Earlier news updates: 2004

Odes / Rapsodies remasters sound evaulation

As promised, an evaluation of the new "Odes" and "Rapsodies" remastered CD. For these tests the original French Odes and Greek Rapsodies CDs were compared to the respective remastered CDs as shipped to shops in May this year.

Rapsodies

Like Chariots of Fire, released last year, this Vangelis supervised rerelease was indeed truly remastered. That should be obvious, but with the Japanese releases from the last few years in mind, it's something not to be taken for granted.

Rapsodies is a bit of an unusual case for a remaster. The original CD always had a strange, metalic sound, all over the album (often a sign this may be due to mastering) and a very strong emphasis on the higher end of the spectrum. The remaster differs in this respect. The sound is softer, warmer, but less crisp. Another difference is the stereo separation, which is less strong for the remaster. It seems like the original CD was processed for stereo expansion.

The result is probably much closer to Vangelis' original intend and certainly sounds easier on the ears, but listeners who got accustomed to the pumped up sound of the original CD release could find this version less exciting. In either case, it's rare that remasters sound so different from their original releases.

Odes

Odes is also a true remaster, and it sounds like you expect from a remaster. A bit more crisp, clear, and warm. The difference is subtle, but if you want to hear the music in the best possible way, the new master is the disk to play. The difference in equalization is particularly audible in the popular "Fire Dance".

These Greek pressings can be hard to find, but the good news is, it seems both disks are now also set for a UK release, available in the shops as of July 2.

"El Greco" trailer

The official site for Iannis Smaragdis' upcoming movie "El Greco" now offers a trailer, to share a first glimpse of the new work:
www.elgrecothemovie.com/trailer.htm

Note that, although the movie's original score is being created by Vangelis, the trailer was edited to unrelated music, not composed by Vangelis.

The movie is expected to premier in Greece on October 18, and should also come into circulation in other European cinemas.

"Research, Music, Arts, and Science Foundation Evangelos Papathanassiou"

In the last month, various Greek media have been covering the birth of an organization called the "Research, Music, Arts, and Science Foundation Evangelos Papathanassiou". Named after, and initiated by Vangelis, this foundation will involve itself with all the crafts mentioned in its title, as well as pursuing other virtues.

For this organization to be awarded a special tax status in its country of origin, it had to go through a process which included a formal voting session in the Greek national parliament. Yesterday, May 8, the final vote was positive and the special status of the foundation was approved. Sources in Greece say that in possibly 10 to 15 days, the last formalities will be completed and the Foundation will be a fact.

Expect to find more information and details here, when they become available.

Odes and Rapsodies remastered CDs resurface in Greek shops

Since this week, Vangelis' newly remastered "Odes" and "Rapsodies" albums, with Irene Papas, are available again in Greek stores, after having disappeared for a short period of time, just after their release in March. Expect an evaluation of their sound quality on this site in the weeks to come.

The albums are also available as MP3 downloads through the Greek division of iTunes and are expected to become available on iTunes divisions throughout the world.

"7 Wise Men" Symposium

By the end of this week, the Greek cities of Athens and Delphi will be the locations for a symposium called the "7 Wise Men of the World". (www.7wisemen.com) The media have been reporting about Vangelis' involvement by donating music, for use at the happenings and as part of a documentary screened at the Delphi event. This music is a selection of tracks from his albums, released over the past years. No new pr unreleased music is being used.

Argo vogage delayed

The much awaited launch of the Argo ship (see the August 31, 2006 update, to recreate its mythical voyage to Colchis has been delayed until the summer of next year.

This means that the cultural events accompanying the start of the journey, including the expected Vangelis organized event, have also been postponed to 2008. More information here, when the time approaches.

"Odes" and "Rhapsodies"

Universal in Greece has temporarily retracted sales of the remastered Odes and Rhapsodies CDs. But not to worry: They will return to the shops later this month, or shortly after. More info here, when the CDs become available again.

