Vangelis

US Is gone      20/05/22

Yeah its a stark headline, but the news that Vangelis has died, May 17th in hospital  is pretty final and rather bleak.

 I first heard his work on Chariots Of Fire - which the theme tune charted in the UK for what seemed like an eternity. The theme legendarily being improvised to picture as he liked to work - nothing prepared, nothing preprogrammed. That's pretty amazing, and became his thing, many of us saw the giant orchestral synth  controller setup he would sit at and improvise massive orchestral pieces.

 Always thought that Chariots Of Hire would make a good taxi company name...

Of course there's the prog-rock beginnings of Aphrodite's Child where he wore a flouncy sleeve with such aplomb. But for me the real defining work - like it was for many I suspect, was the Blade Runner soundtrack. Who can forget the opening scenes of Ridley Scott's masterpiece with the massive cinematic shots of the sprawling metropolis in the rain with the CS-80 soaring through it. I was transfixed.

The marriage of music and imagery in feature films of course was not new then but it reached a new pinnacle of excellence and was the golden era of Vangelis' work. 

Sad of course that he has passed, he was 79, which isn't all that old these days, but what a legacy of work he has left us.

Sad times. Our hearts go out to his friends and family. 

 

 

< More From: VANGELIS

• Vangelis Interview - First For 20 Years 31-May-12
• Vangelis Studio Interview Remastered 30-Sep-10

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