Hear music by harpist Mary Lattimore for the astronaut Scott Kelly; by Public Service Broadcasting for Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, and by the duo Quindar for the Apollo 9 astronaut "Rusty" Schweickart.
Listen to a piece by Mary Lattimore, dedicated to astronaut Scott Kelly (who spent a year on the international Space Station), for harp and electronics. Lattimore explains that she was inspired by the American astronaut’s unique perspective and singular solitude as he was orbiting, watching, and doing his social media updates on his orange zinnia (#spaceflower), aerial shots of great rivers and their curious zig-zags (#earthart), a moon rise, and an aurora borealis. Then, there’s music by the mostly electronic duo Quindar, Mikael Jorgensen (of Wilco) and art historian James Merle Thomas, who often make use of archival audio and film often in their work. Their name even comes from the beep tone that you hear every couple of seconds in audio communications between astronauts and Mission Control. Their work is for the Apollo 9 astronaut Russell “Rusty” Schweickart.
Also, there’s music from the British duo Public Service Broadcasting. Their music revisits the time when the USA competed with the USSR trying to be the first to leave the Earth and get to the moon. Listen to “Valentina,” and “Gagarin,” for the Russian cosmonauts, where audio footage from both countries’ race for space is woven into music. Plus, music by Meredith Monk, her work, "Earth Seen From Above," a lullaby from Galway-raised troubadour Adrian Crowley, and more. - Caryn Havlik
Program #4969, Music For Astronauts (First aired 1/22 /2025)
ARTIST: Public Service Broadcasting
WORK: Gagarin [1:11]
RECORDING: The Race for Space
SOURCE: Test Card Recordings
INFO: musicglue.com
ARTIST: Magnus Öström & Dan Berglund
WORK: From Gagarin's Point of View [4:31]
RECORDING: e.s.t. 30
SOURCE: ACT Music
INFO: https://magnusoestroem.bandcamp.com/album/e-s-t-30
ARTIST: Public Service Broadcasting, featuring Smoke Fairies
WORK: Valentina [4:31]
RECORDING: The Race for Space
SOURCE: Test Card Recordings
INFO: musicglue.com
ARTIST: Mary Lattimore
WORK: For Scott Kelly, Returned to Earth [6:07]
RECORDING: Returned To Earth
SOURCE: Soap Library cassette
INFO: marylattimoreharpist.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Quindar
WORK: Twin Pole Sunshade for Rusty Schweickarty [5:41]
RECORDING: Hip Mobility
SOURCE: Butterscotch Records BSR016
INFO: butterscotchrecords.net
ARTIST: WindSync
WORK: Marc Mellits: Apollo III. Buzz [2:30]
RECORDING: All Worlds, All Times
SOURCE: Bright Shiny Things
INFO: https://windsync.bandcamp.com/album/all-worlds-all-times
ARTIST: Daniel Wohl
WORK: Orbit [2:30]
RECORDING: Etat
SOURCE: New Amsterdam Records
INFO: https://danielwohl.bandcamp.com/album/tat
ARTIST: Meredith Monk
WORK: Earth Seen From Above [7:34]
RECORDING: Atlas
SOURCE: ECM Records #1491 / 1492
INFO: ecmrecords.com
ARTIST: Adrian Crowley
WORK: Lullaby to a Lost Astronaut [4:34]
RECORDING: Dark Eyed Messenger
SOURCE: Chemikal Underground
INFO: shop.chemikal.co.uk