Artwork for "Odes" and "Rhapsodies"

Remastered "Odes" and "Rhapsodies"

Vangelis' two collaborations with Greek actress and singer Irene Papas, the albums "Odes" and "Rhapsodies" have been remastered by Vangelis. The newly released CDs with redesigned artwork should be released in Greece next week on March 26, and will become available as official downloads, to be purchased internationally.

Since Vangelis' two remasterings of Chariots of Fire were so well received by audiophiles, expectations for these re-editions are quite high. More details here when they become available.

"Alexander Revisited, The Final Cut" DVD review

Since February 27, Oliver Stone's latest and final revision of the Alexander movie is available on DVD in the USA. Further releases are expected in the UK (April) and Italy (May or June), and possibly also in other parts of the world.

To sumarize this movie's history, director Oliver Stone rushed his editting process to make the release date deadline, while under presure to keep the result at a reasonable length for theaters to reserve their screens for. The resulting original theatrical version (also released on DVD) had a duration of 175 minutes.

The movie met mixed results. A commercial flop in the States, a mediocre success in Europe (with positive exceptions in a few countries) and a true hit in important parts of Asia. All in all the movie made its investments back, but formed, in addition to a considerable group of loyal fans, a large base of critisism.

In quite a predictable move, giving in to the negativity around certain aspects of his work, Stone released a special DVD with a reworked version. While adding and extending a number of scenes, he also trimmed naration and dialog and removed certain sequences, resulting in a shorter movie clocking at 166 minutes. This version was sold as "The Director's Cut".

The (false) notion that references to Alexander's bisexuality were lightened probably sold a few extra copies, but in general the revisions were received without enthusiasm. Although the new material was generally good, the trimming made scenes look choppy, and revised order did nothing to enhance, the momentum. To the contrary.

Then, the unexpected happened. The studio asked Stone to give it one more try. This time, he would not have to give in to the critics, making the film shorter and "easier", but was given total freedom, without any of the practical limitations a release in theaters invariably brings. Instead, Stone could indulge as much as he liked, in a way giving in to the fans instead, adding as much material as possible, delving into every of the complex movie's sub texts and plots.

The result is, just as Stone predicted in the revision's announcements, not better for people who didn't like it in the first place. But reactions from the movie's loyal supporters are so far unanimously positive!

The new result will keep you busy for 211 minutes, allowing for a planned break, while changing the two disks.

None of the problems with the Director's Cut's seem to exist anymore. Scenes are fluid and make sense. Editing is flawless.

A new order of scenes is introduced, starting with the Gaugamella battle, then cutting back and forth between Alexander's childhood and carreer as a conquerer. Although this risks shifting the balance of the glorious action even further in the movie, it does set a proper athmosphere, from which to start delving into character, politics, and family feuds.

In other words, it works, dramatically. That is, if you have enough knowledge of the history, or have seen the movie before. Because, while the new order and new material helps to understand all the interesting sub plots and context, it does in fact make an even more complex story, and it can be hard or even impossible to properly follow the large story line and understand the actual chronological order of events.

More important than the new order is the content. To begin with, the new cut contains all the material from both the original theatrical version and the Director's Cut. The re-editing (or rather undoing the cuts) of many known scenes helps them make more sense than ever before, and the addition of new scenes sheds new light, especially on a number of minor characters, who until now, had less presence in the movie. Most of the attention goes to Bagoas, who now has speaking lines and is more involved with Alexander.

One example of a scene that changed quite radically is the dance Roxane performs for Alexander on their wedding. The beautiful choreography now comes to light much better, while the intercutting to the wild animals interrupts the scene more subtly than before. Additional material before the dancing explains the presence of these animals and adds meaning to this and other scenes. It's these sort of changes that help make this version not just longer, or "more", but actually makes it more coherent, for anyone who's willing to puzzle and look for all the topics the movie tries to deal with.

