Next month marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 space mission, during which Ohio native Neil Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon. There will be lots of events, TV specials and probably mattress sales in the coming weeks celebrating the milestone achievement.
The Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, led by conductor John Morris Russell, is getting in on the action with the new album Voyage, which will be released on July 5 and marks the first "studio recording" made at Music Hall since its massive renovation project was completed.
Voyage, as you might have guessed, contains performances of several space-themed compositions, including music from TV shows (Dr. Who, Lost in Space) and movies like Battlestar Galactica and Galaxy Quest.
On the album, the CSO also performs selections from award-winning composer Michael Giacchino's scores for Star Trek (the 2009 film) and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Giacchino also composed the album's title track, which gets its world premiere with the release. Giacchino has EGGO status — he's a Tony shy of EGOT bragging rights and also has a Golden Globe.
In a press release, Giacchino (who won a Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe for his score to the classic Pixar film Up) writes, "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."
The CSO is premiering a video of the orchestra performing the "Voyage" today at 12:30 p.m.
Voyage is available for pre-order now.
*A typo in the headline has been corrected from Yoyage to Voyage
