The Best French Pop Record Victim of Censorship

by Clark Kent

Yes, the best French pop record may never be released. This might sound exaggerated, but it's absolutely true. Certainly, one could always debate the term "French" when it comes to Aphrodite's Child. Nevertheless, before breaking up, Aphrodite's Child created a double 30 cm record that doesn't resemble anything they had done before. A double 30 cm record that took three months to record and is undoubtedly one of the peaks of Pop Music in France. But there's a catch: Philips refuses to release the record, under the pretext that a part of this magnificent work is too erotic. Just think, we still don't know what it means to make love! And as for about 10 minutes, Irene Papas (the famous Greek actress who notably starred in Z) leaves no doubt as to what she's doing... And so, bam! Censorship. Whether the record is good or not, they don't care. It's banned. I'm telling you, we absolutely have to put a bra on the "Venus de Milo." Lucky for her, she wasn't signed with Philips... So here are two thirty-centimeter records, apparently successful from start to finish, stuck at the bottom of a drawer thanks to the international stupidity of a company that no longer quite knows where it stands.

Vangelis, the former leader of Aphrodite's Child, is disappointed, very disappointed, and if we add to this the abrupt breakup of the band, it's understandable why he makes remarks like these: "I didn't want what's happening right now to happen. For now, I'm taking legal action against Demis and Lucas for using the name 'Aphrodite's Child.' In any case, I really liked the band, and I have no problem with Demis and Lucas pursuing independent careers. On the contrary, they're free; they can do whatever they want. They could have even done it while staying with Aphrodite's Child. It never really worked out, even from the beginning, unfortunately. Aphrodite's Child was bound to break up one day: it happened. There were two opposing views: music against money. I agreed to go through the system, through the industry, because it's necessary to make a record. But you shouldn't let their system consume you. Even while having hits, we needed to make musical progress. We started as a pop band and then became fashionable. Making a summer hit isn't a goal for a band. For a record label, for a publisher, sure, but not for a band. The only motivation was money. I'm not against money, because it's essential to make a record, or anything else. But if the only goal is money, it's not possible. My plans? I don't yet know what I'll do immediately. I'm like in recovery after all these stories. I'll surely return to the stage; contrary to what's said, I love the stage, but not just any stage. I don't want to play in front of 3,000 drunk guys looking for a girl to hook up with. That's not music."

I had the pleasure of attending the fulldome presentation "We are Stardust" at the newly upgraded dome of the Eugenides Planetarium in Athens, Greece (see our update from September 16, 2023). Conceived by Greek astronomer and renowned science communicator Dionysis Simopoulos, this project began its collaboration with his friend Vangelis in 2020. The film's title was inspired by Mr. Simopoulos's 2017 book of the same name, and this marks the first instance of Vangelis's unique compositions being featured in a planetarium show.

The film is regarded as a partenship between astronmer Simopoulos and Vangelis, with a subtitle is "A Tribute to the Music and Universe of Vangelis". According to an interview with Mr. Simopoulos's son, Panagiotis Simopoulos, in the Greek press, his late father intentionally wished to divide the film into ten chapters, aiming to mirror the structure of a Vangelis album with ten tracks. The presentation stands as a multi-themed cinematic exploration, with its blend of cosmic themes, science exploration, and technological innovation. It invites viewers to contemplate their place in the universe as integral parts of the cosmic narrative, destined to return to the stars from where we came, hence the stardust, formed from elements forged in the fiery cores of early stars and dispersed across the cosmos by supernovae.

The first half of the film is an immersive galactic tour, with scenes of zooming into the universe, galaxies, supernovae, our solar system, and black holes. Vangelis' music in the first half is varied, two pieces of music serve as incidental music to help carry the story. While the other music in the first half more engaging and reacts and develops with the visual scenes.

The opening long track is a beautifully inspired somber ballet-like symphony that at times feels like it could have been part of Vangelis' "Foros Timis Ston Greco" (later released as the "El Greco" studio album in 1998), it is intercut with moments of sensitivity and grandeur, befitting the vastness of the cosmos, and in a style that is recognisably Vangelis, what a great opening!

This opening chapter is then followed by a short excerpt from a previously released "Perihelion" track from the "Rosetta" album. The music then returns to the style of the opening track in the subsequent chapters. At times it feels dreamy and coming into the fore when reacting to the effective cosmic visuals presented to the viewers, climaxing accordingly before softening again, and this continues over the next few chapters. The sounds are very "El Greco" in their palettes, but with a space-themed and floating in feel.

In a particularly extended chapter of the film, the final cosmic chapter in the first half of the film, the music distinctly stands out, created in Vangelis' renowned spontaneous style. It begins with a gentle combination of soft drums, each beat struck with a slow pace, accompanied by synthesized choral voices that gradually build tension and create a sacred atmosphere. As the piece progresses, it intensifies with dramatic flourishes from Vangelis' renowned array of instruments, including strings and other symphonic elements. The music feels both sacred and heavenly, yet dramatically intense, culminating in a climactic conclusion that is quintessentially Vangelis, making it a highlight composition that would be perfectly at home on any of his recent albums.

Following this chapter, the film transitions from the vast expanse of the cosmos down to Earth, exploring the mysteries of life and the human quest to decipher the secrets of the universe, whether through space exploration or particle physics. The soundtrack shifts to a lighter, more catchy mood, reminiscent of some of the incidental music in "Trashed," a documentary scored by Vangelis in 2012.

The final chapter of the film features a piece that particularly surprised me, coinciding with the visuals returning to the cosmos. It's a poetic segment where the narration delivers its concluding thoughts against a backdrop of striking space visuals. The music begins subtly with slow, distinctive Vangelis strings underpinning the narration, so gentle they're almost unnoticeable, the music evokes a sensation of slowly cruising through space. As the narration concludes, a beautiful violin solo emerges above the backdrop, gradually building in a melancholy yet stirring emotions. The music is sad and reflective, yet beautifully restrained. This is truly a highlight of the presentation. It evoked similar emotions like that captured in "Tears in the Rain" from "Blade Runner." What a beautifully musical conclusion to the film!

The ending credits is a gentle piano song that feels very "El Greco" in style, which is the music we hear in the trailer of the film posted on YouTube by the Eugene Foundation. Overall, dividing the presentation into ten chapters effectively mirrors the experience of a Vangelis album, accompanied by the stunning and immersive visuals of the film.

Undoubtedly, the dome screen and high-quality projection elevate this presentation to a new level of immersion. The CGI feels like an updated, immersive version of the visuals from Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" TV series. Yet here, the narrative shifts from Sagan's famed "ship of the imagination," displayed on a flat 2D screen, to placing the audience directly within the cosmic scenes themselves. The dome projection effectively enhances immersion, and at times, one feels like grabbing the armchair, as if viewing the universe right there, completely disconnected from terrestrial Earth. Throughout the film, effective sound effects are used to emphasize key visuals, such as star explosions and space travel, working in harmony with the music and visuals.

The film is narrated in Greek by Mr Simopoulos, a voice familiar in Greece from his vast TV science shows on ERT. An English narration is available upon request of a wireless headset at the ticket desk at the planetarium, which I noticed some visitors did ask for and used during the film. I for one opted to experience the film without headset in its native language version to fully enjoy Vangelis' music.

According to Greek press, this project took a significant effort to complete after the passing of Simopoulos and Vangelis. Vangelis' long time friends and collaborators Frederick Rousseau and Philippe Colonna were instrumental in the production and mixing of the final film and soundtrack, helping to bring the visionary project to fruition.

The film began screening last October on a busy schedule. Those wishing to attend should note that the entrance is located on the back side of the Eugenides Foundation Library building at the Eugenides Foundation New Digital Planetarium.

- Sufian

The musical opening of the Volos Theater was beyond my expectations.

The night opened with the mayor of Volos, mr Achilleas Beos, who gave a speech about the renovation of the Theater, which is a really nice theater for 900 people to enjoy concerts, theatrical plays and all kinds of events to take place. He praised Vangelis and detailed the magnitude of what he offered in music and the Universe.

The artistic director of the theater, a very well known actor, Mr Dimitris Piatas, narated the biography of Vangelis, accompanied by touching photograohs of Vangelis projected onto the big screen.

It was followed by the concert, where they performed: Chariots of fire, Beauty and the Beast (two tracks), Alpha, Pulstar, La Petite Fille de la mer, Mythodea, Alexander, Anthem, Babylon entry, Across the mountains, Conquest of Paradise. The choir joined in on a number of pieces. This was a mix of seven choirs, no less than 230 people in total. The orchestra consisted of 120 musicians.

La Petite Fille de la mer was performed solo on the piano by an excellent local pianist. Pulstar and Alpha were performed by the orchestra and the electronic instruments performed by a local synthesizer player, all high quality performances.

At times, the artistic director said some words to bridge from one track to the next. Somewhere in the middle of the event, after the Beauty and the Beast ballet music, a well known journalist narrated some of his memories of discussions with Vangelis, which impressed the audience. the next.

All pieces were accompanied by video created by Mr Nikos Soulis, a renowned Greek director showing with ancient statues and stars. Also a vido was shown that Vangelis had once prepared for NASA.

Both Chariots and Conquest of Paradise were performed as encores.

The event ended with a video recording of Vangelis performing the Greek national hymn at the 1997 IAAF world championships.

I would really like to stress that I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the Volos orchestra and the choir. I hope they will keep their standards this high for many other concerts to come. Vangelis would be proud of his hometown, that even before the second world war and up till the mid '50s had an exceptional tradition in classical music.

- A Greek Vangelis fan

I had the pleasure of watching Oliver Stone's documentary "Nuclear Now!" at a recent film festival, which features an original score by Vangelis.

From the outset, the film grips the viewer with its ominous bells and electronic choirs held in suspense, creating an atmosphere of fear that perfectly matches the archival clips and loud sound effects shown during Oliver Stone's narration. Director Stone spends about 10 minutes introducing the history of the nuclear age, and as each new phase of history is reached, Vangelis' music changes to match the visuals.

Director Stone provides a steady stream of narration throughout the film, only breaking away for interviews with experts. Once we get past the historical introduction and delve into the main presentation, Vangelis' music gets more moments to breathe, and provides the listener longer moments of appreciation. Vangelis presents a variety of styles, with some new compositions feeling right at home on his recent albums like "Juno to Jupiter" and "Rosetta", characterized by his symphonic style. Some of these new compositions are rousing heroic anthems that stir up a swell of emotions that only the maestro Vangelis can capture, while others are somber and reflective, reminiscent of the music from "Alexander."

For some Vangelis fans, perhaps the most exciting part of the score is his experimentation with new palettes of sounds, which he drives with his signature style. There are plenty of new tracks that explore synth-driven rhythmic compositions, with less emphasis on symphonic elements and more towards pure synthesizer setups. One particular track had a fast pulsating synth chord that unravels into an exciting electric piano and synth music, reminiscent of anything recorded at Nemo Studios. Another short but curious composition had multi-layered horns with piano and sequencers, while a third evokes the spirit of Vangelis' classic works like "Oceanic" and "BR25". A fourth track starts as a marching band percussion track but then changes into a beautifully reflective track. Additionally, there is a fresh, more synth-driven version of "Rosetta's Waltz" that dispenses with the graceful waltzy string ensemble for a more synth-driven interpretation. Although some of the other synth-driven cues are played for short fragments, they are mostly in a minimalist style and it's precisely this restraint that makes them so impactful, and yet recognizably Vangelis. The listener is left dreaming what these compositions would sound like in full.

One of the standout moments in the film is a delicate string piece that evokes imagery from a "Blade Runner" movie, though its full beauty is somewhat muted by its soft volume behind Oliver's dialogue during his visit to the French nuclear reactor. Speaking of "Blade Runner", another new composition starts with a synth sweep and leading horn sound, before developing into one of many exciting synth-driven tracks featured in the film.

While there are many other new tracks in the film, not all are covered in this review. Some are too short to be fully appreciated, and the constant narration often leaves the listener guessing how the full compositions would sound.