As for Vangelis' music, some scenes have slightly editted versions of the music heard before, to match the altered timings (such as the Gaugamella battle sequence), but there are indeed also a few unheard cues in this new version. The album's "One Morning at Pella" track is now used, appearing in the scene with Aristotle and the kids. Other scenes have background, or longer versions, but no important new themes or variations are introduced.

All in all, as it was intended by Stone and the studio, a DVD only for those who enjoyed the movie to begin with. They will get exactly what they hoped for: As much as possible, as complete as possible. A brave thing to try, with a commercially flawed movie. They could have much more easily cashed in on a project that does have universal approval and demand. Instead, Stone didn't give up on his pet project, and shares the results with its fans: Within its limited scope, indeed a very succesful experiment!

"The Plague" DVD in Poland

A Polish newspaper recently released a book and DVD set, with the rather obscure movie "The Plague" (aka "La Peste", or in this case "Dzuma").

This 1992 movie uses music Vangelis made for it, but due to creative differences between the director and Vangelis, Vangelis did not allow his name to be mentioned in the movie's credits. Reprise's "Psalmus Ode" track however, was a reworked version of the movie's main theme.

So far, the only DVD released for this movie was a Chinese transfer of the shortest available version, cutting off Vangelis' stunning end title music halfway its original duration. This makes the new Polish release quite unique, as the end titles are in tact, and a much longer version of the movie was used for the transfer. It clocks at 2 hours and 17 minutes. Only rare French and Italian rental VHS tapes were a few minutes longer than this edit. In fact, this is the first time anything but the shortest version of the movie (less than 2 hours) can be seen in English.

The sound quality of the English channel is quite good, a better chance to hear the music than any other source before. Technically it's a 5.1 surround mix, as the package advertises, but all 6 channels of the 5.1 mix are almost identical, coming from the same single channel source, since the movie was mixed in mono at the time. As for image quality, this release is not so interesting. It's a pan&scan full-screen transfer, best watched on an old fashioned TV from before the wide-screen age.

This DVD has no region code protection, and plays the PAL television format (Europe, Africa, Australia and parts of Asia). It comes as part of a small hardcover book about Albert Camus' original novel, all written in the Polish language. The set can be ordered online, but will sadly only be shipped to addresses within Poland:
prenumerata.agora.pl/czasopisma_karta.asp?KP=LS25++&kh_x=LS

Agria honors Vangelis and his work

It happened a while ago, as far back as September 18, but this event should certainly not be overlooked.

As all will remember, the Municipality of Volos in cooperation with other offices have set out to rebuild the mythological ship "The Argo", and follow in Jason and the Argonauts "footsteps" by rowing the fabled journey to Colchis. The ship was baptized on September 17, in a formal ceremony, (attended by Vangelis), and is expected to set sail next summer launched by, if all goes well, a bigger public event, to be directed by Vangelis.

As it turns out, Volos followed the ship's baptism by organizing a small but heartfelt ceremony to honor Vangelis and his work. It was held the next night, September 18 on the grounds of the Agria Railway Station.

"It is a great night tonight. At last this great composer, Mr. Vangelis Papathanassiou, one of our own, an internationally famous music composer is honored at Agria, his birthplace. Apart from the awards he has received this man is globally known, since his music is beyond borders. It was a debt of honor for us to proceed with this honorary ceremony towards this great man, who brings glory not only to Agria but also to Thessalia and to our country. Tonight with this simple and modest ceremony we honor Mr. Papathanassiou offering him just an olive branch, according to his wish, as he is characterized by a modesty that makes him even greater."

So said Agria Mayor Mr. Papaefthimiou according to local newspaper "Thessalia", before handing the branch to Vangelis. Reportedly, Vangelis had been offered a number of serious "award" honorings, but Vangelis modestly rejected them all, finally suggesting the olive branch from the Agria olive groves.

