Original TV Soundtrack - Music of Cosmos (CD)

All Music Guide

The Music of Cosmos presents the soundtrack to Carl Sagan's groundbreaking PBS series, and features pieces by classical and contemporary composers such as Shostakovich, Vivaldi, and Vangelis. As with the series, the soundtrack is comprised of six parts. "Space/Time Continuum" describes the intricate relationship between space and time with pieces like Vangelis' "Heaven and Hell, Part 1" and "Alpha"; Pachelbel's "Canon a 3 on a Ground in D" and "Spring" from Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" accompany Sagan's explanation of genetics, DNA, evolution, and consciousness in "Life." The precision of Bach's "Partita No. 3" mirrors the elegantly mathematical laws of physics and "The Harmony of Nature," while facts about space phenomena such as pulsars and black holes are scored by Hovanhess' "Symphony No. 19" and Toru Takemitsu's "Inside the Heart of the Universe." "Cataclysm," Sagan's depiction of cosmic disasters and evolutionary processes such as supernovas, features Vangelis' "Beauborg" and Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring." Finally, the triumphant conclusion of "Affirmation" includes Vangelis' "Ignacio" and the traditional composition "Bulgarian Shepherdess Song." Every bit as integral to Cosmos as Sagan's narration, this collection is a literate, intelligent soundtrack to science fact.

- Heather Phares, All Music Guide