The film features a mix of Vangelis' new and existing music. For instance, "Himalaya" plays during a segment about China, while a new composition by Vangelis that uses synth sitar-sounding instruments can be heard during a segment about India. Additionally, various other tracks from Vangelis' repertoire, such as those from "Rosetta" and "L'apocalypse des animaux", are also featured in the film. The "Stephen Hawking tribute" track is especially impactful and is featured at the end of the film.

As the film reaches its conclusion, a darkened screen emerges, displaying a heartfelt tribute to Vangelis:

The end theme features the new "Rosetta Waltz" rendition followed by one of the synth-driven tracks that was played several times throughout the movie. As the movie credits roll, we catch sight of the music score credits, which include the name of the composer, Vangelis, as well as the names of his two close friends and long-time collaborators from the studio:

The movie will play in North America on May 1st for a one-day screening and will be shown for only one day. There are news reports that after the theatrical release, the film will be available for streaming. If experience tells us something, like the Algerian film "Crépuscule Des Ombres" (Twilight of Shadows) featuring one of Vangelis' most captivating works, the movie was only screened at a few film festivals but never officially released and, to the best of my knowledge, not released theatrically in its native country. Fans are encouraged to savor the latest, if perhaps the last, music of our beloved composer.

Sufian

On The Occasion Of The Passing Of Vangelis

It is with a heavy heart that I have come to learn about the passing of #Vangelis, a dear friend that I had known for over 25 years. He was a highly gifted musician, a great Greek film composer and Oscar winner, and a kind, brilliant and exceptional human being in every way. His name will be etched amongst the giant musicians in history.

Link to posted video

H.M Shahbanou Farah Pahlavi

We have lost #Vangelis. but his music and his memory will remain forever.

I was privileged to discover the person behind the public persona.
He loved space and was in love with ESA.

He composed a great symphony to ESA's Rosetta mission youtube.com/WSa3k...

R.I.P. Maestro

Fernando Doblas
Former ESA Head of Communication

He was a man of great integrity, and it was an honor for me to call him my friend. He was also the most generous man I ever knew, and I'm not just talking about material things. I loved him very much, and look forward to seeing him in the next life.

(Direct contribution)

Cherry Vanilla
Voice on "See You Later, ran Vangelis' US office

Very sad to hear of Vangelis’s passing. We had not worked together for many years, but between 1975 and 1992 I worked with him closely on many projects, especially writing arrangements, mainly choral, […] from Heaven and Hell right through to 1492: Conquest of Paradise; and I also sang solo tracks and conducted for very many recordings, films and for concerts ranging from the Royal Albert Hall to Docklands in Rotterdam to Athens in the Olympic Stadium and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus on the Acropolis. He even said, in some early creative sessions, “we are brothers!”, and I helped him through one major personal crisis. So despite our separation for, bizarrely, 30 years now, I still feel very close to him and hugely regret we did not meet again. But I have been involved in his music many times since, and hope that will continue. Here’s a photo of me with him at the first concert we did together: Heaven And Hell in the Royal Albert Hall in February 1976. I am conducting and look really transported by the music (which I was). And a special t-shirt for the concert - still here somewhere!

(submitted by e-mail)

Guy Protheroe
Vangelis' collaborator for 17 years, conductor of the English Chamber Choir

The giant wild beast has gone to bed.
Greetings to you my friend.

Jean-Philippe Rykiel
French composer, arranger, keyboard player

Nature endowed you with a gift that made millions of people around the world happy and shudder with your music. I had the good fortune to meet you and offer my voice to your amazing music! I hold these precious memories that we shared together and I wish your soul to rest in peace in the place that gave birth to the sound of your love. #vangelis

Vana Verouti
Greek singer, author

My Godfather passed away yesterday, my father knew him as a brother.

Vangelis was a giant in the realms of music and I will never forget sitting in his studio as a child as he composed the original score for the feature film, Blade Runner.

Love and only love for a man that left behind some of the most powerful music that pathed the way for others.

♥️

Deborah Anderson
Film maker, daughter of Jon Anderson

Vangelis my beloved Vangelis Papathanassiou, you never liked goodbyes ***

Link to youtube.com/iHekAs...

(translated)

Konstantinos Paliatsaras
Greek operatic tenor, vocals on "El Greco" album and others

Rest in peace Mr. Vangelis
Thank you for everything.

(translated)

Dimitris Tsakas
Greek saxophone player on "Remembering" and "BR 25"

Great loss of a great composer. Was privileged to be his friend while posted in Greece and later. RIP dear friend and condolences to his family.

Epic music befitting an epic journey. Thank you to legendary composer Vangelis for providing the score to so many of the #JunoMission's discoveries at Jupiter.

Bhaskar Balakrishnan
Indian science diplomacy fellow, voice on "No Expectation Boulevard"

and this without words my only FRIEND. I'm coming soon too. Do not get lost, OK?

(translated)

Vassilis Bakopoulos
member of "The Forminx"

I know he’s a strong fighter and what is important is he fought hard. The only thing that gives me strength is his love and memories. His words of “forever” may not be possible anymore but his love and help for my family will be imprinted in my mind and heart. I will miss him so much. I will miss how he tells me how beautiful I am every morning. I love you so much Mr. Vangelis❤️🙏🤲🙌

You are at a better place now. I love and miss you so much❤️🤲🙏

Paulette Suayan Valle Tacod
Vangelis' personal assistant

As a big fan of Vangelis, I took his music with me to space. His studio looked like the cockpit of a genuine spaceship in which he composed music themes for movies, concerts and space exploration missions such as the Rosetta mission. On behalf of ESA, I awarded him with his astronaut badge.

The Maestro will forever remain in our hearts both on Earth and in space 💫

Jean-François Clervoy
French engineer and ESA astronaut

Vangelis was a giant in the music world and I was devastated to learn he had died last week. I became friends with him three years ago when a mutual friend from London introduced us. He invited me to his home in Paris where I met some of his family.

I spent two delightful afternoons and evenings at his spacious apartment where he played me some of his recent videos and I witnessed him working with his engineer on his album “Juno to Jupiter”. He listened with pleasure to my forthcoming instrumental album, knowing that my producer, Peter, and I had been inspired by Vangelis and I had dedicated “Anthema” to him. His assistant cooked us a feast each evening and then was sent out to pick up a box full of rich desserts from a local cafe….yumm! He gifted me one of his sketches and later mailed me his lovely piano album album “Nocturne”. I feel so honoured to have known this creative genius and to have spent that time with him. 😔

Liona Boyd
Classical guitarist, AKA First Lady of the Guitar

2014 with Vangelis in his favourite studio in Paris (working on the track Europa we had written years before) I’d worked on it extensively at Club Ralph with @markralphmusic and just wanted it to be touched by his genius . Set free in the Universe now Maestro . All returned to stardust . #Vangelis #bladerunner #chariotsoffire #china #greek #god

Holly Johnson
English artist, musician, Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Rest In Peace 🕊

#Vangelis

Googoosh / گوگوش
Iranian singer and actress

A great loss is the death of VANGELIS PAPATHANASSIOU, the GREEK who with his musical genius, honored and will honor Greece worldwide and beyond the borders of planet Earth.

A rare photo I publish is from 1964 in Thessaloniki.
Bottom row the FORMINX. The band of Vangelis Papathanassiou, he is the first from the left.
Top row is the band BRAHMS, the band I started my career with.

(translated)

Paschalis Arvanitidis
member of "The Olympians", "The Brahms"

VANGELIS PAPATHANASSIOU DIED

The World-renowned Greek

I have a hangover. I have lost him and I am sad because he was a friend of mine ....

(translated)

Nikos Mouratidis
Greek broadcaster, journalist and blogger

I am very sad that Vangelis passed away, he was super talented and a great man!

Jean Luc Ponty
French jazz violinist and composer

R. I. P. Angel. Have a safe journey Vangelis.

(translated)

Eleni Karaindrou
Greek film composer

I am deeply grieved to hear of the passing of my primary musical inspiration and possibly the greatest musical genius of my era. Just knowing Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou was in the world in real-time with me was always a comfort- as if i could feel the energy of his brilliance whenever i thought of him. I'm sure he will be dearly missed by so many, as the expanse of his legacy is incalculable. The world is a much more beautiful place through the gifts he bestowed in music, inspiration, vision, passion and sheer courage to explore creative universes in his own unique and exquisite way. Today i stand along side my bloodlines in Greece to mourn the loss of one of our great cultural heros.

θα ζήσετε για πάντα στις καρδιές μας και στα πνεύματά μας.

(translated: You will live forever in our hearts and in our spirits.)

Chris Spheeris
Greek-American composer and musician

Totally gutted that #Vangelis has died.

I knew him when I was 18 and used to visit his London studio. He once kindly showed me how he scored #Bladerunner and played it live for me. He also composed the Chariots of Fire soundtrack.

He was a total genius.

Jon Dee
Broadcaster and founder of Planet Ark

A PART OF MY HISTORY PASSES WITH THE DEATH OF VANGELIS

Vangelis, the legendary Greek-born electronic composer and musician who was best known for his theme song for Oscar-winning ‘Chariots of Fire’, has died today at the age of 79.

For 40 years his music was the soundtrack of my healing as I played albums such as ‘Oceanic’, ‘1492’, ‘Blade Runner’ and many others, both in private sessions and during healing demonstrations.

He said: “My interest was not to create a symphony orchestra, which I can very easily, but to go further than that and do things that the symphony orchestra can’t do. And I think I succeeded to create something like this.”

I once had the privilege of spending an afternoon with Vangelis at his Nemo Studio in London and we chatted about nature, mythology, reincarnation and music. I’m not often starstruck or tongue-tied but that day I was - until he put me at ease and I forgot that I was talking to a legendary figure.

As one of his greatest fans, I once paid £250 for a signed limited edition album he’d recorded. I’ll always treasure that.

But, more than anything else, thank you Vangelis for all the beautiful and often spine-tingling music that helped lift my healing to heights I couldn't have imagined. I'll be playing it until I fall off the stool on which I perch when healing.

Matthew Manning
Bestselling British author and healer

Thank you Maestro for honoring us with your presence in our studios. #Vangelis - photo: 1986 Forum Studios - album "Page of life"

Forum Studios
Recording Studio, Italy

I had the great honor of working on an album with Vangelis as a programmer in the late 80s at RAK studios London.

You can only imagine the nerves I had to deal with when programming synths and samplers for the very guru who wrote the rules in this field. He was a true master to work with, always open to show me the ropes. Sometimes he came across a tad difficult, but it was always due to his commitment to reach perfection !!

Thank you for teaching me so much, plus inspiring generations with your epicness man !!

You will be missed but your music will undoubtedly move people deeply forever ! ✌🏽♥️🎹

We paid homage to him in a track titled “Vangelism” on our album “Modular Baptism”

-REST IN PEACE MAN-

-Forever grateful--Dan-

Pig&Dan
Duo DJ

So sorry to hear of one of the greatest composers of our time passed away Vangelis

So privileged to have been inspired and worked with such a wonderful soul.

In 1988 Vangelis and Jon Anderson worked at my home in LA Hollywood to write the page of life album.

Vangelis did a very rare concert at Royce Hall UCLA as a 1 man band, he not only played it but mixed it live from stage in quad which was absolutely stunning!
What a truly amazing eternal being!

One of the true angels that has touched this earth ❤️

Love to Vangelis and to Jon x

David Tickle
British record producer and engineer

I had the privilege to work with him on a very short project, back in the 90’s. Was at his home studio in Athens. Humble and respectful, he was like a child wanted to learn everything. From that day on, I always remember his hands. I cannot explain it, but my feeling was that his hands where playing music also when they where not on the keyboards. RIP #Vangelis. You will always be an artistic magnitude ❤️

Takis Tsonopoulos
Manager at Harman Professional Solutions

There is one name that says it all ...

Vangelis

1943 - 2022

The precursor of electronic music, a genius composer of music for films and not only.

A quiet, modest man.

His music for the movie Chariots of Fire was a breakthrough.

You loved the cosmos, you reached it. You will live forever.

