Vangelis (1943-2022)
The Oscar-winning Greek composer Vangelis, known for composing synth-laden scores in films like "Chariots of Fire" and "Blade Runner", died while receiving treatment for COVID-19 on May 17th, 2022. He was 79 years old. I liked Vangelis' music, especially the iconic theme he wrote for the opening scene of "Chariots of Fire", which he gave its signature piano motif.
Born on March 29th, 1943, as Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, Vangelis, at an early age, began playing the piano when self-taught and had never learned to read or write music. In 1963, he formed his first band, Forminx, which played the pop music of the day: up-tempo rock'n'roll, sweeping ballads and covers of the Beatles, with Vangelis providing organ lines, before splitting in 1966. Vangelis contributed music to Greek films and worked for other musicians, becoming a writer and producer for hire. Two years later, Vangelis struck out for Paris to expand his career. He and Greek ex-pats, such as Demis Roussos, formed the prog-rock quartet Aphrodite's Child. It had hits like the single "Rain and Tears" in 1968 and the influential album "666" in 1972.
After splitting from Aphrodite's Child, Vangelis left the commercial music world, deeming it "very boring", and returned to scoring film and TV. He even turned down an invitation from the prog-rock band Yes to replace Rick Waterman as their keyboardist. Vangelis moved to London and signed a solo deal with RCA Records, where he recorded music for his LPs like "Heaven and Hell" and "Albedo 0.39". Each of them reached the UK Top 40, and the former gained further recognition when one of its instrumentals became the theme for Carl Sagan's popular TV series "Cosmos". The connection with Yes was completed in 1980 when he teamed up with its lead singer, Jon Anderson and released an album as Jon & Vangelis. Their musical partnership wouldn't last until 1991.
Throughout the 1970s, Vangelis continued his score work in films before the 80s when he reached commercial heights. It was "Chariots of Fire" that got him the attention he deserved, and at the time, it was a radical idea for director Hugh Hudson to choose him to come up with the soundtrack for a film set in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. Vangelis' score for "Chariots of Fire" won him an Oscar, was nominated for a Grammy, and the title track made its way onto the charts, including in the US, where it went to number one. It later topped the classical singles chart in the UK in 2012 after being performed by Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean at the London Olympics opening ceremony. His success with "Chariots of Fire" continued when Vangelis scored the dystopian sci-fi noir "Blade Runner" for director Ridley Scott. In addition to the two movies he composed, Vangelis' other scoring credits include "Missing", "The Bounty", "1492: Conquest of Paradise" (which he reteamed with Ridley Scott), "Antarctica", "Bitter Moon", "Alexander" and documentaries by Jacques Cousteau.
While his solo work remained steady, Vangelis' work on "Chariots" brought him commissions from sporting bodies to soundtrack huge sports events such as the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the 2002 Japan and South Korea World Cups, and the 2004 Athens Olympics.
We will miss a legendary film composer like Vangelis, who has now gone to a better place. Here are the pieces of his famous scores from "Chariots of Fire" and "Blade Runner".
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