Vangelis

Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou , known professionally as Vangelis (/væŋˈɡɛlɪs/ vang-GHEL-iss; Greek: Βαγγέλης, pronounced [vaɲˈɟelis]), was a Greek musician, composer, and producer of <a href="/facts/Electronic_music/zfGNfUvR">electronic</a>, <a href="/facts/Progressive_rock/79MRoIU7">progressive</a>, <a href="/facts/Ambient_music/QNnE3krK">ambient</a>, and <a href="/facts/20th-century_classical_music/zcKk0ANX">classical</a> orchestral music. He composed the <a href="/facts/Academy_Awards/CwTxYuNQ">Academy Award</a>-winning score to <a href="/facts/Chariots_of_Fire/yFYgedny">Chariots of Fire</a> (1981), as well as for the films <a href="/facts/Blade_Runner/Fycnw6Lu">Blade Runner</a> (1982), <a href="/facts/Missing_(1982_film)/2RKRMAyf">Missing</a> (1982), <a href="/facts/Antarctica_(1983_film)/pErr1GQF">Antarctica</a> (1983), <a href="/facts/The_Bounty_(1984_film)/N0klGelE">The Bounty</a> (1984), <a href="/facts/1492:_Conquest_of_Paradise/IV88L0Mr">1492: Conquest of Paradise</a> (1992), and <a href="/facts/Alexander_(2004_film)/cIRmafR8">Alexander</a> (2004), and the 1980 <a href="/facts/PBS/E6q9udH8">PBS</a> documentary series <a href="/facts/Cosmos:_A_Personal_Voyage/lG59A1oc">Cosmos: A Personal Voyage</a> by <a href="/facts/Carl_Sagan/HhdhTggo">Carl Sagan</a>.
Born in <a href="/facts/Agria/eok05J2U">Agria</a> and raised in <a href="/facts/Athens/mBxlp8X1">Athens</a>, Vangelis began his career in the 1960s as a member of the rock bands the Forminx and <a href="/facts/Aphrodite%27s_Child/5yCgYzwv">Aphrodite's Child</a>; the latter's album <a href="/facts/666_(Aphrodite%27s_Child_album)/IxYkSWjT">666</a> (1972) is recognised as a <a href="/facts/Progressive_rock/79MRoIU7">progressive</a>-<a href="/facts/Psychedelic_music/RkxWNDTa">psychedelic</a> rock classic. Vangelis settled in Paris, and gained initial recognition for his scores to the <a href="/facts/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Rossif/MxB4SQtF">Frédéric Rossif</a> animal documentaries <a href="/facts/L%27Apocalypse_des_animaux_(album)/GST5CIer">L'Apocalypse des Animaux</a>, <a href="/facts/La_F%C3%AAte_sauvage/5zYt65yx">La Fête sauvage</a>, and <a href="/facts/Op%C3%A9ra_sauvage/dhqsTnSd">Opéra sauvage</a>. 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 <a href="/facts/Nemo_Studios/hQDKqCxe">Nemo Studios</a> and released a series of successful and influential albums for <a href="/facts/RCA_Records/bp1jLxvU">RCA Records</a>, including <a href="/facts/Heaven_and_Hell_(Vangelis_album)/NhgSLV74">Heaven and Hell</a> (1975), <a href="/facts/Albedo_0.39/pqrH5aSY">Albedo 0.39</a> (1976), <a href="/facts/Spiral_(Vangelis_album)/hFCXqT8e">Spiral</a> (1977), and <a href="/facts/China_(Vangelis_album)/2r3exkQr">China</a> (1979). From 1979 to 1986, Vangelis performed in a duo with <a href="/facts/Yes_(band)/JvrFWLEl">Yes</a> vocalist <a href="/facts/Jon_Anderson/6JeHvh7E">Jon Anderson</a>, releasing several albums as <a href="/facts/Jon_and_Vangelis/Rql9x9Gc">Jon and Vangelis</a>. He collaborated with <a href="/facts/Irene_Papas/R4sQWQH2">Irene Papas</a> on two albums of Greek traditional and religious songs.
Vangelis reached his commercial peak in the 1980s and 1990s. His <a href="/facts/Chariots_of_Fire_(album)/0GMftnXz">score</a> for Chariots of Fire (1981) won him an <a href="/facts/Academy_Award_for_Best_Original_Score/wsxePkjo">Academy Award for Best Original Score</a> and the film's main theme, "<a href="/facts/Chariots_of_Fire_(instrumental)/bJ492KuA">Chariots of Fire – Titles</a>" went to number one on the U.S. <a href="/facts/Billboard_Hot_100/gwKl8VL9">Billboard Hot 100</a> chart, while his score for 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992) was nominated for a <a href="/facts/50th_Golden_Globe_Awards/D8eITAI5">Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score</a> and the film's <a href="/facts/1492:_Conquest_of_Paradise_(album)/0PW8oXw4">soundtrack</a> and <a href="/facts/Conquest_of_Paradise_(song)/hQ87btHT">main theme</a> topped the European charts selling millions of copies. His compilation albums <a href="/facts/Themes_(Vangelis_album)/nxosBWtY">Themes</a> (1989), <a href="/facts/Portraits_(So_Long_Ago,_So_Clear)/meMKktK6">Portraits (So Long Ago, So Clear)</a> (1996), and studio album <a href="/facts/Voices_(Vangelis_album)/G5YGM884">Voices</a> (1995) sold well. Vangelis composed <a href="/facts/Anthem_(Vangelis_song)/pbPq39Bw">the official anthem</a> of the <a href="/facts/2002_FIFA_World_Cup/0JjaNygg">2002 FIFA World Cup</a> held in Korea and Japan. In his last twenty years, Vangelis collaborated with <a href="/facts/NASA/TIMCV0yV">NASA</a> and <a href="/facts/ESA/L8YRNV0C">ESA</a> on music projects <a href="/facts/Mythodea/APeDPKBG">Mythodea</a> (1993), <a href="/facts/Rosetta_(album)/mB0TRwaV">Rosetta</a> (2016), and <a href="/facts/Juno_to_Jupiter/oCUExEqX">Juno to Jupiter</a> (2021), his 23rd and final studio album.
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 <a href="/facts/Electronic_music/zfGNfUvR">electronic music</a>, and modern film music. He used many electronic instruments in a fashion of a "one-man quasi-classical orchestra" composing and performing on the first take.

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Vangelis