Vangelis, according to the press could hardly suppress his emotions, while accepting with the words "I would like to thank all of you so much… Of all the awards I have received, this is the greatest..." In addition to the branch, Vangelis was presented a small silver centaur, the mythological symbol of the district, to remember the occasion.

In attendance was a crowd of about 1200 people, including G. Sourlas (vice-President of the Greek Parliament), Mrs. Helena Antonopoulou (deputy prefect) the Agria mayor and other dignitaries. In addition to some speeches about Vangelis' positively influencing society through his work, a short film was shown highlighting moments in Vangelis' life. People who attended the ceremony spoke of a truly magical atmosphere that made it a very special night for everyone involved.

As newspaper Neos Typos wrote: "Simple, modest, and at the same time approachable, with no sign of pride or mannerisms, Vangelis could be nothing less than touched with emotion from the return to his home place, several years after his last visit to the place of his birth and childhood."

The evening was ended by the Orchestra of Volos, performing for Vangelis a number of classical compositions by 2 Volos born composers, as well as Vangelis' famous themes for Chariots of Fire and 1492, Conquest of Paradise.

Note: Both local and Greek national press covered this event. If anyone has obtained photographs (better than the small inset above), or perhaps recorded any items on the TV stations that reportedly covered the topic, such as Net, Antenna TV, MEGA TV, etc., please contact me as it would help provide a more colorful and complete update on this topic.

"El Greco", pictures from the set...

While production on the upcoming "El Greco" movie is paused for new series of shooting early next year, enjoy a few pictures taken earlier on one of the the movie's sets. Overall, the film is being shot on locations in Crete, Rhodes, Athens (All in Greece), as well as in Spain. With the film being shot in English, it looks like it will be more internationally distributed and marketed than Kavafis was. However, no distribution info is known, so far. More info here when it becomes available.

"Chariots of Fire", the first new remaster...

Yesterday, Universal in the UK released the first of their planned series of remastered Vangelis albums. Vangelis remastered and created new artwork for this release, which marks the 25th anniversary of the release of the soundtrack. One could speculate this is why the album precedes the other planned remastered Universal albums.

Packed in a nice cardboard with a separate booklet inside (as some may know from the American and UK "Odyssey" releases), the album is quite an eye catcher. Added to that, the medium range price is a definite plus.

As for the sound quality, examination of the contents shows that it is indeed a genuinely remastered album. The problem is however that the 2000 release of the album was already remastered by Vangelis, which meant a great improvement to the original CD. Comparing this new version to the original again shows this clear improvement, but the differences between the 2000 and 2006 versions are extremely subtle, and as such hard to pass judgement on. In the end, both are truly tasteful and crisp masters. In the end the best reason to listen to this version might be that the fading between tracks is just a little bit closer to the original album than the 2000 remaster was.

On to the next remaster releases... It's quite reasonable to expect the same or even better improvements as both "Chariots of Fire" remasters showed.

Label and catalog number: Universal 9841398, released November 6, 2006, in the UK and a number of other European countries.

"Antarctica" DVD with subtitles

Don Fennimore reports on his www.vangeliscollector.com site that Hong Kong has now seen the release of a reportedly legitimate DVD of the Japanese "Antarctica" movie, well known beyond the Japanese borders for its famous Vangelis score. Before now, the movie was only available in Japan, without English subtitles. This Hong Kong edition is said to contain English (as well as two Chinese) language subtitles.

Of course, the disk is region encoded (for the exotic region 3), and presented in the American NTSC format, so for many of us in this world this will require a region free DVD player to be able to watch the disk.

An online store: global.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/code-c/section-videos/pid-1004318031.

Mathieu DVD review

It would truly do injustice to this DVD release, not to include a full review, now that it's been available for more than a month.

