A true master, vale Vangelis
The legendary and prolific film composer Vangelis, born Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou, passed away in a French hospital on Thursday aged 79.
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The late great Vangelis was a Greek born musician who has produced some of the most iconic film scores of the 20th century. His most notable works include writing the soundtracks for both 1981’s Chariots of Fire and 1982’s Blade Runner.
What separates Vangelis from other composers of his time, is his implementation of synthesisers and electronic instruments within his compositions. The blending of traditional instruments with the new sounds emerging with the rise in popularity of electronic instruments, Vangelis was able to produce soundtracks that were way ahead of their time, while still being palatable for audiences of his day.
Combining the best of traditional orchestral scores with emerging electronic sounds of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, he initially began as a member of the band Forminx.
After the group’s breakup, he went on to write scores for Greek films before forming Aphrodite’s Child with Demis Roussos, whose final 1972 record 666 is still highly acclaimed.
As he moved into his own world of film scoring some of the biggest films, innovating electronic music capabilities as we know them today, well, the rest is history.
Check out his gear rundown.
