Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (, ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), mainly known professionally as Vangelis ( ; , ; also credited as Vangelis Papathanassiou), was a Greek composer, arranger, performer and record producer. He released material of wide musical genres such as electronic music, progressive rock, ambient, and classical orchestral music. He is primarily known for his film scores, composing the Academy Award-winning score to Chariots of Fire (1981), as well as composing the scores of (among many) Blade Runner (1982), Missing (1982), Antarctica (1983), The Bounty (1984), 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992), and Alexander (2004), and the 1980 PBS documentary series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage by Carl Sagan.
Born in Agria and raised in Athens, Vangelis began his career in the 1960s as a member of the rock bands the Forminx and Aphrodite's Child; the latter's album 666 (1972) is recognised as a progressive-psychedelic rock classic. Vangelis settled in Paris and gained initial recognition for his scores to the Frédéric Rossif animal documentaries , , and . He released his first solo albums during this time and performed as a solo artist. In 1975, Vangelis relocated to London, where he built his home recording facility named Nemo Studios and released a series of successful and influential albums for RCA Records, including Heaven and Hell (1975), Albedo 0.39 (1976), Spiral (1977), and China (1979). From 1979 to 1986, Vangelis performed in a duo with Yes vocalist Jon Anderson, releasing several albums as Jon and Vangelis. He collaborated with Irene Papas on two albums of Greek traditional and religious songs.
Vangelis reached his commercial peak in the 1980s and 1990s. His score for Chariots of Fire (1981) won him an Academy Award for Best Original Score and the film's main theme, "Chariots of Fire – Titles," went to number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, while his score for 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score, and the film's soundtrack and main theme topped the European charts, selling millions of copies. His compilation albums Themes (1989), Portraits (So Long Ago, So Clear) (1996), and studio album Voices (1995) sold well. Vangelis composed the official anthem of the 2002 FIFA World Cup held in Korea and Japan. In his last 20 years, Vangelis collaborated with NASA and ESA on music projects Mythodea (1993), Rosetta (2016), and Juno to Jupiter (2021), his 23rd and final studio album. He died on 17 May 2022, at age 79, of heart failure at a hospital in Paris.
Having had a career in music spanning over 50 years, and having composed and performed more than 50 albums, Vangelis is one of the most important figures in the history of electronic music and modern film music. He used many electronic instruments in the fashion of a "one-man quasi-classical orchestra," composing and performing on the first take.
Early life Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou was born on 29 March 1943 in Agria, a coastal town in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece, and was raised in Athens. His father Odysseus worked in property and was an amateur sprinter; Vangelis described him as "a great lover of music". His mother Foteini Kyriakopoulou was trained as a soprano. Vangelis had one brother, Nikos. Vangelis recalled a peaceful and happy childhood without interference from his parents, who let him be involved in his activities, mainly consisting of playing the piano, painting, and constructing things with his hands.
Vangelis developed an interest in music at age four, composing on the family piano and experimenting with sounds by placing nails and kitchen pans inside it and with radio interference. When he was six his parents enrolled him for music lessons, but was unable to take to formal tuition as he preferred to develop technique on his own. In later life he considered himself fortunate to have not attended music school, thinking it would have impeded his creativity. He never learned to read or write music, instead playing from memory: "When the teachers asked me to play something, I would pretend that I was reading it and play from memory. I didn't fool them, but I didn't care." One of his piano teachers was Greek composer Aristotelis Koundouroff.
Vangelis found traditional Greek music an important influence in his childhood. At 12, he developed an interest in jazz and rock music. At fifteen he formed a band with school friends who had similar musical interests. Three years later, he acquired a Hammond organ. In 1963, following brief stints in art college and an apprenticeship in filmmaking, Vangelis and three school friends started a five-piece rock band, The Forminx (or The Formynx), named after the Ancient Greek string instrument. The group played covers and original material largely written by Vangelis, whose stage name at this time was Vagos, with English lyrics by radio DJ and record producer Nico Mastorakis. After nine singles and one Christmas EP, which found success across Europe, the group disbanded in 1966.
Career 1963–1974: Move to Paris, early solo projects and Aphrodite's Child After the Forminx split, Vangelis spent the next two years mostly studio-bound as a composer and producer.Blue Point Retrieved 11 October 2008 He wrote the score to several Greek films–My Brother, the Traffic Policeman (1963), 5,000 Lies (1966) by Giorgos Konstantinou, Antique Rally (1966), Frenzy (1966), To Prosopo tis Medousas (1967) by Nikos Koundouros, and Apollo Goes on Holiday (1968).