Zbigniew Preisner
Polish film composer, member of the French Film Academy

You moved me to tears on every note and in every moment you were present. Even in this very moment as I sit here writing this. You changed my life. You influenced every note I myself have created and put out into the universe. Man, you were so damn prolific. You were immortal to me and I sit here in absolute disbelief that you are gone. Your legacy will live on forever.

RIP Vangelis. Beautiful musical soul. Thank you for living...

Nicholas Gunn
US-based English songwriter and music producer

Wow, that a loss. The word 'pioneer' is too often used but it's appropriate in this case because when you shift expectations about what is possible and create multiple works which can be the epitome of both craft and - dare I say it, art - in the way that #Vangelis did it's sometimes difficult to understand just how influential and significant those works are when they are so often referred to as some of the best, but they really are. Thank you for the music & thank you, most of all, for your creative mind #VangelisRIP

Segun Akinola
English composer for television and documentaries

I’m devastated to learn that Vangelis has just departed this world after battling Covid.

I first became acquainted with his music in the Carl Sagan production, “Cosmos”. Then came Chariots of Fire and Bladerunner, still one of my favorite films largely because of his presence.

Thus began my love affair. I own all of his albums and soundtracks, which are numerous. I remember when the internet came into being, he was one of my first “searches” and I was printing out pages of information dedicated to him with the fear that someone might decide the internet was a bad idea and it would shut down.

His music has been an immeasurable inspiration to me and has certainly influenced my own creative efforts with my Blue Landscapes music and elsewhere. His music has largely been a soundtrack to my life and it has made my life’s experience all the more beautiful and full of marvel and wonder.

His music emphasized beauty in its simplicity, and yet his sense of orchestration was masterful and spontaneous in its creation. Though he didn’t read music, and though I was tickled that 90% of his spontaneous compositions gravitated towards a tonal center of C# or Db, I truly feel he was a genius.

What a gift and musical giant he was to me and millions of others.

Requiesce in pace, Maestro, and thank you for your beautiful and timeless music.

#vangelis #musicalhero #visionary

Robert Thies
American concert pianist

How is it possible that Vangelis never won a Grammy?! I wish I could give him mine-- feeling sad and undeserving today. I hope you are resting peacefuly, in a land as rich as the ones you created with sound. #Vangelis

Vivek J. Tiwary
Grammy Award winner, American author and theater producer

I’m so sorry to hear that Vangelis has passed away. He was a legend, & a huge influence on so many composers. I listened to 1492: Conquest of Paradise so many times when I was growing up, & I love the iconic scores for Chariots of Fire & Blade Runner. Thank you, #Vangelis. #RIP

Emir Isilay
Turkish film composer

Vangelis (1943-2022) As with so many other electronic music musicians, synthesizer fans and film music composers, I too was strongly influenced by Vangelis' outstanding film music and instrumental music. his influence in these areas of music is just immense. I first noticed the name Vangelis with his project "Jon & Vangelis" and his early work with his band "Aphrodite's Child". these chapters are also bursting with his impressive creativity, his love of detail and his surprising soundscapes. at the same time a magician in the studio and a composer with a passion for „playing“ music. thank you for the great music and the numerous hours with the headphones on my head, with my thoughts deep in the worlds and soundscapes of Vangelis.

Σας ευχαριστώ!

Heiko Maile
German musician and composer, member of Camouflage

Absolutely devastated to learn of Vangelis’ passing today. I’ve taken so much inspiration from his work and even just mere days ago, I was deep diving into his writing and programming process yet again to find out more (as I do a couple of times a year). The man was pretty much a self taught musician who was able to convey musically, across a huge spectrum of styles and genres, feelings that many struggle to express: exhilaration, pain, passion, wonderment, trepidation, hope and so much more. A composer and sound designer who pushed boundaries and made machines sing.

This is a loss I will feel deeply for a long time to come. Vale Vangelis ❤️

Jamie Stevens
Electronic dance music

Thank you Vangelis for your inspirational music, the soundtrack to my youth that introduced me to my obsession with synthesisers/ electronic music that in return gifted me my own career. Though I didn’t know him personally, I feel like I’ve lost an old friend. RIP 😔

John 00 Fleming
English trance producer and DJ

RIP Vangelis. A pioneer with a unique sound and style, with his iconic film scores, and his collaborations with Jon Anderson.

Mike Lindup
keyboardist and singer, founder member of "Level 42"

So very hard to take on that #Vangelis has passed on. One of my very favourite composers for so many years. #BladeRunner #ChariotsOfFire #1492 the list is endless. Thank you so much for the power and humanity of your music 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻#VangelisRIP

Peter Irving
London-based actor

rest in peace to a pioneer (and personal musical hero) Vangelis. thank you 💔

el-p
American rapper, songwriter and producer

words can't describe how influential Vangelis's music has been in my life and especially on "Yasuke". Yall know this one cuts deep. RIP to the legend!

FLYLO
American rapper and DJ

#vangelis has returned to source. His legacy will continue to inspire us - a true legend and one of my favourite composers of all time ♥️

Kirsty Hawkshaw
English electronic music vocalist and songwriter

Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou

The reason I came to be...

#vangelis #rip

G.Pal
New York-based Greek composer and sound designer

The score for Blade Runner is my favorite score of all time. The deeply meditative and magical score by #Vangelis came from somewhere beyond my comprehension. It was just insanely good. Thank you for all the wonderful music, have fun in the cosmos.

Jesper Kyd
Danish composer and sound designer

Such an influential composer - his score for Blade Runner was such a huge influence on us. Freaking genius. #vangelis

Hybrid
British electronic music duo

While Carl Sagan was one of the most influential people in my life, Vangelis provided his soundtrack and so many others. Hopefully their energies can reunite in the next dimension. ✨ Cheers to a legend who will be missed.

Von Hertzog
American synthpop artist and producer

Remembering the late, great VANGELIS. So very sad to hear the news but what an amazing legacy he left us. These are my 2 favourites of his, Opera Sauvage & China, my go to albums when I need to relax and disappear into beautiful, nostalgic soundscapes, but so many more other gems in his back catalogue. What are your favourites?

Minute Taker
English recording artist

RIP maestro Vangelis.🖤

Thank you for the music. It’s simply impossible to convey the vast influence that this man's work has had on us. Gunship would not exist without his inspiration.

Travel safe to the shoulder of Orion. We hope the C-Beams glitter in the dark.

#RIPVangelis

GUNSHIP
British synthwave band

May he rest in peace, he was my hero and a massive influence, celebrate his outstanding music and hear his spirit continue within the sounds, the intricate textures and beautiful melodies.

The Rosen Corporation
Hamburg-based electronic music composer and artist

I first discovered Vangelis' music, like many I'm sure, as a teenager seeing Blade Runner for the first time. There aren't all that many composers that successfully paint the world we see on screen with music in such a perfect way as Vangelis did with Blade Runner. His direct and improvisational method of translating what he sees and feels instinctively to the keyboard is genius. A rare talent that allowed him to imbue his music with his emotions derived from the visuals, in real time as he experienced them. This would elevate scenes to a level, with atmosphere and emotion that we don't experience very often in movies, and an impression that for many of us lasted a lifetime.

I was forever a fan of Vangelis since those days. His love of improvisation, the fact that he never learned how to read/write music and that he was quite reclusive were all things I could relate to, gain encouragement from, and thanks to him, understand the importance of emotion in music.

He'll be forever missed. Thank you for the music and inspiration.

State Azure
UK electronic music producer

Rest in peace, Vangelis. He was a pioneer, a visionary, a true artist, and one of my biggest inspirations. #vangelis

Vogel
Electronic dance music

RIP #Vangelis

I remember watching this when I was 14 in a nearly empty ABC cinema in Belfast

I had never seen or heard anything like it...

the music complimented the visuals perfectly

The next day I went back and watched it all again...

Link to posted video

Adrian McKinty
Northern Irish novel writer

The greatest thing any film composer can do is write music that is indelibly associated with images, that could only be for the film it was written for. Vangelis did this many times over. Vale.

Dan Golding
Australian writer, composer and broadcaster

Another master is gone. Goodbye Vangelis… Your music will forever be with us.

❤️ #rip #legend #vangelis

George Perris
Greek-French singer and songwriter

Just learned of the passing of ‘Vangelis’ who created my favorite film score of all time to ‘Bladerunner’. His creative genius of combining acoustic piano, other organic instruments and synthesizers cannot be overstated. Thank you, sir, for blessing this world with your beautiful imagination.

Dan Reed
American musician and artist

The theme from “Chariots of Fire” propels me back to my early adolescent years. What a film score!! It also became one of my favorite movies of all time. Here’s a little tribute to Vangelis.

I wish I'd met him! RIP..

Gabriela Montero
Venezuelan pianist and composer

Thank you for inspiring me to be an electronic musician You are a Legend Vangelis, the impact you had on modern music can’t be measured

RIP
❤️😢❤️

Valentina Moretti
Mexican singer, songwriter and musician

R.I.P. to one of the greatest to ever do it~ #Vangelis

정재윤 / Jae Chong
KPop, CPop and JPop composer and producer

Another great composer gone too soon.

The synthesizers and electronic music community has lost one of his pioneer.

His score for Blade Runner was my favorite.

Dani Donadi
Italian composer and music producer

Me & many others in drum-and-bass have been inspired by this absolute genius. When I hit a creative wall I listen to his music.

A Next Level Genius. R.I.E.P VANGELIS ❤️ #RIPVANGELIS 🙌

FUTUREBOUND VIPER
one half of Matrix & Futurebound

Vangelis passed away. His work, particularly the soundtrack to Chariots of Fire, influenced my passion as a young teenager to just sit down at that upright piano and try to work life out.

Paul Cardall
American pianist and composer

I'm late on Vangelis passing, but still wanted to pay my respects this super talented musician. He made some wonderful tunes both in acoustic and electronic styles. This is one of my faves from his early period. Safe onward journey and I reckon I know what song was playing as he went through the pearly gates. R.I.P

Dave Lee ZR
Disco and house music Dave Lee

Agh! Vangelis has left this world to live on another . RIP master of sound and dreams ,Blade Runner would never have been Blade Runner without your beautiful music 🖤🙏🏼 Thankyou so much

Luke Slater
English electronic musician and DJ

In memory of Vangelis,

He wrote this beautiful anthem called "Rachel's Song". Just like the 'Nasty Boyz' I did my version of this track and named it 'Angel'. Armin played this two years ago at ASOT 950.

Vangelis passed away may 17th

Richard Durand
Dutch DJ and record producer

Most of the people of my generation grew up listening to his music. Vangelis was an icon, and he will never be forgotten. Today we have lost a truly talent. #vangelis #soundtrack #electronic #music #rip

David Granha
Spanish electronic music producer

A great composer has passed away to join the stars. #Vangelis was a very inspired musician and will still very inspiring. The world of music owe him so much. Keep an ear to listen one more time or for the first time to his music. My thouths goes to his family and people he loves.

Christophe C. Andersen
Composer, Arranger, Sound Designer

Vangelis Papathanassiou
1943-2022

We are bidding farewell to a singular musical mind and a deeply charismatic personality. His contributions are a treasure for humanity and place him among the greatest of greats. For most people, his creations have not yet revealed their full importance in the history of global culture. His lifetime opus, spanning Music, Technology and Painting will manifest its significance as time goes by.

He is by far the most important influence in my life and the one that, through his modus operandi, made me believe early on that pursuing Music is indeed worth it, despite all the difficulties.

Dimitris Menexopoulos
Greek sound desginer and composer

A little known fact of music history: my grandfather conducted the very first recordings of Vangelis Papathanassiou, Demis Roussos and Lucas Sideras, which started their careers as internationally renowned recording artists.

My grandfather had founded what was, to the best of my knowledge, the very first independent recording studio in Athens, Greece, in the 1950s.

The Columbia complex predated it and consisted of a record pressing plant and recording studios, spread out over several buildings on the same plot of land, owned by a major record label. Neither the Columbia facility nor my grandfather's studio survived. But the music that was recorded within them certainly did.

