Honorary Patron
Acknowledged to this day as “the master of electronic music,” Vangelis set the bar high for all who followed. And he did it naturally, instinctually – with no conventional training. By the age of four he was creating music on the family piano, by the age of six giving public performances of his compositions … his natural gift coming from a place he likes to call memory … a place he says we can all tap into if we can only remember. It was also at this young age that his inherent talent for drawing and painting began to emerge, though it would be years before anyone outside his inner circle would get to see his work.
As a teenager Vangelis proved his innate knowledge and expertise for various styles of music, all the while quietly developing his own unique repertoire. And then came the new wave of electronic instruments, just in time it seemed, to accommodate his ever-expanding imagination and innovative experimentations, the results of which often led to his being called “the father of new-age.” Over the years, he built studio/laboratories in Paris, London, Athens and Rome and collaborated with revered singers, artists, playwrights, poets, choreographers, filmmakers, environmentalists, athletes, doctors and scientists from all over the world.
And now, with over forty album releases, over twenty movie/TV soundtracks, two ballets, six plays, three choral symphonies, major audio/visual spectaculars and numerous honors, awards and titles to his credit, he continues to expand the horizons of electronic music by combining it with and blurring the line between it and acoustic symphonic music. But no matter what kind of method and instruments he uses, Vangelis will always be known for his strength of melody, his pioneering sound and his emotional depth. This is why his music for the film Chariots Of Fire has won him an Academy Award (Oscar), Conquest Of Paradise still spurs athletes to Olympic victory, and Blade Runner has achieved an almost mythological status.
The same lifelong devotion and dedication Vangelis has for his music, has always been as evident in his visual art. But it was not until recently that he consented to having it shown to the public. Since that day in 2003, he has had ten major exhibitions of his paintings in leading art museums around the world.
The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens has proclaimed Vangelis Honorary Doctor/Professor Emeritus for his contribution to culture. Also the University of Patras in Greece has proclaimed Vangelis Honorary Doctor/Professor Emeritus of the Faculty of Physics.
To Vangelis, music and art are sacred, basic forces of the universe, their purpose to elevate, inspire and to heal humankind. This is Vangelis’ mission, this and his desire to awaken in all of us, perhaps, that place called memory.
VANGELIS
Discography
Fais Que Ton Rêve Soit Plus Long Que la Nuit
L’apocalypse des Animaux (TV series)
Earth
Heaven and Hell
Ignacio (Entends-Tu Les Chiens Aboyer?)
La Fête Sauvage (film soundtrack)
Albedo 0.39
Spiral
Beaubourg
Opera Sauvage (TV series)
The Best of Vangelis
Odes (with Irene Papas)
Short Stories (with Jon Anderson)
China
See You Later
Friends of Mr. Cairo (with Jon Anderson)
Chariots of Fire (film soundtrack)
Blade Runner (film soundtrack, released 1994)
Antarctica (film soundtrack)
Private Collection (with Jon Anderson)
Soil Festivities
The Best of Jon and Vangelis (with Jon Anderson)
Mask
Invisible Connections
Rhapsodies (with Irene Papas)
Direct
Themes
The City
Page of Life (with Jon Anderson)
1492 – Conquest of Paradise (film soundtrack)
Voices (with various vocalists)
Portraits
Oceanic
El Greco
Reprise
Mythodea
FIFA World Cup Official Anthem
Odyssey – The Definitive Collection
Alexander (film soundtrack)
Blade Runner Trilogy, 25th Anniversary
El Greco (film soundtrack)
The Collection
Chariots of Fire The Play
Movies
Chariots of Fire – Hugh Hudson
Missing – Costa-Gavras
Blade Runner -Ridley Scott
Antarctica – Koreyoshi Kurahara
The Bounty – Roger Donaldson
Francesco – Liliana Cavani
1492: Conquest of Paradise – Ridley Scott
Bitter Moon – Roman Polanski
Cavafy -Iannis Smaragdis
Alexander – Oliver Stone