In 1967, at age 25, Vangelis formed a psychedelic/progressive rock band with Demis Roussos, Loukas Sideras, and Anargyros "Silver" Koulouris. Initially known as the Papathanassiou Set, they were encouraged by the Greek division of Philips Records to try their luck in England after their demo was passed onto Mercury Records and was well received. The relocation appealed to the group, as the political turmoil surrounding the 1967 Greek coup limited their opportunities. However, Koulouris was called up for military service, causing the band to travel without a guitarist. After the trio were denied entry into England due to problems with their work permits they settled in Paris, where they signed with Philips and renamed themselves Aphrodite's Child. Their debut single "Rain and Tears" was a commercial success in Europe, and was followed by the albums End of the World (1968) and It's Five O'Clock (1969). Vangelis conceived the idea of their third, 666 (1972), a double concept album based on the Book of Revelation. It is considered a progressive-psychedelic rock classic. In 1971, the group split following increasing tensions during the recording of 666, although Vangelis produced several of Roussos' future albums and singles.Prog Archives bio of AC Retrieved 21 August 2008Elsewhere Oor Retrieved 12 October Vangelis recalled after the split: "I couldn't follow the commercial way anymore, it was very boring. You have to do something like that in the beginning for showbiz, but after you start doing the same thing everyday you can't continue."
Vangelis spent six years in Paris; he was moved by the 1968 French student riots and felt obliged to stay, during which he accepted various solo projects in film, television, and theatre. He composed the score for the films Sex Power (1970), Salut, Jerusalem (1972), and Amore (1974). A soundtrack album recorded for a 1970 wildlife documentary series by Frédéric Rossif was released as L'Apocalypse des animaux in 1973. In 1971, Vangelis took part in several jam sessions with various musicians in London, the recordings from which were released on two albums released in 1978 without his permission–Hypothesis and The Dragon. He took legal action and had them withdrawn. His first solo album, Fais que ton rêve soit plus long que la nuit (French for Make Your Dream Last Longer Than the Night), was released in 1972. Inspired by the 1968 riots, Vangelis wrote a "poème symphonique" to express his solidarity with the students, comprising music with news snippets and protest songs; some lyrics were based on graffiti daubed on walls during the demonstrations.Album review Retrieved 20 August 2008
In 1973, Vangelis released his second solo album Earth, a percussive-orientated album with various additional musicians, including Koulouris and Robert Fitoussi.Groove NL reviews Retrieved 2 September 2008 In May 1973 he performed at the Royal Festival Hall in London supporting Tempest, but looked back on the concert as a failure. The line-up featured on Earth released a single titled "Who" under the name Odyssey, and performed live with Vangelis at his concert at the Paris Olympia in February 1974. Several months later Vangelis returned to England to audition with the progressive rock band Yes, after singer Jon Anderson had become a fan of his music and invited him to replace departing keyboardist Rick Wakeman. After problems with obtaining a work visa and a rejection from the Musician's Union, plus his reluctance to travel and tour, Vangelis declined. Yes chose Swiss player Patrick Moraz, who used Vangelis' keyboards in his audition.
1974–1980: Move to London, solo breakthrough, and Jon and Vangelis By the end of 1974 Vangelis was able to relocate to England, by which time he felt he "outgrew France" musically. He settled in a flat on Queen's Gate, London and set up a 16-track recording facility named Nemo Studios on Hampden Gurney Street in Marble Arch, which he named his "laboratory". In August 1975, he signed a four-album deal with RCA Records, for which he released a series of influential electronic-based albums that increased his profile. The first of these was Heaven and Hell (1975), a concept album based on duality that features Anderson singing lead vocals on "So Long Ago, So Clear" and the English Chamber Choir. The album went to No. 31 in the UK, and was performed live in concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 1976. The album was followed by the UK top 20 Albedo 0.39 (1976), Spiral (1977), and the spontaneous Beaubourg (1978), each having their own thematic inspiration including astronomy and physical cosmology, Tao philosophy, and Vangelis' visit to the Centre Georges Pompidou, respectively.
During the same period, Vangelis composed the score for Do You Hear the Dogs Barking? directed by François Reichenbach. This was released in 1975 under the French title Entends-tu les chiens aboyer? and re-released two years later as Ignacio. In 1976, Vangelis released his second soundtrack for a Rossif animal documentary, La Fête sauvage, which combined African rhythms with Western music. This was followed in 1979 by a third soundtrack for Rossif, Opéra sauvage. The music itself would be re-used in other films, including the track "L'Enfant" in The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) by Peter Weir; the melody of the same track (in marching band format) appears in the beginning of the 1924 Summer Olympics opening ceremonies scene in the film Chariots of Fire while the track "Hymne" was used in Barilla pasta commercials in Italy and Ernest & Julio Gallo wine ads in the United States. In Hungary in the 1980s, the song L'Enfant was used as the theme music for the weekly news program.[ All Music review of Opera.] Retrieved 2 September 2008 Rossif and Vangelis again collaborated for Sauvage et Beau (1984) and De Nuremberg à Nuremberg (1989).