I guess it runs in the family!

RIP Vangelis!

#analogrecording #vangelispapathanassiou #vangelis

Jesus I. Agnew
Greek-American audio engineer

I grew up with these epic sounds, R.I.P. legend

Vangelis: Open Spotify

Michelle Rodriguez
American actress

My favorite composer has passed away. He wrote the music to chariots of fire and the greatest movie of all time Blade Runner and many others . Rest In Peace Mr Vangelis #bladerunner #vangelis

Reginald Hayes
American actor, screenwriter, and director

Not only is Bladerunner one of my favorite films of all time, I wore that soundtrack out! The atmospheric, evocative, otherworldly yet nostalgic score by Vangelis was the perfect synthesis of vision and emotion. He was an aural genius. #RIPVangelis

Lou Diamond Phillips
American actor and film director

Sad to hear about the passing of Vangelis, his music and scores alike transported me to another plane. May he Rest In Peace 💥

Sasha Grey
American actress and musician

RIP VANGELIS - Godspeed to the Man, the Myth, the Legend. From defining the expressive voice of the CS80 to creating the iconic synth score of Bladerunner, Vangelis’ impact on our world is enormous. One of our proudest days was when we discovered many years ago that he was one of our users! What an honor! In fact, we were so thrilled when he contacted us earlier this week for support. Truly heartbroken to hear the news that one of our biggest synth heroes is gone. For us it’s like hearing about Michelangelo or Picasso passing! Thank you Vangelis for blessing us with all of your music and your boundless imagination. You are now in the place to which your music always took us, among the stars. 💔🙏❤️🙏💔

Spectrasonics
Virtual synth company

A master of creating timeless soundscapes and an inspiration for so many, we are saddened to hear news of the passing of Vangelis. Our thoughts join with the rest of the music community to mourn the loss of an icon.

Yamaha Synths
Synth company

RIP Vangelis - One of the greatest composers and pioneers of electronic music has passed.

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.

He will be greatly missed.

Behringer
Synth company

Very sad to hear about the death of Vangelis. Not only Vangelis was this incredible composer we all know, but he was -and will remain- an amazing source of inspiration for musicians. He certainly was for us all at #Arturia.

Long after Vangelis is gone his powerful brass will resonate in the heads of many.

Frédéric Brun
Owner of ARTURIA

“He was - and will remain - an amazing source of inspiration for musicians. He certainly was for us all at #Arturia." Rest in power, Vangelis.

ARTURIA
Synth company

Yesterday we lost one of the great electronic musicians.

Vangelis was a huge influence on the early development of the sounds of Equator and the Seaboard.

Here's one of our favourites from Blade Runner, found in the ROLI vaults.

Link to video demonstration

#RIPVangelis #Vangelis #Seaboard #BladeRunner

ROLI
music technology company

R.I.P. Vangelis. His music in the Cosmos and Blade Runner soundtracks was one of the main influences for my career path.

I saw Blade Runner in the Cinerama Theater in Seattle in 1982. Watching this in 70 mm / 6 track Dolby blew my mind. Everything about this was amazing: the synths, the 224 reverb, the huge percussion.

Valhalla DSP
Digital audio tools company

We’re saddened to hear the passing of one of the greatest film composers of all time, the legendary Vangelis.

“All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain...”

Varèse Sarabande Records
Soundtrack record label

We were shocked to hear of Vangelis' passing last week. Vangelis spent 6 months working out of Metropolis in 2012.

Rest in peace Vangelis, our thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and friends.

Metropolis Studios
Recording Studio, UK

I couldn't and didn't want to talk about Vangelis earlier, because I couldn't. But tonight I wanted to write and share with you some memories, anecdotes and what Vangelis represented on a personal level. The immense composer and the friend he was for me.

Everyone remembers the "Chariots of fire" for which he had won an Oscar against another giant, John Williams (and his music by Indiana Jones), or for his magnificent music for the film "1492, Conquest of paradise one of my favorite songs. The public generally knows only a tiny part of his work. He had actually composed so much, so much experimented. Including for me... and I find it hard to realize as I write these lines the immense honor he did me, but the last time we saw each other, he had made me listen with my astronaut friend Jean-François Clervoy a music he had composed inspired by the digital paintings of my book HOPES that he loved so much he told me. (And since Vangelis was also a great painter, a friend of Dali, you can imagine the pleasure it could have). We then sat in the armchairs of his office with Jean-François, and closed our eyes to listen to the recording he had made just before going to supper. This memory will live on forever.

Nor will I ever forget those whole nights spent philosophizing on the state of the world, sometimes in the smoke of his cigars, until the early morning when he usually lost me around 6 or 7 a.m. I would then go to bed near his piano (I loved that). His incredible piano, unique in the world, with which he explored, composed, imagined, created, invented...

When I came to his office, there was always an innumerable amount of awards that he had had throughout his career. Diplomas and documents from NASA (his music has indeed inspired the space world so much within all the agencies, from NASA to ESA, for which he composed the music for the Rosetta probe), but also his famous oscar - an Oscar is heavy! – and so many others… I remember asking him one day which one he was most proud of. He then showed me the olive branch (if I'm not mistaken, but I'm pretty sure it was an olive tree) under glass, which came from the village of his childhood. It had been given to him years later, when he had returned there, to Greece. A return that had sounded for him like a kind of revenge, because he had always been very critical of the education he had received at school and often explained to me that he had learned everything in the end by himself. and that the school was in no way responsible for his success (on the contrary). We also shared this critical look at school and studies and the discrepancy between what is taught there, and what we should basically expect from it.

I remember lots of anecdotes he told me, light discussions we had about the stupid things we had done in our respective youths (in fact we had found some points in common on this level, it was quite amusing 🙂 to the most serious and serious topics about the state of the world and the path that humanity was on. Vangelis was lucid about the state of our planet, and worried, it is the least that can be said. As a warning sign, the music he had made me listen to that famous evening, around the paintings of Hopes was very dark, it gave me the impression of a world in the midst of chaos with at times, like in the middle of a storm, sort of small musical clearings despite everything, a musical metaphor for what was going to happen in the following months...

And then there were those surreal moments, when he talked to me about his friend Slavador Dali (because Vangelis was also a great painter himself and I was always stunned by his paintings which were everywhere in his house) or other personalities whose he had crossed the whole within the framework of his long career. I remember that day when he wanted to call Sean Connery, to offer him to participate in Hopes. Or that day when he showed Hopes to Oliver Stone who had stopped by the house. Because it was also this Vangelis person, someone generous who tried to help, to advise... and who, I could see, also worried about me in the complicated times I was going through, which really touched me..

Finally come back to me those moments when he played his musical works for us. This same Vangelis who had played in front of hundreds of thousands of people at the opening of the Olympic Games in Athens or in the pharaonic concerts he gave in his country and which we had for ourselves, at his home. Watching him play was a real spectacle in itself, unique on the myriad of devices around him. I have never seen anything comparable in music.

I regret that we had time to collaborate more. But I consider myself so lucky already to have crossed his path and to have spent these moments with him.

This evening I write these words I confess with tears in my eyes listening to his Album "Nocturne", and in particular his rewriting of "Conquest of Paradise", because it is the music that made me know him and "the petite fille de la mer” from "l'Apocalypse des Animaux" because I like the peaceful and melancholy side of this album that I listened to with my little nephew at night, looking at the sky in summer.

Thank you for everything Maestro. Thank you for your music, thank you for these countless discussions, thank you for your friendship,

Thank you for everything.

Rest in peace

Laura, I'm thinking of you very much tonight. Thank you to my friends Jean-François, and to Fernando Doblas for having allowed this beautiful meeting a few years ago without knowing that this beautiful friendship was going to result from it.

(translated)

Yannick Monget
Founder of Symbiom Group

Greece and the world are sadly saying goodbye to a musical genius.

Vangelis Papathanassiou, one of the leading Greek composers, passed away today at the age of 79.

A pioneer of electronic sound, he experimented with all genres and grew internationally as a musician and composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz and orchestral music.

He won an Oscar for his original soundtrack to "Chariots of Fire"" in 1982, and has composed a number of other major films, including Ridley Scott's "Blade Runner".

Athens Epidaurus Festival
Annual arts festival

Rest in Peace, ‪ Vangelis, a true Legend and great man who carried Music and culture around the world for decades! Your music will live forever! 💔🌹🕯

World Music Awards

It's sad news that the composer Vangelis has passed away. Amongst the beautiful music that he composed were albums related to solar system exploration. He worked extensively with Scott Bolton, leader of the Juno project, and produced an album "Juno to Jupiter" (Decca, 2020), of inspiring soundscapes to accompany the Juno mission. I recommend it! He had earlier written music for the Rosetta mission.

BAA Jupiter Section
Jupiter Section of the British Astronomical Association

Enormous grief.
A huge loss.
End of an Era.

Addio my friend

#RIPVANGELIS #ΒαγγέληςΠαπαθανασίου

Aspasia Leventis
International Foundation for Greece

He had honored me many times with his friendship, his love and his trust, but I will miss his presence very much for many more reasons. I add here the words of my wife Karen, who describe him much better than my own pen could do: "A gentleman and a gentle person. Twinkling and sparkling eyes like the stars he listened to. An engaging personality and a “persona” which filled the room as well as his music. His honors and awards hidden among his books, not ostentatiousλy displayed. An honor to have sat around his table with Laura and his friends. »

Link to video

(translated)

Dionysis Simopoulos
Eugenides Planetarium's director

🎵 His music has inspired all of us, and we were honoured to work with him for our commercials: directly from our historical archive our tribute to #Vangelis, who with this unforgettable melody brought #Barilla pasta into the homes of all of you.

Link to video

Thanks for everything, Maestro!

Barilla Group
Food company

What an amazing moment we shared! How nice to have met and collaborated with you. We shall miss you Vangelis. 🕊

youtube.com/W4UGbr0RBGo

Red Design Consultants
Greek branding agency

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.

Hailed as a pioneer of electronic sound he was continually celebrated for his evocative Oscar winning 1981 Chariots of Fire soundtrack as well as his score for the film Blade Runner.

We had the pleasure of interviewing him in the June 2020 edition and you can read it here.

RIP Vangelis, what a sad loss for music

Sound on Sound
UK audio magazine

rest in peace to a pioneer and personal musical hero

Link to NME article

NME
UK music magazine

Rest In Peace King. A huge loss to our community. Take your synth goodness to the skies and we’ll catch you in another world 🎹 #vangelis

Attack Magazine
London-based electronic music online magazine

A giant of music has departed. Rest in peace, Vangelis.

Classic FM
UK classical radio station

#RIP
Vangelis 🎶🎹💔
29 March 1943 - 17 May 2022

We are absolutely devastated to be told of the death of Vangelis.
Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou was born on 29th March 1943 in Agria, Greece. He was best known to us as a progressive electronic composer and musician of the highest calibre, who passed away on 17th May 2022 in France having enjoyed a career spanning more than 50 years. Rest in peace Vangelis, your music will live on forever.

Proggers
Progressive rock Facebook page

My biggest disappointment making DANGEROUS DAYS was being unable to get Vangelis for an interview. His music, not just in BLADE RUNNER, was otherworldly in beautiful and haunting ways I lack the words to describe. He created lush dream states I still love getting lost in.
R.I.P.

Charles de Lauzirika
Film maker of "Blade Runner" documentary film

Sad to hear of the passing of Oscar-winning composer #Vangelis. His futuristic synth score to #BladeRunner remains an unmatched masterpiece. May He Rest In Peace.

Drew Struzan
American artist, and designer on "Blade Runner" film poster

Vangelis' music is the soundtracks of dreams. His music made men run faster, made cars fly. Scores stolen from another dimension to expand ours, each a gift.

Michael Green
Screenwriter on "Blade Runner 2049"

RIP Vangelis 😔

Thank you for the music!