"Georges Mathieu ou la Fureur d'Être", filmed in the same year as the famous "l'Apocalypse des Animaux", just about marked the start of Vangelis' 20 year working relationship with Frederic Rossif, which ended only due to Rossif's sad passing in 1990. It does not happen often that a historic movie which has eluded fans for such a long time, finally sees a general DVD release for today's public. It's even more rare to see it produced so well and elaborately.

The movie explores the work and lifestyle of French lyrical abstraction master George Mathieu. For 55 minutes, the pleasantly eccentric Frenchman's works are shown, while exploring their context by various means. The movie is edited from interviews (both traditional and "graphic", where Mathieu is asked to draw his answers on one white piece of paper), insights into his history, philosophy and of course registrations of the painter at work. All presented in Rossif's pleasant poetic style, underscored by Vangelis' early hypnotic music.

For anyone reading this web-site, the movie's highlight surely comes at the end, when Vangelis role shifts from background composer to actual participator in the film, as director Rossif organized Mathieu's improvisational creation of a new work to be combined with Vangelis improvising new music.

It's a unique chance to peek back in history and catch a glimpse of how early in time really, Vangelis was already interested and quite developed in the art of creating music live, spontaneous, playing everything at once all by himself. The result in this case may not be a Chariots of Fire or Conquest of Paradise, but who hasn't allowed himself to be swayed by the hypnotic charms of unpolished and truly spontaneous music performances?

The 13 minute scene, which has been edited down from a much longer session for obvious reasons, shows Vangelis managing to operate a cymbal, a flute and other acoustic percussion, while keeping his electronic keyboards and indeed an early synthesizer going all at once, using sustain pedals and other clever devices.

Although Mathieu in a recent interview published on the DVD sort of denies having interacted with the music, it's hard to believe anyone can be creative without being in some way lured or at least adjusted by the power of music. Vangelis does his thing, while watching Mathieu listen and run around while stroking, throwing or smearing the paint into his wonderful shapes and images. The camera follows both of them, as well as a young girl dancer making poses that look a little lost between the aural and visual power of the two artists at work.

As mentioned in earlier news updates, the movie has been restored and masterfully transferred for this DVD. The visual quality is sharp, bright and colorful, as if it were made recently, rather than 35 years ago. The audio has been cleaned up as well, even though there are still some small problems that cannot be fixed without hurting its authenticity. The sound comes in two variations, one made into semi stereo, for pleasant listening, the other in its historically accurate mono. English viewers can enjoy menus in English and subtitles during the movie. Everything on the disk can be enjoyed in both French and English languages.

The disk is filled with interesting extras. There are artist biographies, photo galleries, a new interview in which Mathieu looks back at making this movie, and a wonderful photo gallery with behind-the-scenes stills, including some lively takes on Vangelis performing his music or wandering the set, none of them ever published before. The disk even includes the original scenario, used to shoot the documentary, as well as a number of letters by the principals involved. Very convenient is that the disk can also be used as a computer DVD-ROM, containing all of the photos again in high resolution.

The DVD's package comes with a beautiful extra outer sleeve, an extra photograph, and a printed letter plus English translation. All in all, a very complete and well made product, aimed at everyone with any interest in either Georges Mathieu, Frederic Rossif or Vangelis.

For more info on the DVD and it's availability, visit the renewed web site at www.georgesmathieu-themovie.com, which now includes Mathieu's own reaction to the DVD, in audio.

Vangelis invited to direct event for reconstructed "Argo"

Since a number of years now, the Municipality of Volos, in conjunction with the local Municipal Tourist Bureau and the research team of 'Navdomos' has been working on an ambitious project to reconstruct the legendary ship named "Argo". This was the ship that took the mythical Jason and his Argonauts (Greek heroes) to Colchis, to find and bring back the "golden fleece". The prestigious project is filled with symbolism, of national and international stature, attracting quite some media attention, which brings to light some interesting news.

