# RIP Vangelis



## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

From Wiki:

Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou (29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis, was a Greek musician and composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, and orchestral music. He was best known for his Academy Award-winning score to Chariots of Fire (1981), as well as for composing scores to the films Blade Runner (1982), Missing (1982), Antarctica (1983), The Bounty (1984), 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992), and Alexander (2004), and for the use of his music in the 1980 PBS documentary series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage by Carl Sagan.

Vangelis began his career working with several pop bands of the 1960s such as The Forminx and Aphrodite's Child, with the latter's album 666 (1972) going on to be recognized as a progressive-psychedelic rock classic.[ Throughout the 1970s, Vangelis composed scores for several animal documentaries, including L'Apocalypse des Animaux, La Fête sauvage and Opéra sauvage; the success of these scores brought him into the film scoring mainstream. In 1975 he set up his new 16-track studio, Nemo Studios in London, which he named his "laboratory". In the early 1980s, Vangelis formed a musical partnership with Jon Anderson, the lead singer of progressive rock band Yes, and the duo released several albums together as Jon & Vangelis.

In 1980, he composed the score for the Oscar-winning film Chariots of Fire, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Original Score. The soundtrack's single, the film's theme, also reached the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and was used as the background music at the London 2012 Olympics winners' medal presentation ceremonies.[1] He also composed the official anthem of the 2002 FIFA World Cup held in Korea and Japan.

Having had a career in music spanning over 50 years and having composed and performed more than 50 albums, Vangelis is considered to be one of the most important figures in the history of electronic music.

Vangelis died on 17 May 2022, aged 79, at a hospital in France while receiving treatment for COVID-19.



RIP. I particularly liked his co-operations with Jon Anderson.


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

Had not heard this. For me his masterworks will remain Blade Runner, La Féte Sauvage, Opera Sauvage and China.


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## 13hm13 (Oct 31, 2016)

.... and only a few weeks ago, Klaus Schulze transcended .... the Cosmos speaks 



...


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## Marc (Jun 15, 2007)

Art Rock said:


> [...]
> 
> RIP. I particularly liked his co-operations with Jon Anderson.


Same here.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I read that Vangelis auditioned for Yes after Rick Wakeman left for the first time. Over the course of three weeks he left quite an impression but proving more than anything that he was his own entity rather than a team player. Ultimately he couldn't - or wouldn't commit. As drummer Alan White remarked, not without regret, "It wouldn't have worked out - for an album maybe, but never permanently..." Undoubtedly a talented man and a something of a character.


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## NoCoPilot (Nov 9, 2020)

elgar's ghost said:


> "It wouldn't have worked out ..."


Not the least of reasons being that Vangelis was not in the same league, chops-wise, as Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, Rick Van Der Linden, Patrick Moraz or Geoff Downes.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Simply one of the best in the modern generation of composers who came out of a rock background. I would put him up there with Keith Emerson, Larry Fast, and Christian Vander. The news hasn't sunk in yet. Just found out this morning and have other things I'm focusing on.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

NoCoPilot said:


> Not the least of reasons being that Vangelis was not in the same league, chops-wise, as Rick Wakeman, Keith Emerson, Rick Van Der Linden, Patrick Moraz or Geoff Downes.


I'll take your word for it. In any case I just couldn't envisage Vangelis having the appetite for operating within a group framework unless it was HIS group.


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

NoCoPilot said:


> Had not heard this. For me his masterworks will remain Blade Runner, La Féte Sauvage, Opera Sauvage and China.


I think a lot of people used to look at Heaven and Hell, Albedo 0.39, and Beauborg as some of this best. Those are my favorites. Earth Festivities is also high up there.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Someone gave me the Chariots of Fire album back in 1980. I thought it was okay. I never did watch the movie. I haven't listened to any of his other music. I was a bit of a Jean Michel Jarre fan back in the day more than Vangelis. RIP


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## nikola (Sep 7, 2012)

He was one of the greatest. He proved that he is one of those whose creativity would be destroyed by learning the music theory. He was above the matrix and above all that nonsense noise from this world.


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## nikola (Sep 7, 2012)

starthrower said:


> Someone gave me the Chariots of Fire album back in 1980. I thought it was okay. I never did watch the movie. I haven't listened to any of his other music. I was a bit of a Jean Michel Jarre fan back in the day more than Vangelis. RIP


Try albums 'Heaven and Hell', 'Blade Runner', 'Antarctica', 'Soil Festivities', 'Conquest of Paradise'. Only some of his greatest albums. I wouldn't say that his 'Chariots of Fire' is even in the top 10 of his best work. A few memorable themes plus one long and not much interesting synth/piano piece and that's it. 
Try to listen to his composition 'Reve' - probably my favorite piece by him.


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## geralmar (Feb 15, 2013)

No one asked; but my favorite Vangelis theme, which I heard first in a local hardware store water softener (or some such nonsense) radio commercial. Strange where we first hear arrestinig or "imprint" music.






Nevertheless, I detest "Chariots of Fire" which isn't even an original Vangelis theme.


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