Alex Solman
German illustrator

Everyone remembers something from Vangelis Papathanassiou. In my memory remains something public and personal at the same time. Our collaboration in the presentation of his work "Mythodea" organized on June 28, 2001, in the center of Athens, at the Temple of Olympian Zeus, by the Ministry of Culture and Sony Classical. This music accompanied the same year, the NASA mission to Mars and became a worldwide success. It was the opening event of the Cultural Olympiad in view of the 2004 Olympic Games. An impressive universal message. But also a difficult artistic, organizational, technical, communicative and (as it happens, fortunately or unfortunately, with all the important things) political bet. Now Vangelis Papathanassiou is becoming his music. This unique musical wave that came from his talent.

(translated)

Evangelos Venizelos
Former Greek minister of Culture and Sport

Vangelis Papathanassiou, a great Greek, a great creator of contemporary music is "gone".

I was lucky to have met him. His stories and artistic sensibilities were unique.

We will continue to travel in its unique sounds, to the rhythm "Chraiots of Fire".

(translated)

Tasos Chatzivasileiou
Member of the Greek Parliament

Our condolences to the family of Vangelis Papathanasiou and to music lovers all over the world mourning the loss of one of Greece's most celebrated artists. Vangelis shaped the music landscape of the 20th century and was a pioneer in fusing contemporary sounds with classical compositions and musical traditions. His legacy has been recognized by the most important performing artists and institutions around the world, and his award-winning music will remain forever a treasure for humanity. He wrote the timeless scores for Chariots of Fire and Blade Runner, among numerous other classics. Through his music, we journeyed to the stars. May you rest in peace, and may your music and memory live on.

US Embassy Athens

The great Greek composer, "Vangelis" Papathanassiou, left this world at the age of 79, who died in Paris. The cultural world, Greece, has lost one of the precursors of electronic music, which Le Monde describes as the "wizard of synths".

To name just one title, listen again to "La Petite fille de la mer" from her album "L'apocalypse des animaux".

Link to "La Petite fille de la mer"

Ambassade de France en Grèce
Embassy of France, Greece

We mourn Greek Oscar-winning composer Vangelis who passed away at the age of 79. He will be remembered for his wonderful work in the music and film scene, as well as his musical contributions to ballet, theatre and even football.

Embassy of Belgium in Greece and Cyprus

Today, June 3rd, 2022, at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, in a close circle and in a simple ceremony took place the civil funeral and cremation of the world renowned composer Vangelis.

On behalf of his office
Evangelos Kalafatis

“We regret to announce that the world renowned composer Vangelis has passed away on Tuesday, May 17th, late at night. ”

From his private office

A breathtaking travel through space, but also through five decades of Vangelis' music. As Juno discovers the secrets of Jupiter, we as listeners journey through the clouds of our musical memories. Listening to the 72 minutes of Juno to Jupiter we explore back and forward so many great sonic avenues, familiar but still original, while always staying the course, in a way that only Vangelis can do. Well done, Maestro!

Marc Vanholsbeeck

I'm deeply grateful for this Masterpiece which offers us so much Happiness. My heart never ceases to thank Vangelis for sharing so many emotions endlessly in this wonderful new Opus Juno to Jupiter.

Fernando Hoya

I admit I was hoping for a correct album, but not one of Vangelis' greats, however there is memorable music on Juno To Jupiter. A good part of it is music, I would say that it is a soundtrack to accompany the space mission, and in that sense it fulfills perfectly; but there is also music like that for which you can leave the album well at hand, because you want to play it over and over again. I have already listened to "Juno's Tender Call" dozens of times in the few days that I have been with the album; I find it beautiful. The other pieces in which Angela Gheorghiu takes part do not detract. "Inside Our Perspectives" and "In The Magic Of Cosmos" are perhaps the most commercial pieces, the kind with hook. "Hera / Juno Queen Of The Gods" is a cover of "Sunlight" (Rosetta), and "Juno's Power" is intentionally reminiscent of "Conquest Of Paradise", but there are more pieces with echoes of already known Vangelis music, than satisfies to acknowledge. Ultimately, Vangelis remains at a high level. I can't stop thinking about what has happened with Mike Oldfield and Jean-Michel Jarre, two of the greats who have lost their musical direction years ago and, although Jarre has released one album after another in recent years, I have not found in them one piece to remember and get those records off the shelf after the first time I listened to them. I hope that one day they will delight us again. Vangelis is still in great shape. Thank you, once again, for your music. Long live the Maestro!

PS: The only downside is why are there two pieces that are on Vinyl and not on CD (not even in the boxed version)?

Tomás Vega Moralejo, from Spain

Oscar-winning composer Vangelis release his newest album called Juno To Jupiter. This is a 100% superb classical space music with new elements sounds you had encounter with ambient style of music. This masterpiece it only takes you to a different new place only this time it's Jupiter mission to the universe and beyond. Like Mythodea and Rosetta are both combinations mixed Vangelis creates his own symphonic with digital orchestra sound samplers along with project is soprano Angela Gheorghiu as Juno, her voice perform is sound beautifully with gentle delicate music on Juno's Tender Call. it's good to hear Vangelis his synth instruments like the yamaha CS-80 his favorite signature sound. he picks his own soundscape from his music past archives. Inside Our Perspective I had fun dancing away with the tune. The rest of the sound of music are now so timeless in space, it's the soundtrack to our lives. I definitely recommended to buy this copy this will be added to your collection on CD and vinyls to listen and enjoy.

I was a huge Vangelis fan since he did the score for Blade Runner in 1982. that's one of my favorite movie and soundtracks of all time it made an impact in my life. I've been collecting his music over the years. It's the best time and bad time when I feel a little bit down I play his music makes me feel better. He made music came from nature he connect with. Congratulations Vangelis for your latest work you made for fan as me too. Just remember, with great full respect to the maestro for music and his work. Thank you Vangelis.

Laserdisc Dream

Juno to Jupiter this is a very good album, long waited for. Unlike the late 70's when Vangelis was recording 2 or 3, albums a year (Beaubourg, Odes, Opera Sauvage, China, Short Stories, all from '78-'79).

I just ordered Juno last night. It will be here tomorrow, but I've heard it all on the web. This album and Rosetta are obviously linked through the space missions and indeed there is one song featuring Angela Gheorghiu (Juno Queen of the Gods) that has the same melody as Sunlight from Rosetta. It seems more uplifting with Angela singing beautiful soprano vocals. Apart from those elements this is a stand alone album with the impact of a pleasant and successful space voyage.

This is a very long album 70 minutes plus and should please those who have longed for his more ambient electronica leanings, but also harp, piano, timpani are used throughout. Juno's power also quotes 1492's main theme. It's interesting, someone keeps insisting that Heaven and Hell is his best work, as it is pre-Yamaha-CS80, for with he is most known for. Regardless of what album or style he plays, has been a constant for over 40 years.

Best Regards, David Denton

Vangelis (1943), active as a composer and music innovator since 1963, is obviously still inspired. His dreamy 2019 album "Nocturne" had the uncanny feeling of being somewhat of a farewell-album, but "Juno to Jupiter" bristles once more with wonderful ideas. On the one hand, the sound is full of robotics, mechanics and science; but on the other hand, the sound is also full of love, compassion and consolation. What's more, he manages to combine these contrasts in a remarkably original way. On this album, he also seems to revisit some of his earlier landmarks: we hear soundscapes that remind one of Mask (1985), Blade runner (1982), Mythodea (2001), and even Conquest of Paradise (1992), specifically "Moxica and the Horse".

For this concept album, Vangelis combined the scientific Jupiter mission with the ancient mythology of Zeus and Hera, which provided the space for the romantic ingredients on the album. The truly magnificent contributions of soprano Angela Gheorghiu (as Juno / Hera) on three tracks is really the icing on the cake. The only 'minor' point that I could think of is that all tracks crossfade into each other, which means that in the full run of 72 minutes, there is barely a single second of absolute silence, which for some may turn the experience into a long haul. This is definitely no background music; it requires your full attention. But in that case the investment is certainly worth it. Chapeau maestro Vangelis!

Jan-Willem van Aalst

Once again, the Maestro ventures out into space. In the body of his work, this can sound like a faint merger of Mythodea and Rosetta. Like Mythodea, it fuses the ancient Greek (and by name Roman) theogeny with space exploration. And like Rosetta, it is adventurous in the various styles executed and the timbres employed. But like with all of his albums, it is definitely a work onto itself and plays by its own rules. Personally, I like it when Vangelis gets into adventurous mode as it was akin to what he was doing in the 1970s and 1980s. It's clear that he is very comfortable with his setup, which will allow him to go into these various directions as directed [see what I did there? ;) ]. All in all, a lovely addition to the grand oeuvre of Vangelis. Ad astra per aspera.

Derek Power

This music seems to be identical with the leaked version from last summer, so in this sense it is not new to many fans, but it's good have the physical album in our hands, at last. I like the lengthy booklet too, which is part of the CD box.

To me the biggest strength of this album is its sound which I find awesome: truly cosmic, magnificient, fitting perfectly with the NASA project. I'm wondering if Juno and Jupiter synths are used, but I can hear many unique sounds which make the album really colorful, not even mentioning the 3 ariettas which blend nicely with the other tracks. The music is actually so "visual" that it would have deserved a simultaneous DVD release, just imagine 73 minutes of music with images of Jupiter and the Solar System.

As a standalone music album however, I find Juno To Jupiter less satisfying than some other Vangelis works, because none of the tracks appear to be outstanding or essential on their own. It might be due to my personal preference: I find Vangelis at his best when he delivers more rhythmic, theme-based compositions. Juno to Jupiter belongs rather to the ambient genre, especially the first 50 minutes before it turns classical/orchestral.

Zoltán Horváth

A new Vangelis album is always a great event. In this case, for me, I bought it over a year ago when it was "leaked" on a website so it was quite disappointing to wait so long for its official release. As usual with Vangelis, it is always a mixture of expected and unexpected and there are a few surprises. "Juno's quiet determination" is one of these songs that is different, light hearted, even funny yet enjoyable and quite different from V's usual style. Whilst not the most melodic album, a few gems like Juno's Tender Call and Inside Our Perspectives are quite catchy. My favourite is Jupiter's Veil Of Clouds, which he had composed for Mary Katrantzou's Spring Summer 2019 fashion show, although he got it of the Pulstar piano reference which I would have loved in this album. A very good album, but definitely not my favourite!

Yannick Berland (UK)

This new work by Vangelis will be for Vangelis fanatics, as always, a masterpiece. For fans like me, who like to compare his works, it is better than the unfortunate Rosetta and Alexander. It's a nice New Age album like Chariots of Fire (movie and musical) but it's far from his best Heaven and Hell. Vangelis sounds a bit more modern Direct type, with sounds and tunes of Blade Runner, El Greco, Alexander, The City and ... The Tegos Tapes, the latter being much superior to Juno and from where Vangelis takes several tunes, but he not develops them in the same way as in The Tegos Tapes.

MaOz

When it comes to Vangelis' new album, a comparison is usually made between his old and new style. In my opinion, the maestro uses only one style of his own - spontaneity and improvisation. As a medieval alchemist, Vangelis mixed various genres and styles very aptly, and the result is a magical musical meditation. The extravagant "Inside our perspectives" evokes in my imagination a futuristic fashion show on a space station in orbit around Jupiter. "Out in Space"? Perhaps the most spectacular and mysterious play by the composer in decades. My journey continues, with the memory of "2001 : A Space Odyssey" by Sir Arthur Clarke. That's it. The "Discovery" spacecraft enters Jupiter's lunar system. Majestic, mysterious, incomprehensible Cosmos. Only Maestro Vangelis can recreate the mysterious silence of space in sounds! Angela Gheorghiu raises her voice in three wonderful compositions like a real opera Diva ! Poetry! Surprisingly, the sublime theme of the album is "Zeus Almighty". It sounds like a suite for classical ballet with the main characters Zeus and Hera. An involuntary parallel with Stravinsky also arises in me. Vangelis' music paints beautiful pictures of Greek mythology. Zeus, Hera, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto in their "space" garden .... In this album, Vangelis has shown the whole palette of colours of life, because in his musical themes I do not hear to his old or new style, but I see the past, present and future. Respect, Maestro Papathanassiou!

