Inspiration

Be transported listening to Vangelis

Vangelis (Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou) is one of the premiere composers for film and instrumental music today. Listening to his music, I am transported to China, Ireland, Provence, Antarctica, discovering the New World, and to the plains in Persia. I can feel mystical, meditative, or heroic. I think no other composer can evoke the wide variety of moods and sense of place he can create. Film directors the world over have recognized his brilliance in his ability to deliver these moods and emotions and his work consistently appears in films of all genres. He primarily uses synthesizers, but his melodies and compositions are what sets him apart. Listening to his albums is like an hour long journey to another place and time.

His Biography

Vangelis was born in Greece on March 29, 1943. He is a self-taught musician and is not trained in reading and writing musical notation. He also studied painting. He played in bands in the late 60s. In 1974 he had the opportunity to join the rock group Yes after Rick Wakeman left, but decided against it. He did collaborate for several projects with Jon Anderson, the lead vocalist of Yes. His first film score widely recognized in the U.S. was the the soundtrack to Chariots of Fire in 1981. His compositions were used in previous European films, but the films were not widely seen in the U.S. His major film scores include:

L'Apocalyse des animaux
Chariots of Fire
Blade Runner
- Memories of Green
1492: The Conquest of Paradise (nominated 1993 Golden Globe winner for best original score)