Evangelos Papathanassiou is something of a mouthful for non-Greek speakers, so it is easy to see why he has adopted the name Vangelis. This name is now well-respected in the field of film music. Vangelis was formerly a keyboard player in a band called "Aphrodite's Child" and perhaps this has influenced his use of electronic music in film scores. However this is certainly not to the exclusion of traditional orchestral sounds for which he can compose at ease. Vangelis' output is perhaps best described as mood music, in part because of the leisurely pace in the classical tradition of Schubert or Bruckner. He is able to create a distinctive sound with simple, repetitive yet memorable tunes against evocative rhythms and chord progressions.
It was "Chariots of Fire" which brought him widespread recognition as a film composer, with its quietly exhilarating thematic material. This soundtrack was something of a landmark in film music history, being a major film release with a totally electronic soundtrack. On paper it seems strange to choose such music for a story based on historical events connected with Olympic runners. Yet the evocative mood is a perfect creation for those slow motion closeups. It is interesting to notes in passing that although the score is electronic, it largely uses the synthetic equivalent of real instruments - the main theme being orchestrated for electronic piano, brass and strings. Another career highlight for Vangelis is the soundtrack to "Blade Runner". While it is the end-titles alone which appears on certain compilation albums, it is the brooding atmosphere of the incidental music such as the track "Memories of Green" which, together with the futuristic film noir visuals, sets the mood for the whole film and contributes significantly to the movie's cult status.
Vangelis' approach to film scoring has been described as very instinctive. Rather than writing out melodies and parts and crafting them to the movie, he tends to prefer improvising at the keyboard and building up a film's soundscape by developing these ideas. Recently Vangelis was commissioned to compose music for NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey Mission. This has been released in album format under the title "Mythodea", the music being given its premiere at the Olympian Temple of Zeus in Athens. A web-site has been set to promote this album under the title-name Mythodea. In contrast to previous Vangelis albums, this one is entirely acoustic with a large orchestral and choir, and can be recommended as a powerful experience.
Vangelis' latest film score is for the epic Alexander. Within it Vangelis uses some synth tracks giving sounds similar to "Chariots of Fire", but many tracks major on acoustic instruments including ethnic ones such as the Duduk, and solo and ensemble voices are also in evidence. There is also a lot of action for drums and percussion, the harp features prominently in some tracks and the violinist Vanessa-Mae is featured on the track "Roxanne's Veil". The soundtrack can be found at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk. Also we now have the 25th anniversary of "Blade Runner" for which Ridley Scott has released his "Final Cut" DVD and Vangelis has released a 3 CD Anniversary Celebration of his soundtrack with some previously unreleased material and some new tracks.
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