Valeri Kirilov

To celebrate the release, please feel invited to share your thoughts on the album. We'll collect them for publication on this site in the weeks to come.

Please limit your story to roughly 450 words and stick to the topic: Juno To Jupiter. Email your input to: elsew.com@gmail.com

Decca Records announces the release of Vangelis' new album "Juno to Jupiter" on September 24. The album will be available on CD and digital formats, with vinyl and a limited edition box set to follow.

The work, inspired by NASA's ground-breaking mission by the Juno space probe and its ongoing exploration of Jupiter, is a multi-dimensional musical journey featuring the voice of opera superstar Angela Gheorghiu. The album includes sounds from the Juno launch event on earth, from the probe and its surroundings and Juno's subsequent journey that have been sent back to earth from the probe, which continues to study Jupiter and its moons: 365 million miles away from the earth at its closest point.

The Juno mission, one of NASA's most challenging and scientifically ambitious planetary missions ever attempted, is named so after Hera (in Roman Juno), who, according to Greek mythology, was the mother of Gods and humans and the wife of Zeus, in Roman Jupiter, who was the father of Gods and humans. In order to hide his mischiefs, Jupiter drew a veil of clouds around himself. However, Hera/Juno was able to peer through the clouds and discover her husband's activities with her special powers. Similarly the Juno spacecraft is looking beneath the clouds revealing the planet's structure and history and how our solar system has been formed.

"I thought to put emphasis on the characteristics of Jupiter/Zeus and Hera/Juno that according to the Greek Theogony, had a special relationship. I felt that I should present Zeus/Jupiter only with sound, as the musical laws transform chaos into harmony, which moves everything and life itself. Unlike, for Hera / Juno, I felt the need for a voice. Angela Gheorghiu, represents in this historical depiction of the mission to the planet Jupiter, Hera / Juno, in a breathtaking way. " - Vangelis

This July marks the five-year anniversary of the Juno spacecraft's orbit insertion at Jupiter. Launched in 2011 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Juno arrived at Jupiter on July 4, 2016. Due to its importance the mission that primarily was scheduled to be completed 31st of this July, has been extended by NASA and now Juno will continue exploring the full Jovian system - Jupiter and its moons - until September 2025.

Voices featured on the album, courtesy of NASA, include scientists Randall Faelan (Lockheed Martin, Deep Space Exploration Real-Time Operations Lead), Chris Leeds (Lockheed Martin, Telecom Sr. Engineer), Jennifer Delavan (Lockheed Martin, Spacecraft Systems) and Matt Johnson (Juno Mission Manager, JPL/Caltech).

Vangelis, a pioneer in electronic music, with his ever expanding imagination and innovative experimentations, is the one that, as no other, has made the perfect blending between the acoustic and electronic world. His orchestrations for this new album expand once again the horizons of electronic music by blurring the line between it and acoustic symphonic music which culminate in a breath-taking and in the same time soothing musical journey. Vangelis' characteristic use of synthesizers, bold brass riffs and expansive strings convey a sense of mystery about life beyond our own world, and commemorate all those who have dealt and still deal with the observation and the exploration of the stars, the planets and the Universe; and who have dedicated their lives to understanding the final frontier and the secrets of our solar system.

"The music of a film is instrumental in the feeling one gets, this idea is clear to all film makers, as the music touches our souls in a way that far surpasses the visual experience. This is the case in so many films that Vangelis has scored, and is again true for Juno to Jupiter which provides a new dimension to our connection with nature and humanity's quest to reach out beyond Earth and touch the part of us that is present throughout the solar system and beyond. " - Dr. Scott Bolton, Juno Mission Principal Investigator

Vangelis, without formal training, began playing piano at the age of four and by age six was giving public performances of his own compositions - his natural gift coming from a place he calls memory - a place he says we can all tap into if we can only remember. Since his childhood, Vangelis is constantly composing music and has released over forty albums, over twenty movie/TV soundtracks, two ballets, one modern dance performance, six plays, three choral symphonies and has major audio/visual spectaculars to his credit.

Vangelis' music is often linked to themes of science, history and exploration. Alongside his Academy Award-winning score for Chariots of Fire and his acclaimed Blade Runner music, he has written the choral symphony 'Mythodea' for NASA's 2001 Mission to Mars, as well as films including Antarctica, 1492: Conquest of Paradise and Alexander. Vangelis also collaborated with the European Space Agency (ESA) on his album Rosetta to mark the culmination of the Rosetta Mission to land a probe on a comet for the first time in history, as well as for the broadcasting by ESA into space of his CD single dedicated to the late Professor Stephen Hawking, as a mark of respect and remembrance. His music has also been used in the documentary series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage by Carl Sagan.

NASA has presented Vangelis with their Public Service Medal. Also, the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory named the Asteroid 6354 which is located between Jupiter and Mars "Vangelis" in his honour, due to the international impact and appreciation of his work as well as his rapport with the Universe.

"Vangelis has composed all of the music for Juno videos, documentaries, and simulations of observations […]. It is not often that an Oscar-winning (and not only) composer is inspired to write music about space. So, the Juno mission has had its public impact multiplied by the unique talent of Vangelis' music. This libretto is a continuation of the Juno story.... " - Stamatios (aka Tom) Krimigis, Principal Investigator, Voyager 1 and 2

Vangelis' position and strongest wish is that we shouldn't forget that Space, Universe, Cosmos, in whichever name we call it, is our hope and future and we need to be careful not to make the same mistakes in space that we constantly made in our planet, as it is the only chance we have - our future.

Vangelis Juno to Jupiter, CD and Digital, is out via Decca on September 24 and available to preorder here. Vinyl and a limited-edition box set to follow.

CD Track list:

     1. ATLAS' PUSH
          Spoken word samples courtesy of NASA
     2. INSIDE OUR PERSPECTIVES
     3. OUT IN SPACE   
     4. JUNO'S QUIET DETERMINATION
     5. JUPITER'S INTUITION
     6. JUNO'S POWER
     7. SPACE'S MYSTERY ROAD
     8. IN THE MAGIC OF COSMOS
     9. JUNO'S TENDER CALL  
          Angela Gheorghiu, soprano, as Juno
    10. JUNO'S ECHOES
    11. JUNO'S ETHEREAL BREEZE
    12. JUPITER'S VEIL OF CLOUDS
    13. HERA/JUNO QUEEN OF THE GODS
          Angela Gheorghiu, soprano, as Juno
    14. ZEUS ALMIGHTY  
    15. JUPITER REX
    16. JUNO'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS
          Angela Gheorghiu, soprano, as Juno
    17. APO 22
          Spoken word samples courtesy of NASA. (*)
    18. IN SERENITATEM

(*) Voices: Randall Faelan, Lockheed Martin, Deep Space Exploration Real-Time Operations Lead; Chris Leeds, Lockheed Martin, Telecom Sr. Engineer; Jennifer Delavan, Lockheed Martin, Spacecraft Systems; and Matt Johnson, Juno Mission Manager, JPL/Caltech.

facebook.com/VangelisOfficial
Vangelis.lnk.to/JunoToJupiterSo

“To my dear friend Sean: the man with a unique charisma, the distinguished personality, the great actor, the admired and appreciated by the people all over the world, the one carrying a childlike innocence and the strongest desire for freedom, I wish you this journey to the known unknown to bring you even closer to harmony and fulfillment to your soul.

Your friend,
Vangelis”

"I am announcing my participation in the endeavor of Mr. Yannick Monget and Symbiom Editions to the publishing of their book, under the title “Hopes”, in which, they present the severe dangers our Planet is facing and the existing solutions in this regard.

I decided, along with many other individuals from all over the World to participate in this book, to musically contribute in the project and help the endeavour of Mr. Yannick Monget and Symbion Editions, due to its matter subject.

June 12th, 2020
VANGELIS"

"The thread" have as our first concern the health and safety of people, so we stay at home. However, we are giving an online appointment on Friday, April 17th, at 21.00 Greek time, to watch the broadcast via Youtube and Facebook, of the world premiere of our show that took place a year ago in Sadler's Wells, London.

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/sadlerswells
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SadlersWells/

We support culture and online... we stay at home. STAY TUNED...

Lavris Production

“It came to me like a thunder when I found out the devastating news that Rutger is not with us anymore. He was a good friend of mine and I was hoping to meet him again in the next few months as we used to. Unfortunately this will not happen.

I will always keep the memory of him as a good friend and indeed I will never forget this old time classic scene from the Bladerunner movie, ending his monologue with the following pleas "time to die" and a white pigeon flies in the sky.

Farewell my friend.”

- Vangelis

The Thread - a fan review / Ancona

"I attended the first of two planned performances (1st of march), in the magnificent "Teatro delle Muse" in Ancona. The venue was stunning, The interior looked like a typical Renaissance Italian city, even if all was in concrete and brick.. "

"The stage, to the opposite, was very minimal, all in total black, with only some very carefully projected white spots. The performance started at 20.45 and this unique act ended 80 minutes later. The dancers, around 20 in total, mostly female, with their performance told or suggested - in a not narrative way - the ancient myth of Ariadne and the Minotaur in a kind of metaphoric interpretation of the legend.. The dresses were beautiful and coloured, resembling old tunics for the women and military uniforms for the men. Sadly, it was prohibited to take photographs or capture audio and video recordings."

"The music was superb. Eighty minutes of Vangelis at his best, bombastic, evocative and mysterious, in the same way as his more ethnic productions from before. All the tunes in this "suite" (there were only few seconds to separate one track from the next) were a bit dark, more percussive than expressly tonal or melodic, with Greek or Byzantines flavours... You can easlily find echoes of "Cavafy", "El Greco" or "Alexander" (Bagoas' dance should fit perfectly here), with trumpet, violin, lyre or other ancient Greek instruments in a leading role and only sparse electronic waves in the background. Sometimes the voices of dancers were joint to the pre recorded voices. In another tune, little bells were stuck to belts of male dancers, which accumulated the percussion into an explosive crescendo. There was great applause at the end. Another gem from Vangelis. "

- Paolo Carnovale, Italy

LUMINARY COMPOSER LAUNCHES LUNAR ALBUM

VANGELIS: NOCTURNE

"Night gives birth to all"
– for Vangelis this verse from the Orphic hymn to the Night says it all

FANS INVITED TO UNLOCK NEW MUSIC WITH THE MOON

Fans taking photos of the moon to unlock new Vangelis music © Jake Turney

Nocturnal Promenade Single released: 21st Dec 2018
Chariots of Fire Single released: 11th Jan 2019

Visit vangelisnocturne.com for more!

Pioneering composer Vangelis is offering fans the chance to hear music from his brand new album 'Nocturne' before its release, by taking photos of the moon. They can upload their pictures via mobile phone to an innovative new website (vangelisnocturne.com) which uses visual recognition technology to unlock each new track according to its corresponding single cover image and lunar phase.

Vangelis' new album will be released on 25th January 2019 on Decca Records and is a soothing collection of solo piano pieces, recorded in his inimitable style. There are 11 new tracks as well as brand new versions of his iconic hits including Chariots of Fire and the 'Love Theme' from Blade Runner. Vangelis himself records on a grand piano for the first time.

'Nocturne' is Vangelis' first new album in two years and includes a host of new piano compositions inspired by night time and his long-held passion for space. Among the new tracks are such beautiful pieces as 'Nocturnal Promenade', which opens the album and is the first single, as well as 'Through the Night Mist', 'Sweet Nostalgia' and 'Lonesome'.

Vangelis' music is often linked to themes of science, history and exploration. Alongside his Academy Award-winning score for Chariots of Fire and his acclaimed Blade Runner music, he has written the choral symphony 'Mythodea' for NASA's 2001 Mission to Mars, as well as films including Antarctica, 1492: Conquest of Paradise and Alexander. His music has also been used in the documentary series Cosmos by Carl Sagan.

Recently, Vangelis collaborated with the European Space Agency (ESA) on his 2016 album 'Rosetta', which was inspired by the Rosetta Mission to land a probe on a comet for the first time in history.

