rosetta.edwardblakeley.com
The Rosetta Suite was born in November 2014 when, after a ten and a half year journey, over a cumulative distance of over 6.4 billion kilometers, Philae - the ‘plucky’ mascot and lander of ESA’s Rosetta mission - sent word that it had successfully landed on the romantically-named comet ‘67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko’.
After seeing the now-famous footage of Professor Monica Grady hugging BBC Science editor David Shukman, I was overwhelmed with emotional inspiration and, having never embarked on a solo album before, decided to turn my then-simple sketches into a full length orchestral suite.
Little did I know then how big a journey would result from that decision.
The Rosetta Suite is an operatic space-themed score of forty minutes in length, written for full orchestra, with each of the six movements describing a chapter of Rosetta and Philae’s journey through the solar system.
The Rosetta Suite is dedicated to John Marriott Smith (1931-2015), my mother’s stepfather; for his endless generosity, encouragement, and faith in all my musical pursuits.
Many, many people are to thank for bringing The Rosetta Suite album to life - all of whom I have listed on the back of the album. I thank them again immensely for their faith and trust in me, and for supporting this original classical music work.
Extra special thanks go to: my mother, Gail, for her energy and support - particularly during the album’s Kickstarter campaign; my father, Garry, for performing all of the violin and viola parts with true virtuosity, and for supporting the album; Rob Leake and Martin Bradshaw for kindly providing their combined decades of experience and musicianship with stunning results; Dick Beetham at 360 Mastering for lending his expert ears and attentive mind, ensuring the album reached its true sonic potential; Mark McCaughrean at ESA, who believed in the project from the start and has always lent a hand when needed; Josh Farkas and his genius Cubicle Ninjas, for sponsoring the project by providing the excellent cover artwork you see on the front cover of the album; Stephen Muir and Gareth Dant, my friends at the University of Leeds who promoted the album’s Kickstarter campaign and have provided excellent moral support; and to my loving girlfriend Sammie, who has patiently and eagerly comforted me during the emotional twists and turns I experienced throughout the writing of The Rosetta Suite.
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released November 15, 2015
Composed and Produced by Edward Blakeley.
Flutes and Clarinets - Rob Leake
Violin - Garry Blakeley
Cello - Martin Bradshaw