#Vangelis Papathanassíou

[justforbooks]

Vangelis, composer of Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner soundtracks, dies aged 79

Vangelis, the Greek composer and musician whose synth-driven work brought huge drama to film soundtracks including Blade Runner and Chariots of Fire, has died aged 79. His representatives said he died in hospital in France where he was being treated.

Born Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou in 1943, Vangelis won an Oscar for his 1981 Chariots of Fire soundtrack. Its uplifting piano motif became world-renowned, and reached No 1 in the US charts, as did the accompanying soundtrack album.

Mostly self-taught in music, Vangelis grew up in Athens and formed his first band in 1963, called the Forminx, playing the pop music of the time: uptempo rock’n’roll, sweeping ballads and Beatles cover versions, with Vangelis supplying organ lines.

They split in 1966, and Vangelis became a writer and producer for hire, working for other musicians and contributing scores for Greek films. Two years later, he struck out for Paris to further his career, where he formed the prog rock quartet Aphrodite’s Child with Greek expats including Demis Roussos. Their single Rain and Tears was a hit across Europe, topping the French, Belgian and Italian charts and reaching the UK Top 30.

After they split – Vangelis deeming the world of commercial pop “very boring” – he returned to scoring film and TV. Turning down an invitation to replace Rick Wakeman on keyboards in Yes, he moved to London and signed a solo deal with RCA Records: his LPs Heaven and Hell (1975) and Albedo 0.39 (1976) each reached the UK Top 40, the former also used to soundtrack Carl Sagan’s popular TV series Cosmos. The connection with Yes was finally completed later in the decade, when he teamed with the band’s Jon Anderson for the duo Jon and Vangelis, whose debut album went Top 5.

Vangelis had continued his film score work throughout the 1970s, but it was in the 1980s that this reached its commercial heights. Chariots of Fire became inextricable from Vangelis’s timeless theme, and the music became synonymous with slow-motion sporting montages. “My music does not try to evoke emotions like joy, love, or pain from the audience. It just goes with the image, because I work in the moment,” he later explained.

His score to Blade Runner is equally celebrated for its evocation of a sinister future version of Los Angeles, where robots and humans live awkwardly alongside one another, through the use of long, malevolent synth notes; saxophones and lush ambient passages enhance the film’s romantic and poignant moments. “It has turned out to be a very prophetic film – we’re living in a kind of Blade Runner world now,” he said in 2005.

Later in the decade he scored the Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins drama The Bounty, and the Mickey Rourke-starring Francesco. He worked again with the Blade Runner director, Ridley Scott, on 1992 film 1492: Conquest of Paradise, and elsewhere during the 1990s, soundtracked Roman Polanski’s Bitter Moon, and documentaries by Jacques Cousteau.

Vangelis drew on Greek instrumentation alongside the typical orchestras used in film scoring on Oliver Stone’s 2004 classical epic, Alexander.

His most recent score is for El Greco, a 2007 Greek biopic of the Renaissance painter. The Greek artist, who moved to Spain and acquired his nickname there, was much admired by Vangelis, who composed albums in 1995 and 1998 that were inspired by and named after him.

Continually celebrated for his evocative Chariots of Fire theme, he was also commissioned by sporting bodies to soundtrack major events, including the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, and the 2004 Olympics in Athens. He also wrote ballet scores and music for stage productions of Medea, The Tempest and other plays.

Solo releases remained steady alongside his commissioned work, and occasionally included collaborations with vocalists such as Paul Young.

A fascination with outer space found voice in 2016’s Rosetta, dedicated to the space probe of the same name, and Nasa appointed his 1993 piece Mythodea (which he claimed to have written in an hour) as the official music of the Mars Odyssey mission of 2001. His final album, 2021’s Juno to Jupiter, was inspired by the Nasa probe Juno and featured recordings of its launch and the workings of the probe itself in outer space.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[oddkreature]

Vangelis Setup (1984)

[nofatclips]

Transmitter by Delerium from the album Spheres

[quiredaragoff]

Vangelis, compositor ganador del Oscar, muere a los 79 años.

Vangelis, compositor ganador del Oscar, muere a los 79 años.

Vangelis, el pionero de la música electrónica que ganó un Oscar por “Carros de fuego” y compuso otras bandas sonoras históricas como “Blade Runner”, murió el martes, informó la Agencia de Noticias de Atenas. Tenía 79 años. Los informes de los medios griegos dicen que murió en un hospital francés mientras recibía tratamiento por COVID-19. El músico autodidacta disfrutó de una larga carrera en la…

[oldschoolsciencefiction]

Rest in peace to Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, known professionally as Vangelis. The renowned musician and composer who will be remembered by Old School Sci Fi fans for his soundtrack for "Blade Runner" (1982) has passed away at the age of 79.