With millions of sales worldwide, Vangelis remains at the top of his game thanks to his masterly ability to compose stirring music that fuels the senses. But to Vangelis, music is a sacred, basic force of the universe, its purpose to elevate, inspire and to heal humankind. His new album 'Nocturne' aims to give listeners the chance to relax and reconnect with the world around us.

Tracklisting:

   1. Nocturnal Promenade
   2. To the unknown Man from Spiral
   3. Movement Nine from Mythodea
   4. Moonlight reflections
   5. Through the Night Mist
   6. Early Years
   7. Love Theme from Blade Runner
   8. Sweet Nostalgia
   9. Intermezzo
  10. To a Friend
  11. La Petite Fille de la Mer from Apocalypse des Animaux
  12. Longing
  13. Chariots of Fire from Chariots of Fire
  14. Unfulfilled Desire
  15. Lonesome
  16. 1492: Conquest of Paradise from 1492: Conquest of Paradise
  17. Pour Melia

facebook.com/VangelisOfficial
https://decca.lnk.to/NocturneFP

"Vangelis fans won't be disappointed. This looked like a nice 90 minute video clip with dancers live on the stage. Music was 100% genuine Vangelis. Not some remixes from old tracks but totally new music, with most scenes having rhythmic bombasting music similar to the compositions in Alexander's dance scenes. The intro was a nice small melodic piece."

"The music was sort of mystic ritual with bass sounds repeating and included many folklore tracks, reminding me of the cretan harp (violin) sounds of El Greco movie. What you hear in the trailer on YouTube is the music you mostly hear in the show. And for the die hard fans: you can hear all Vangelis signature sounds (Blade Runner CS-80, angelic voices and the sort)!"

"The show in general left a very nice impressions. The dance was like a typical Greek/Balkan folklore dance, the costume design was fantastic with nice colors reflecting in the dark. I couldn't take my eyes from the stage. There was a part though where the music wasn't what you would expect to go with the dancing on the stage. Maybe the director wanted it to look like a dream or something."

"It would be nice to see a 'studio' album coming out of this, with a little studio remixing. It sounded like it needed some extra sound engineering work. The show should be perfect by the time it arrives in London."

Last week, the European Space Agency (ESA) presented Vangelis with a certificate to mark his outstanding contribution to the Rosetta mission. Rosetta was the first spacecraft to rendezvous with and escort a comet, and to observe changes in its frozen surface and environment as it was warmed during its closest approach to the Sun. Shortly after arrival at Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014, the Rosetta orbiter dispatched the Philae lander to make the first controlled touchdown on a comet nucleus.

Vangelis composed four new tracks of music for Rosetta in 2014 and released a full studio album in 2016, dedicating it to everyone who made ESA's Rosetta mission possible. The album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Age Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017.

The album contributed to ESA's broad public outreach campaign in creating awareness and informing a wider audience about the mission. Carl Walker, from ESA's Communications Department, said: "Vangelis is a master of enhancing emotions and creating memories with his music. With his album, I believe that Vangelis has shared a lasting memory of our Rosetta mission through his music. The certificate is a small token of ESA's gratitude and respect for Vangelis' passion and dedication in supporting us."

"THIS PROJECT IS LIKE AN EXCAVATION BOTH INTO THE PAST AND INTO THE FUTURE."

VANGELIS

"Through sound and music, the language that I know best, I pay tribute and express my high esteem and respect to this extraordinary man.

I imagine he will continue to travel with the same devotion, wherever he may be, in the known unknown.

Farewell Professor Hawking"
Vangelis

What Rosetta concretely looks like? All what Vangelis has achieved since 1976. Purists will pounce! Anyway, early Vangelis print is there. Just start listening .... although it is quite impossible to describe this pure musical expression with words: "Origins" launches and place us on the track of "Spiral". "Starstuff" takes us 20 years back to the time of "Oceanic", as if the space and the aquatic world are one in the spirit of the Greek creator. "Infinity" leads us to "1492", watching Columbus, on his way back home. "Exo Genesis" revives "Chariots of Fire", Vangelis symphony of 1981, with an raging flash to "Invisible Connections". Then "Celestial Whispers" appears: what a heavenly sigh! If the sky could tell us, it would talk. An amazing sound source where clarity prevails. "Albedo 0.06" reflects the perspective of the solar reflection on earth, from the view of the probe .... Inconceivable, given that the previous Vangelis "Albedo" (sun/earth) stands at 0.39. Then came the master sequence of the album, "Sunlight": a fountain of youth where the beauty of the light is expressed at the highest of its glory: a pure happiness. To the point that I would forget the rest of the album; except "Return to the Void", a matured Vangelis sequence which seems to remind us that we are simply ephemeral constellations in space.

Vangelis: 73 years, more than 50 original albums and still conveys to his audience this dazzling listening impression. Is it possible to design such a creative dynamism that remains over the time? With Rosetta, Vangelis has not only crossed the barrier of cosmic sound but that of the invisible. He reached the impassable sovereignty of the musical expression. Eternity, seriousness and grace. We often remain silent before this abundance of senses; this abundance of sounds. The adventure of Rosetta thus expressed, it embodies the majesty in grace.

(Extract- Le Temps perpétuel- 2016/ (Translated from French)

- Alex Caire

Fans of Vangelis (or any other artist) buy his (or their) records because they want "musical uplifting pleasure"; music that defines the rest of their lives, music that touches and makes them feel less alone in the universe. And by buying the album, they also want to support the artist so that he would make more albums to please them. He serves music to serve people. He acts as a transmitter. In an ivory tower one might forget that very last thing.

What we got so far in this century was about as much as one or two years of his "production" at Nemo days.

As a 14 year old guy I remember I had to save for months to be able to buy his new album "Opéra sauvage", and was eagerly waiting for the next to come. I didn"t need a lot of patience these days. Wonderful albums came as seasons changed.

Vangelis musically has nothing left to prove nor needs our money from album sales, but once again brings us (the waiting people, the wanting people) immense new musical pleasure with "Rosetta". We can only be grateful...

- Carl Deseyn

More than 15 years I was dreaming about new studio record of such a great master - Vangelis, a synthesizer record, dedicated to Universe. And now, finally, got it! The new album "Rosetta" is a very strong masterpiece. We've got again the typical, but unique sound "A la Vangelis".

For me, the highest memorable moments in this record are the majestic and mysterious "Star stuff", the choral "Infinitude", the glorious "Sunlight" and the romantic "Rosetta".

In fact, the new album reminds me of his old records like "Soil Festivities", "Antarctica", "Oceanic" and "Direct". In this record I hear also the power side of Vangelis. Opening theme draws dramatic mission in deep Space! And then "Perihelion" comes with dark, but catchy rhythmic melody. It is not a surprise that the new album "Rosetta" sounds like an anthem of Nature!

Dear Mr. Papathanassiou, many thanks for the wonderful work! When I listened it, my soul touched the stars and felt the winds of Genesis.

- Valeri Kirilov

It wouldn't take too many words to describe the album: brilliant!

- Jacques Povée

The perceived notion of some that Vangelis' music of late has eschewed the harder synthesizer sounds for an orchestral palette may have to re-evaluate after listening to this. There are some orchestral passages in "Infinitude", "Rosetta" and in particular "Mission Accomplie", but for the most part this album is a tour de force of Vangelis' virtuosity with melody, synthesizer effects and production. Just listen to the swirling effects on "Origins", the frenetic sequences of "Albedo 0.06", the ambience of "Return To The Void" or the gossamer thin melodies intertwined on "Starstuff" to be reminded of past albums of the 70's to the 90's.

The tracks "Sunlight", "Elegy" and "Starstuff" are among the most beautiful of Vangelis' works evoking the vast distances of space and on "Elegy" in particular, the loneliness felt by humanity when their emissaries shut down and travel the void forever.

This is music on an epic scale, befitting the vastness and grandeur of space.

Like all great albums, this one rewards repeated listening. A remarkable work.

- Patrick Gleeson

A fairly average input from Vangelis. When I first heard about the new album, I had mixed feelings. I was excited but I wasn't expecting much. The 3rd CD of the BladeRunner album was pants. His last decent album was El Greco (not the film score). You would have to go all the way back to 1492 Conquest of Paradise for his last epic. I'm a childhood fan of Vangelis and he is my hero and biggest influence as a composer. I was hoping for something more adventurous in Rosetta. There were hints of Direct and Mythodia, and even Albedo. With all that he has achieved and given that he is firmly amongst the top of the list as one of the greatest composers of 20th/21st century, he has nothing to prove. However, one last epic would of been great, instead of churning out an average Ambient album that probably only took him a month to record.

- Lee Haynes

Vastness of space
Aptly expressed in
Newest album from the
Genius of music
Enjoy it with the
Lights off and let your
Imagination
Soar to the comet

Reflect on the beauty of
Our universe that his
Synth passages
Enhance so grandly
Thank you
Thank you for this wondrous
Album!

- Imre Olajos

With Vangelis seeming to enter a kind of retirement since 2007, I was surprised at how wonderful Rosetta is. This is a rich tapestry of sound, harkening back to the best albums like Soil Festivities and Voices. Despite my thrill, I feel a little bittersweet, because the music itself seems often carefully constructed as a kind of swansong. There is a great deal of subtle self-quotation here, as though a great master were purposely wrapping up his accomplishments with a final creative flourish. The title track reminds of 'Alpha' from Albedo 0.39; Rosetta's Waltz brings to mind themes from Alexander. Other tracks remind of Chariots of Fire, Mask, and 1492, to name a few. The sound is outstanding also, with each track as richly conceived and unique as the source material --- his own works, all. What better material to quote from could there be?

- Sean A. Fulop

Acquired Rosetta yesterday.

At this point, if you have listened to the entirety - or near entirety - of Vangelis' discography, there are very few surprises. All of the familiar traits to him are found: his melodic sensibility, his intuitive harmonic progressions and uncanny ability to weave various, even disparate, timbres together. This is also a continuation of his "turn of the century sound" where a custom-made controller basically allows him to summon a much wider "orchestra" of sounds. This album is by no means groundbreaking; but if you have had a career as long and diverse as Vangelis, this is not a bad thing.

I will say that I admire the sense of "adventure" with the sound where it does not depend on select timbres or recurring motifs (save for a "trumpet Rosetta melody" that occurs every now and then). It really does feel like a journey where the experience dictates the logic and not vice versa. Honestly, this is something I would like to see more of from Vangelis, especially since he feels more comfortable with his studio setup (and I can imagine it is very easy to upgrade and expand one's sound library).

This is not a new major classic a la Heaven and Hell or Mask or even El Greco (the original limited 1995 release) by any means. But this is solid - and quite good - Vangelis and this is not at all a detriment.

- Derek J. Power

When I saw the cd for the first time, I thought that with this releasing label (Decca), another classical music structure was going to be performed by vangelis, but not. This is an album that could have perfectly match with the years of east-west. Synthetisers, atmospheres, and the unique feling that brings Vangelis music appears here. What can say? If you like the sound universe of Vangelis, you will enjoy this new album. It's a recording to sit down, disconect from your troubles and let yourself go into an amazing journey. The sound is glorious, on an high quality sound reproducer, you feel like new spaces are moving around you. Some moments on sunlight, starstuff, infinitude,... are simply glorius.

An album for the listening pleasure of an vangelis fan, and also a great way to enjoy his music for those who only know their most famous tracks.

- victor manuel ruiz pastora

It's awesome to hear the new Vangelis music "Rosetta" since I saw 3 videos in 2014, this sounds like "The City", "Oceanic" or "Direct" a bit. This album explores the emotional science, space travel and magic sounds. It can express the global nature and peaceful environment. Sounds like a one-man band making synthesizers with many instruments and soundscapes at the same time. I was surprised of this work, Vangelis still creates more great music the world needs.

