Vangelis (1943-2022)
The Oscar-winning Greek composer Vangelis, known for synth-laden scores in films like "Chariots of Fire" and "Blade Runner," died while receiving COVID-19 treatment 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 gave it its signature piano motif.
Born on March 29th, 1943, as Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, Vangelis began playing the piano at an early age, was 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, including up-tempo rock 'n' roll, sweeping ballads, and covers of the Beatles, for which Vangelis provided organ lines. The band split in 1966. Vangelis contributed music to Greek films and worked for other musicians, becoming a writer and producer for hire. Two years later, Vangelis moved to 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 leaving Aphrodite's Child, Vangelis left the commercial music world, calling 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 Wakeman as their keyboardist. Vangelis moved to London and signed a solo deal with RCA Records, where he recorded LPs like "Heaven and Hell" and "Albedo 0.39." Both 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, Jon & Vangelis. Their musical partnership wouldn't last until 1991.
Throughout the 1970s, Vangelis continued working on film scores before achieving commercial heights in the 80s. "Chariots of Fire" brought him the attention he deserved, and at the time, it was a radical idea for director Hugh Hudson to choose him to compose the soundtrack for a film set on the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. Vangelis' score for "Chariots of Fire" won him an Oscar and a Grammy nomination, and the title track made its way onto the charts, including in the US, where it went to number one. It later topped the UK classical singles chart in 2012 after Rowan Atkinson performed it as Mr. Bean at the London Olympics. His success with "Chariots of Fire" continued when Vangelis scored the dystopian sci-fi noir "Blade Runner" for director Ridley Scott. In addition to two films, Vangelis also scored "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 major 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 highlights from his famous scores of "Chariots of Fire" and "Blade Runner."
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