[gnostix1]

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this... Though I seldom listen to Vangelis in recent years, his work was very influential in days of yore. I first heard his early album "Earth" when I was an undergrad, and was forever hooked. I wrote a play inspired by his album "Spiral" which won a modest award back in the early 80s. When I was directing/producing I slipped his music into more productions than I can recall. "Chariots of Fire" and a few other LPs of his were late-nite companions for many years. His tune "Hymne" was the song my child bride walked down the aisle to one August afternoon almost 35 years ago. RIP Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou

[imjustheretoseetheprivateblogs]

He was the man who took a synthesizer and saw it as more than just a passing fad.

He won an Oscar for a film that would probably have otherwise just been a flick about people running. His work on Blade Runner is influential in the mind and heart of Hans Zimmer. And he turned my head with the score of Oliver Stone’s Alexander.

He saw music as mystical and wondrous, a self-taught musician who could elevate movies in a way few could.

And now, his last composition truly was his last.

kalinychta, maestro.

Good night, Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou.

Let the world remember the music of Vangelis

[inthemoodforportnawak]

Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου ou plutôt Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, enfin Vangelis, quoi!

RIP Vangelis (1943-2022)

[justforbooks]

Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou (29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis, was a Greek musician, composer, songwriter and producer of electronic, progressive, ambient, and classical 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.

Born in Agria, Vangelis began his career working with several rock 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", releasing many solo studio albums on which he experimented with music and concepts, including Heaven and Hell and China among others. 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 and Vangelis". He also collaborated with Irene Papas on two albums of Greek traditional and religious songs.

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. He also composed the official anthem of the 2002 FIFA World Cup held in Korea and Japan. In his last twenty years, Vangelis collaborated with NASA and ESA on music projects Mythodea, Rosetta and Juno to Jupiter, which was his 23rd and last solo studio album in 2021.

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, and modern film music. He was known for using many electronic instruments in a fashion of a "one-man quasi-classical orchestra" composing and performing on the first take.

For a musician of his stature, little was known about Vangelis's personal life and he rarely gave interviews to journalists. In 2005, he stated that he was "never interested" in the "decadent lifestyle" of his band days, choosing not to use alcohol or other drugs. He also had little interest in the music industry business and achieving stardom, realising "that success and pure creativity are not very compatible. The more successful you become, the more you become a product of something that generates money". Instead, he used it to be as free and independent as possible and often rejected the opportunity to promote or capitalise on his fame.

Vangelis's place of residence was not publicly known; instead of settling in one place or country, he chose to "travel[ed] around". He did own a house by the Acropolis of Athens which he did not renovate. Vangelis did not have children; in 2005, he was in his third long-term relationship and said: "I couldn't take care of a child in the way I think it should be taken care of." Excerpts from other interviews mention that Vangelis had married twice before, one of which was to French photographer Veronique Skawinska, who produced work for some of his albums. A 1982 interview with Backstage suggests that Vangelis was previously married to Greek singer Vana Veroutis, who provided vocals for some of his records.

Although a very private person, according to many accounts he was an "inordinately approachable", "really nice" and "humorous" man, who enjoyed long friendly gatherings, was fascinated by Ancient Greek philosophy, the science and physics of music and sound, and space exploration. His daily activities mainly involved combining and playing his electronic instruments and the piano. He also enjoyed painting. His first exhibition, of 70 paintings, was held in 2003 at Almudin in Valencia, Spain. It then toured South America until the end of 2004.

Vangelis died of heart failure on 17 May 2022, aged 79, at a hospital in Paris. He was suffering from several health issues in the last couple of years and allegedly died of COVID-19 complications, according to a number of reports.

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[rastronomicals]

RIP Vangelis, shoot.

Less sophisticated listeners will note the Blade Runner soundtrack and Chariots of Fire, and maybe some New Agers can name a few albums I can't, but def that 666 thing with Aphrodite's Child and Socrates or Socrates Drank the Conium and listen, he was once this close to being the keyboard player in fucking Yes.

There was a prog keyboardist club and Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou was definitely in it.

Rick Wakeman and Pat Moraz raise a cup this night, and also utter the names Emerson and Lord.

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

Vangelis, composer of Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner soundtracks, dies aged 79. Greek composer topped US charts and won an Oscar with Chariots of Fire’s uplifting piano-led theme.