- Miguel Ángel Escobar Abril

The prospect of a new Vangelis album is always big excitement, and I must say that Rosetta lived up to my secret expectations, it instantly became one of my favorite albums of the post-Oceanic era, next to BR25 and Alexander. The sound of this album is ahh… so very beautiful! Fully electronic but nonetheless organic, always serious but subtle when needed, it really keeps a delicate balance between being symphonic and modern. I just realize how much I missed this digital Vangelis sound in the last 20 years. The arrangement connects this album more to the 1988-1996 "Direct"period of Vangelis, than his more recent recordings.

On the other hand the Rosetta album is not easy listening. Most compositions of the album are not developed into real themes, and in general they have a less linear structure than Vangelis' usual stuff. There are no sweeping space anthems like Pulstar or Alpha. Yet I find an abundant compensation for it in the strong landscape images that the album conveys. Tracks like Starstuff and Sunlight perfectly capture the emotions that astronauts or earthbound people may feel when gazing at the stars, wondering about the miracles of our universe. The title track, although the opening melody is indeed familiar, becomes a memorable piece on its own as the composition unfurls.

While my CD is on the way, I enjoy Rosetta as a digital download, so it's worth noting that the tracks are segued into each other, which result in a bit disturbing gaps between the mp3 tracks.

- Zoltan Horvath

The first studio release from Greek composer Vangelis since 2007 and the Blade Runner inspired 25 Anniversary set, returns him to his roots of synthesisers, for which he is most famous. After having listened to Vangelis' music for over 40 years, and after his recent sorays into classical music, I must say I was in trepidation of what kind of music would be released. But from the very first notes of the album I knew this was indeed special. I was pleasantly surprised!

With all the hallmarks of his distinctive style – sweeping grandiose crescendoes, tinkling bells, deep percussion, dancing piano riffs and various synthesised sounds, the tracks ebb and flow- like the winds of time, and the spaceship theme adds to the whole image of the music.

Vangelis does what he has always done so well – combine unique music to a visual theme – provided this time by the real life ESA project and the Rosetta space probe.

With hints of past sets – like Spiral and Albedo, the tracks flow effortlessly into each other, culminating in the title track Rosetta, and the harp refrain reminded me of Elsewhere from his Direct CD.

Celestial Whispers' melody reminded me of his classic Blade Runner music and Exo Genesis with its cheeky piano dancing, like sunlight on water, leading for me, to the highlight of the set – Perihelion with its pulsing sequences, bass and ambient closing. The closing pieces Elegy and Return to the Void reminded me of his maturity and gracefulness.

Vangelis has once remarked that there is a lack of beauty in the world, and with this set of music I see that he at least tries to right that wrong. There is indeed beauty and majesty in Rosetta. The master returns.

- Nev Dorrington

A new Vangelis album. Wow. Over the last few decades this has become a very rare occurrence compared to the good old days of the 1970s/early 1980s, Vangelis almost semi-retired now, it seems. So new releases are a big event to be savoured.

Its a lovely album with some genuine highlights- having heard it a few times now, I can say the first half of the album is excellent, some of it sounding genuinely fresh and exciting after so many years of Vangelis' music sounding all of the same "soundscape". Its nice to be surprised by a Vangelis release, and the fourth track "Exo Genesis" is instantly recognisable as genuinely great Vangelis music. So while I miss the wild abandon and experimentation of his Nemo years, and the sophistication that was so incredible in every track of his Direct album, Rosetta seems a pretty solid release.

However, there is always that weight of expectation from there being so few releases these days, somethingRosetta cannot really live up to. If Vangelis was releasing albums on an annual basis like in his early days, Rosetta would be a pretty good entry, but as it is it just feels a little "light". I raised that comparison to Direct for a reason- Direct is a phenomenal piece of work, spanning all sorts of musical tastes and genres, richly dynamic and varied; Rosetta is something else entirely. It all sounds very "spacey" and fairly ambient, and all the tracks link together well because they all seem cut from the same cloth, so to speak. So there isn't as much variation as I would like, and the album seems over before it really seems to "ignite".

So, isolated highlights aside, Rosetta is a "good" Vangelis album while not a "great" one. And I really wish Vangelis would either release some of the piles of stuff in his infamous vault or perhaps bring out more new stuff on a regular basis, because there is something a little sad about isolated releases like Rosetta after the heady days of earlier years. I'm not expecting every release to be his veritable "masterpiece", and in truth after all those great albums like China and Soil Festivities and Direct and El Greco, the Greek maestro owes us nothing. Rosetta feels like a fragile jewel, and is endearing if only for that, but I know Vangelis can do more. Either he doesn't feel he has anything to prove or doesn't feel he even has to release his music anymore, but I find it frustrating, have done for years. Which is distracting from the music in Rosetta.

Still, Rosetta is a good album, and I realise it's not really fair commentary on that album that I'm pining for the good old Nemo days when Vangelis was banging on his drums and bells and all manner of percussion instruments like some madman. Nemo is done and gone. But I miss it. I miss that old Vangelis. But I guess Rosetta will do.

- Ian Smith

I'm listening to the cd "Rosetta" on my hifi set. I have a hybrid (tube) amplifier and cd player from Unison Research. The most beautiful thing about playing with tube equipment is that the middle area is reproduced nicely. The master has again delivered a Masterful cd. The whole cd is excellent. When I hear how detailed the sounds emerge into the room, both the low and high, nothing is overdone and there is no listening fatigue.

- Albert Aalbers

Vangelis – Rosetta (Elsew.com CD review)

The world first encountered Vangelis' musical ideas for the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission in 2014 when ESA used three new pieces of music donated by Vangelis in their videos to celebrate the Philae lander's touchdown on the 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko comet. All three videos went instantly "viral".

Vangelis returned to this topic when he composed an entire album of music dedicated to the Rosetta mission. The album includes the three original tracks (their complete versions) with ten more new compositions, now about to be released on Universal's Decca label, to be available on CD, vinyl LP and digital download / streaming.

All music on "Rosetta" was performed by Vangelis, playing his synthesizers. Contrary to albums like "Mythodea", the original score for "Alexander", or some other post-millennium works, this album was not recorded with an orchestra or even a choir. While the style of the music is very diverse, what stands out the most is that Vangelis returns to recording distinctly electronic music. A genre that was largely missing from his output since roughly 1996.

While the tracks we heard in 2014 where mainly crafted in Vangelis' recognizable semi-classical "symphonic" style, performed on synthesizers with a touch of added electronics, much of the other music follows different paths with unearthly sounds and less conventional arrangements. Tracks involving bouncing sequences, warm electronic pads, supported by plenty of electronic sound effects – both subtle and prominent – do help propel the music towards a more space and science oriented direction. And while a certain symphonic grandeur, both recognizable and effective, does appear from time to time, Vangelis allows his synthesizers to sound like synthesizers again.

A trademark quality for Vangelis is the wide diversity of music that fits – no, that Vangelis manages to make fit – the album's thematic concept. Where the delightful "Starstuff" could be interpreted as celebrating the delicate wonders of our universe with subtle warm tones marinated in a slightly melancholic sauce of wonder, "Infinitude" may explore the vastness of space and the incredible distances travelled by the space probe with an almost lamenting electronic choir singing a beautiful hypnotic tune. "Exo Genesis" goes all out, in an almost chaotic melting pot of sounds and harmonies. "Celestial Whispers" is a lighter, new age like tune to provide some relief. "Albedo 0.06" is a perfect juxtaposition between electronic sequencing and Vangelis' more lush semi-orchestral palette. "Sunlight" is a serene and gentle track until its crescendo of light beams shifts the music into a sparkly collection of warm yet melancholic harmonies. Very "Vangelis". The album's title track "Rosetta" starts like a bit of a sad French style instrumental ballad that could have been a bit too common if it didn't so masterfully build into something much more than that. "Perihelion" turns Vangelis into high octane overdrive mode, where he layers his symphonic improvisations over fast electronic sequences, full of crescendos and tense stabs… Exciting material. "Elegy" may be the most classical composition of the album, and it certainly fits its name, serving as a respectful and sincere farewell to a groundbreaking mission, followed only by the delicate ambient sound with psychologically perfected timing in the otherworldly "Return To The Void" that concludes the album.

As for the previously heard tracks, they are all there, as complete versions, in the same performance and production as in their respective videos, now properly mastered for the album. The Rosetta's Waltz track was actually complete in the ESA video and has now been renamed to "Mission Accomplie (Rosetta's Waltz)" on the album. Philae's Journey is now some 18 seconds longer, properly concluding this intricate composition, now retitled to "Philae's Descent". The music from the Arrival video is the one that changed the most, with some improved mixing, and without editing it down for the video, the result is now twice as long (2:10 in the YouTube video, now 4:21) and renamed to "Origins (Arrival)". The album version evolves differently than the YouTube version, which faded to an alternative end shortly after an electronic sequence started playing. On the album, the sequence becomes more prominent and continues the song far beyond what we originally heard, into an ending of its own.

If you obtain the album on CD (we will inspect the vinyl 2LP release on a later occasion), it comes packaged in a beautifully designed gatefold sleeve, sized like a Digipak. A booklet is inserted in the first flap and the CD in the second. The 16 page booklet contains information on the album's background, details about ESA and its efforts and goals as well as an introduction to the Rosetta mission. Also included are photographs and illustrations on the space probe, its lander and the comet, as well as a timeline detailing the important mission events.

Nothing in the world is completely perfect, and in Rosetta's case, this may be perceived in some slight unplanned distortions in the tracks "Sunlight" and "Perihelion". Some may say that polishing of the production is not as perfect as we sometimes heard in the standard Vangelis set with some of his albums in the '80s and '90s, but this is certainly also part of the album's charm. Isn't "authentic" always also slightly raw? This is music that comes straight from the heart, is masterly performed, arranged and produced, and will quench many's long lasting thirst for fresh output in the much admired line of Vangelis' space and science oriented music. Finally!

Here it is... Rosetta!

- Dennis

DECCA today announces a brand new album entitled 'Rosetta' by legendary composer and pioneer of electronic music, Vangelis, inspired by his long-held passion for space.

Released on 23rd September, Vangelis' breathtaking recording is inspired by the Rosetta Mission, a pioneering project by the European Space Agency (ESA) to land a probe on a comet for the first time in history. The release of the recording marks the culmination of the 12-year mission and is accompanied by incredible footage captured by the probe.

Vangelis, whose celebrated scores include the trailblazing 'Chariots of Fire' and 'Blade Runner', reveals his musical inspiration: "Mythology, science and space exploration are subjects that have fascinated me since my early childhood. And they were always connected somehow with the music I write."

The project came about after ESA astronaut André Kuipers, a long-standing fan of Vangelis, reached out to the composer whilst aboard the International Space Station. After sharing stories and experiences via a video call from the ISS, Vangelis was inspired to write 'Rosetta'. The music is dedicated to everyone who made ESA's ongoing Rosetta Mission possible, in particular extending the track 'Rosetta Waltz' as an expression of his appreciation to the mission team.

Carl Walker from ESA says of the project:
"When we put the mission footage images together with the music, we thought it captured how people would feel if they were to see the comet for real in close-up. With music, you can enhance emotions and create memories: I believe that what Vangelis wanted to do was share a lasting memory of our Rosetta mission through his music."

Vangelis' music is often linked to themes of science, history and exploration. Alongside his Academy Award-winning score for 'Chariots of Fire', he has written the choral symphony 'Mythodea' for NASA's 2001 Mission to Mars, as well as films including 'Antarctica', '1492: Conquest of Paradise' and 'Alexander'. His music has also been used in the documentary series 'Cosmos', by Carl Sagan.

To Vangelis, music is a sacred, basic force of the universe, its purpose to elevate, inspire and to heal humankind. Never has this been more obvious than on 'Rosetta', which perfectly blends his fascination with the universe and his masterly ability to compose stirring music that fuels the senses. As ESA's Carl Walker says: "It is music that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck."

Tracklisting:

01 - Origins (Arrival)
02 - Starstuff
03 - Infinitude
04 - Exo genesis
05 - Celestial whispers
06 - Albedo 0.06
07 - Sunlight
08 - Rosetta
09 - Philae's descent
10 - Mission accomplie (Rosetta's Waltz)
11 - Perihelion
12 - Elegy
13 - Return to the void