Music of Cosmos: Selections from the Score of the Television Series "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan [Original recording remastered, Soundtrack, Collector's Edition]

Vangelis (Artist), Dmitri Shostakovich (Composer), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Composer), Johann Pachelbel (Composer), Jeff Boydstun (Composer), Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Antonio Vivaldi (Composer), Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (Composer), Gottfried Finger (Composer), Goro Yamaguchi (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 8, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered, Soundtrack, Collector's Edition
• Label: Cosmos Studios / BMG
• ASIN: B00006HCVP
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #234,600 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Cosmos, televison series score: Heaven & Hell, Part 1

2. Symphony No. 11 in G minor, Op. 103 (The Year 1905): Excerpt (as used in 'Cosmos')

3. Cosmos, televison series score: Alpha

4. Depicting the Cranes in Their Nest

5. Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622: Unspecified excerpt

6. Canon in D (after Pachelbel)

7. Metamorphosis (used in the television soundtrack 'Cosmos')

8. The Sea Named 'Solaris' (J.S. Bach)

9. Partita for solo violin No. 3 in E major, BWV 1006: Excerpt (as used in 'Cosmos')

10. Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in E major ('La Primavera,' The Four Seasons; 'Il cimento' No. 1), Op.8/1, RV 269: Ex

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Cosmos, televison series score: Pulstar

2. Symphony No.19 ('Vishnu'), Op. 217: Excerpt (as used in 'Cosmos')

3. Melancholy Blues

4. Hair, musical: Aquarius (as used in the television soundtrack 'Cosmos')

5. Cosmos, televison series score: Beaugourg, Part 2

6. The Planets, suite for orchestra & female chorus, Op. 32, H. 125: Mars

7. Alien Images 1 (used in the television soundtrack 'Cosmos')

8. Fly...Night Bird

9. Cosmos, televison series score: Entends-tu les chiens aboyer?

10. Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), ballet in 2 parts for orchestra: Unspecified excerpt

See all 13 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ditto to the majority of reviews, July 20, 2004

By 

wadrad (Land of Bitburger, Bratwurst, und Lederhosen) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Music of Cosmos: Selections from the Score of the Television Series "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan (Audio CD)

Won't be adding much that hasn't already been said, but my purpose is to add weight to previous inputs. I, like some might be doing right now, mulled over buying this set about a year ago, but hesitated because of the reviews. Well, I bought and, like others, was simultaneously frustrated and pleased with the end result.

AWESOME selection of music on this 2-disc set that has an audio fidelity sorely lacking on the older releases. For the music selection and sound quality it would be an easy 5-star rating...BUT I only gave it 3 because of those irritating segues/transitions between tracks (yes, they do frequently cover up the intros and outros of the songs, AND they're too loud, spoiling what should have been a smooth flow from piece to piece), the replacement of some previous versions of the same songs, and the inclusion of the "Age of Aquarius" tune. Though I was never nuts about a couple of the "world tunes" on the old mix, they are WAY more tolerable than the "Aquarius" tune. And my last minor gripe is with some of the extended/full versions of the songs, the compilation as a whole doesn't flow quite as nicely (ignoring the irritating segues) as the old one.

That being said, I'll probably end up burning a compilation of the same songs with the segues removed and the order or music restored to what I'm used to.

Is it worth buying? Yeah, I'd say so. It's just a shame it's not as outstanding a compilation as it could have been.

Would LOVE to know what the record company was thinking when they made the decision to leave the noisy transitions. Can't imagine someone sitting down to demo the final mix through some high-end system and speakers, and going "Yeah!! That gurgling noise MAKES this disc!! Hey...can we make it louder?"

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Music Masterpiece, February 5, 2003

By 

"orionaldeberan" (STERLING HEIGHTS, MICHIGAN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Music of Cosmos: Selections from the Score of the Television Series "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan (Audio CD)

This album is a must for anyone who loved watching the Cosmos series on TV. There is no doubt that the music was an integral part of the viewing experience and the combination of Carl's voice, the visual effects and the music has to make it one of the most stunning series of all time. This album features virtually all of the music from the series and has been greatly expanded from the original release. The music has been digitally remastered and to hear it rendered in CD quality sound makes it a truly awesome listening experience. Just crank up the volume and be surrounded by spectacular Cosmos music!! Prior to purchasing the set, I had read some of the other comments posted here about the sounds in between the tracks. For me, I do not find them bothersome at all. In fact, I find that as I'm listening to the CD, they actually make me conjure up images of some of the scenes from the actual TV series. I think that the idea was innovative and since they were part of the original album, it is right that they be featured on the re-release. In short, this CD is a credit to the producers and is a must for anyone who appreciates Classical and New Age music and the Cosmos series.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A musical analogue of the TV series, April 7, 2005

By 

C. Marchand (Baton Rouge, LA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Music of Cosmos: Selections from the Score of the Television Series "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan (Audio CD)

I am astounded that everyone who disliked the track segues on this release apparently didn't read the any of the liner notes or apparently watch the COSMOS TV series itself. Like the TV series, this soundtrack musically covers the origins of the Universe, the development of stars, planets, life, evolution, civilization, scientific discoveries and meditations on humanity's fate and place in the universe. A quick glance at the back cover and liner notes clearly illustrate this.

Perfectionists are advised that if they really want the actual soundtrack music to the series, simply purchase the DVD box set. There is a music only track on each DVD for each program. As broadcast, most of the pieces were multiply re-arranged, cut, trimmed and even made into different versions, so you'll not hear exactly what was broadcast even with an original recording. Besides, many pieces were omitted from the CD due to copyright, time constraints, etc.

That having been said, the Age of Aquarius cut is awful, regardless of whether it was in the TV show or not. Omitting Beethoven for that? Ugh. That alone makes me give it a 4/5.