Born Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou in 1943, Vangelis won an Oscar for his 1981 Chariots of Fire soundtrack. Its uplifting piano motif became world-renowned, and reached No 1 in the US charts, as did the accompanying soundtrack album.

Forty one years since Chariots of Fire, the quintessential Olympic film. "Chariots of Fire" is an instrumental theme written and recorded by Vangelis for the soundtrack of the 1981 film of the same name.

Chariots of Fire is one of the most iconic British movies of all time and it was first seen 41 years ago.

Running through sand and water is the best thing you can do. What a beautiful sequence in the film 🎥 🍿🎬….

#ChariotsofFire #Vangelis #soundtracks #olympics

[gottahearemall]

On this Day (March 29)...Happy Birthday, Vangelis!

On this Day (March 29)…Happy Birthday, Vangelis!

The composer Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, better known as Vangelis, was born on this day in 1943. Retrieved from here. Vangelis is most strongly associated with the progressive rock and electronic genres. As part of the former, he was a major part of the Greek prog rock outfit Aphrodite’s Child in the late 60s. He also collaborated with Jon Anderson, releasing a few albums as “Jon and…

[aardwolfpack]

Evángelos “Vangelis” Papathanassíou (1943–2022)

[sumosumito-blog]

Reposted from @tnlaviola A los 79 años, murió Vangelis, compositor de la banda sonora de la película “Carrozas de fuego”. Con ese trabajo, ganó un premio Oscar. Dos años después fue el encargado de hacer el soundtrack de “Blade Runner”, reconocido a nivel mundial y que en Argentina se usó como cortina del programa Fútbol de Primera. Con más de 50 años de trayectoria, es considerado uno de los pilares de la música electrónica. . . . . Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou /eˈvaɲɟelos oðiˈseas papaθanaˈsi.u/, más conocido como Vangelis /vaɲˈɟelis/ (Volos, 29 de marzo de 1943 - París, 17 de mayo de 2022 fue un teclista y compositor griegos de música electrónica, orquestal, ambient, New age y rock progresivo Entre sus obras más conocidas destacan las bandas sonoras originales de las película Carros de fuego (ganadora del Oscar a la mejor banda sonora en 1981), Blade Runner (1982) y 1492: La conquista del paraíso (1992). Información personal Nombre en griego Ευάγγελος Οδυσσέας Παπαθανασίου Nacimiento 29 de marzo de 1943 Agria (Estado Helénico) Fallecimiento 17 de mayo de 2022 (79 años) París (Francia) Causa de muerte COVID-19 Nacionalidad Griega Lengua materna Griego moderno Educación Doctor en Ciencias Educado en Escuela de Bellas Artes de Atenas Información profesional Ocupación: #Compositordebandassonoras #teclista #pintor #artistadiscográfico #productordiscográfico Área #Músicacinematográfica Años activo 1963-2022 Seudónimo Vangelis y Βαγγέλης Géneros: #Músicaelectrónica #músicaclásicacontemporánea #newagge (música) Instrumentos: #Sintetizador #piano #teclados #instrumentodepercusión Discográficas #RCA #AtlanticRecords #DeutscheGrammophon #UniversalMusicGroup Obras notables #Mythodea #ChariotsofFire 1492: #laconquistadelparaíso #carrozasdefuego #bladerunner Artistas relacionados Jon Anderson Demis Roussos Irene Papas Aphrodite's Child (ex teclista)Miembro de Aphrodite's Child (1968-1971) Jon y Vangelis (1979-1986)  Distinciones #Óscaralamejorbanda #vangelis #agria #grece #grecia Mención a tremendo artista más allá de su desaparición hace 3 días que ayer fué noticia que marcó mi infancia con la melodía de carrozas de fuego ❤️ (en RIP) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdzI9yCJFEF/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[complexdistractions]

Vangelis : 1943-2022

I’m sure most people my age had their first experience with Greek musician/composer Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, aka Vangelis, when they watched Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. I didn’t see the unedited version of the film till I was 18 when I rented it from Video World. Before that I’d only seen the edited version that played on Channel 55 when I was 11. I stayed up till 11pm recording it off…

[semioticas]

Evángelos

O compositor grego Vangelis, que morreu ontem aos 79 anos, criou algumas das trilhas sonoras mais marcantes da história do cinema, como "Blade Runner" e "Carruagens de Fogo", entre outras. Seu nome completo: Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou. Na imagem, Vangelis fotografado por Michael Putland em 1976, quando foi contratado para criar a trilha sonora da série “Cosmos”, do astrônomo Carl Sagan.

Veja também:

Semióticas – Arte e tecnologia

https://semioticas1.blogspot.com/2015/06/arte-e-tecnologia.html

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