El Greco – Iannis Smaragdis
Rupture (documentary) – Hugh Hudson
Trashed (documentary) – Candida Brady
Concerts
Olympia, Paris
Royal Albert Hall, London
Pavillon de Paris, Paris
Drury Lane, London
Cirque Royale, Brussels
with the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Festival Hall, London
UCLA’s Royce Hall, Los Angeles
Herod Atticus at the Acropolis, Athens
two concerts for the construction of the New Acropolis Museum
Panathinaiko Stadium, Athens
Olympic Flame Ceremony
Terme Di Caracalla, Rome
Panathinaiko Stadium, Athens
promotion for Athens to host the Olympics
Rotterdam Harbour, Rotterdam
Eureka – Event of Excellence
Herod Atticus at the Acropolis, Athens
A Night of Poetry with Alan Bates and Fanny Ardant
Panathinaiko Stadium, Athens
IAAF World Championship Opening Ceremonies
Temple of Jupiter, Athens
Mythodea – Music For The NASA Mission: 2001 Mars Odyssey
with Kathleen Battle, Jessye Norman and the London Metropolitan Orchestra
Cultural Village Amphitheatre, Doha – Qatar
A Choral Symphony
with: Angela Gheorghiu – soprano, Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra
Yurlov Russian State Academic Choir, World Musicians
Qatar Philharmonic Children’s Choir, Conductor Yvan Cassar
Special guest star: Roberto Alagna – tenor
Light show: Gert Hof
Master of Ceremonies: Jeremy Irons
Filmed by Hugh Hudson
Theatre & Ballet
Theatre
Electra – directed by Michael Cacoyannis
Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus in Greece
Medea – directed by Nuria Esper
Barcelona
Las Troyanas (aka The Trojan Women) – directed by Irene Papas
Los Talleres Generales, Sagunto, Spain
A Vihar (aka The Tempest) – directed by György Schwajda
Hungarian National Theatre, Budapest
Ecuba – directed by Irene Papas
Tor Vergata University, Rome
Antigone – directed by Irene Papas
Greek Theatre, Siracusa, Sicily
Ballet
Frankenstein, Modern Prometheus – choreographed by Wayne Eagling
Covent Garden, London
Beauty and the Beast – choreographed by Wayne Eagling
Covent Garden, London
Kremlin State Palace, Moscow
Television
L’ Apocalypse des Animaux – series – Frédéric Rossif
Georges Mathieu ou la Fureur d’ Etre – documentary – Frédéric Rossif
Georges Braque ou le Temp Different – documentary – Frédéric Rossif
La Fête Sauvage – documentary – Frédéric Rossif
L’ Opera Sauvage – series – Frédéric Rossif
Pablo Picasso Peintre – documentary – Frédéric Rossif
Sauvage et Beau – documentary – Frédéric Rossif
Cosmos, A Special Edition – series – Carl Sagan
Jacques Cousteau – series (various) – Jacques Cousteau
Awards
Academy Award (Oscar) for best soundtrack
Golden Lion Award (Germany) for best title theme for a TV film or series
Max Steiner Award for composition and presentation of distinguished film music
Echo Award (Germany) for international artist of the year
Flanders International Film Festival Award for best soundtrack
Valencia International Film Festival Award for best soundtrack
Public Choice Award for best film soundtrack from the World Soundtrack Academy in Flanders, Belgium
Apollo Award in recognition of his contribution to music from the Friends of the Athens National Opera Society
The title of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of the French Republic
World Music Awards, Monte Carlo, for being the world’s largest selling Greek artist (numerous years)
The title of Chevalier de la Légion d’ Honneur of the French Republic
RIAJ (Recording Industry of Japan) Award for international song of the year
NASA’s Public Service Medal in recognition of extraordinary contributions to the NASA vision
The International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory named a small planet Vangelis in his honor
Asteroid (6354) – Vangelis
In 1995, the international impact and appreciation of the works of Vangelis, as well as his rapport to the Universe, led the Minor Planet Center of the International Astronomical Union at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in the United States of America, to name a minor planet in his honor. Asteroid 6354, now and forever officially named “Vangelis,” is located about 247 million miles from the sun and is in a 4.33 year orbit around it, entirely between Jupiter and Mars.
