken in our family room inspired me to learn more. Voyage not only marks the 50th Anniversary of the moon landing, but it also honors the men and women who dared to dream for us all.”
-MICHAEL GIACCHINO, composer