Stargazer is the fifth track from Rainbow's

Rainbow (band)

Rainbow were an English rock band, controlled by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore from 1975 to 1984 and 1994 to 1997. It was originally established with American rock band Elf's members, though over the years Rainbow went through many line-up changes with no two studio albums featuring the same line-up...

 album Rising

Rising (Rainbow album)

Rising is the second hard rock/heavy metal album by Rainbow, released in 1976 . With bandleader Ritchie Blackmore retaining only Ronnie James Dio from the previous album, he recruited drummer Cozy Powell, bassist Jimmy Bain and keyboard player Tony Carey to complete the new line-up...

.

The song

A long, epic track with symphonic influences starts with a short drum solo

Drum solo

A drum solo is an instrumental solo played on a drum kit. A drum solo may be set or improvised, and of any length, up to being the main performance....

 by Cozy Powell

Cozy Powell

Colin Flooks , better known as Cozy Powell, was an English rock drummer who made his name with many major rock bands.-Early history:...

 and features the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra

Munich Philharmonic Orchestra

The Münchner Philharmoniker is a German symphony orchestra located in the city of Munich. It is one of Munich's three principal orchestras, along with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Bavarian State Orchestra...

. The song is also considered as one of the first power metal

Power metal

Power metal is a style of heavy metal combining characteristics of traditional metal with speed metal, often within symphonic context. The term refers to two different but related styles: the first pioneered and largely practiced in North America with a harder sound similar to speed metal, and a...

 songs.

Stargazer has been covered by Dream Theater

Dream Theater

Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...

 on the album Black Clouds & Silver Linings

Black Clouds & Silver Linings

Black Clouds & Silver Linings is the tenth studio album by American progressive metal band Dream Theater, released on June 23, 2009 through Roadrunner Records. It is the band's last album to feature drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy before his departure on September 8, 2010. The album was...

, by Mundanus Imperium  on the album The Spectral Spheres Coronation, and in Spanish by Argentine singer Adrian Bárilari

Adrián Barilari

Adrian Eduardo Barilari is an a Argentine singer best known as the vocalist of the heavy metal and hard rock band Rata Blanca. He also have is own soloist band.-Biography:...

. Andy DiGelsomina

Andy DiGelsomina

Andy DiGelsomina is a composer, lyricist, and guitarist. He came to prominence working with internationally acclaimed vocalists Graham Bonnet, Veronica Freeman, and Tommy Heart for his heavy metal opera, Lyraka...

, composer of the heavy metal opera project, Lyraka, has written an analysis concerning the song's existential and Wagnerian qualities.http://lyraka.com/ourfatherofmetal/rainbowsstargazer.htm
Stargazer has also been more recently covered by the folk metal band Týr

Týr (band)

Týr, , is a folk metal band from the Faroe Islands. Their subject matter revolves almost entirely around old Nordic lore, mythology, and history, taking their name from a Norse god of war. They signed a worldwide deal with Austria's Napalm Records in early 2006, while signed to the Faroese record...

 in their 2011 album The Lay of Thrym

The Lay Of Thrym

The Lay of Thrym is the sixth full-length album by the Faroese Viking/folk metal band Týr. The name of the album comes from one of the best known poems from the Poetic Edda, called "Þrymskviða", "The Lay of Thrym". The band revealed the name of the album along with its release date on their MySpace...

.

Personnel

• Ritchie Blackmore
  Ritchie Blackmore
  Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter, who was known as one of the first guitarists to fuse Classical music elements with rock. He fronted his own band Rainbow after leaving Deep Purple where he was unhappy because his favourite musical style wasn't adequately...
  
   – guitars
• Ronnie James Dio
  Ronnie James Dio
  Ronald James Padavona , better known as Ronnie James Dio, was an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter. He performed with, amongst others, Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, and his own band Dio, which means God in Italian. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser...
  
   – lead & backing vocals
• Cozy Powell
  Cozy Powell
  Colin Flooks , better known as Cozy Powell, was an English rock drummer who made his name with many major rock bands.-Early history:...
  
   – drums
  Drum kit
  A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
  
  , percussion
  Percussion instrument
  A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
  
  
• Jimmy Bain
  Jimmy Bain
  James Stewart 'Jimmy' Bain is a Scottish bassist most famous for playing in the bands Rainbow and Dio with Ronnie James Dio. He has worked with Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott, co-writing on his solo albums....
  
   – bass
  Bass guitar
  The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
  
  
• Tony Carey
  Tony Carey
  Antony Laurence Carey is a keyboard player best known for his work with Rainbow.One of his earliest musical experiences was in a band called Blessings, in which he played until 1975 when Ritchie Blackmore discovered and hired him as keyboardist for Rainbow. He played with Rainbow on two world...
  
   – keyboards
  Keyboard instrument
  A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...