WDR Big Band - Rosetta (Jesse Passenier)

Rosetta is a piece with a double meaning, dealing both with the ESA Rosetta Mission as well as deciphering the Rosetta Stone. From the perspective of the Rosetta Mission, this is how Jesse Passenier's composition can be understood:


Part I | Philae
When Phiae landed, it all seemed to go wrong. The lander didn't get pinned to the surface of Comet 67P properly, causing it to drift back into space, tumbling around out of control. One can imagine: stressy, spinning, and sharp-edged music is the result.

Part II | 60 Hours of Knowledge
After gaining back control, the ESA team managed to land on the comet. Although down on the ground, Philae's position was far from the intended landing site, with unfortunately hardly any sun to catch. This meant: instead of months of science, now there was only about 60 hours before Philae would turn off for ever, because only the solar panels would have been able to prevent that. So now, in deepest concentration, the data were collected, hence turning the music more introverted and contemplative.

Part III | Stone Cracking
The music ends with a bang, as did the mission. Because when all was done and contact with lander Philae was finally lost, the Rosetta orbiter was intentionally crashed into Comet 67P, the body it had so long worked so hard for to reach and and study.


That is one of the ways of explaining the composition. However, from the Rosetta Stone perspective, the ideas behind all movements change rather dramatically:


Part I | Philae
Egypt's Philae Obelisk, with its bilingual inscription, was an important 'missing link' for deciphering the Rosetta Stone, which displayed a text three ancient languages. The piece of music can be seen as the euphoric state of the linguists after this discovery, laying down the final pieces of the Rosetta Stone puzzle.

Part II | 60 Hours of Knowledge
'60 Hours' refers to the full circle (60 x 60 minutes = 360), so this second part portrays how linguists, in their deep thought and reasoning, brought the knowledge of the Rosetta Stone full circle.

Part III | Stone Cracking
Busy at cracking the Rosetta Stone's code, here linguists break their heads over complex problems in a state of intense struggle.

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Title: Remnants of the Past
Performer: WDR Big Band led by Jesse Passenier
Soloists: Paul Heller (Tenor Sax), Martin Schulte (Jazz Guitar), and Karolina Strassmayer (Alto Sax)

Recording:
November 28, 2019
Kölner Philharmonie, Germany
Phootage by courtesy of WDR (Livestreamed on the WDR Big Band website)