The City of Volos has now invited Vangelis to envision the artistic conception and execute direction of a major event, to take place in the summer of 2007, on location in Volos, when the ship will set sail for Colchis. Articles are appearing in Greek news papers and web-sites reporting that Vangelis has accepted this invitation.

Speculation on a date for this event suggests it might happen around late May, or June next year, precise planning also depending on weather conditions.

Volos is the capital of the Magnesia district, build close to where the ancient Iolcus used to be, Jason's home, and the supposed final resting place of the Argo. Vangelis was born in this area.

The ship is being build using scientifically accurate ancient methods of ship building, as part of a research program of experimental naval archaeology. www.volos-city.gr writes: "This is a very ambitious project, which took years of painstaking enquiry and relevant studies." Construction has in fact almost finished, and the ship will be first launched during a small ceremony, attended by Greek and foreign dignitaries, including the Greek prime minister, on September 17, this year. This will be followed by a series of tests and evaluations that will lead up to the actual symbolic journey, the start of which should be celebrated by the envisioned Vangelis event.

Recreating the voyage of the ancient Argo, the symbolic journey will stop at various Greek islands and cities of legend, including Constantinople, now known as Istanbul, in Turkey. The 50 oarsman, all Greek heroes in the original legends that included Heracles, Orpheus, Telamon and Jason himself, will now be assembled from representatives of all 25 EU Member States. As www.volos-city.gr writes: "We envisage Argos to belong, not only to Volos or Greece, but also the whole Europe".

So, if all goes as hoped and planned, we have something to look forward to! More news can be found here, when things develop and unfold.

A short selection of links:

• Info in Greek, on a Volos internet portal: www.volos-city.gr/ecpage.asp?id=15741&nt=103
  and www.volos-city.gr/ecportal.asp?id=%20519&nt=18&lang=1
• Background info on the replica, in Greek: www.volos-city.gr/images/entypo_argo.pdf
• Newspaper article in Greek: www.neostypos.gr/opsis_article.php?sub=0&art=06072705
• Wikipedia on the legend: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argonauts

"Golden Lyre" acceptation (and more details)

Newspapers and other press in Greece have been writing about the Delphi symposium which honored Vangelis with their "Golden Lyre of Apollo" award (see the August 18 update). Vangelis did not personally attend the ceremony. According to press releases, he wrote:

"I am deeply touched to accept the great honor you bestow upon me, and I assure you I shall continue to create according to the universal values that the lyre of Apollo embodies. Allow me, however, to explain why I decided not to join you this evening. It was a decision I did not make lightly at all. Undoubtedly it is difficult to think there is any person, and first and foremost myself, who does not wish to feel the satisfaction of being honored in this sacred place. Personally, I feel that it is the Sanctity of the site of Delphi that does not allow me to attend and receive the "Golden Lyre of Apollo" that you award me. Let us keep these sites sacred, and I am certain that other places will be found to host the affairs of mankind."

Articles also elaborated further on meaning of the award: "The Golden Lyre of Apollo will always be awarded to an international personality strictly fulfilling, through their general work and way of life, the criteria of furthering the elevation and advancement of ecumenical values, rationalism, humanism and classical education. This award will be bestowed with the care and expenditure of the US Regional Council of Hellenic Education to Promote the Teaching of the Greek Language, History and Culture, under the patronage of H.A.N.C.".

Vangelis: "The reintroduction of the ecumenical values represented by the Delphic commands of 'Gnothi safton' (Know Thyself) and 'Miden agan' (Nothing in Excess) must become the basis for moulding the changing current of international culture."

Political support came from many directions, as US Senator Hillary Clinton saluted the symposium's functions by means of a written letter. Greek Minister of Culture, Mr. Georgios Voulgarakis sent a message congratulating the undertaking and stressed the importance of reintroducing the ecumenical values of the Delphic Idea around the world, also stating that: 'Vangelis truly incorporates the essence of those ideas into his life and work.'"

First "Golden Lyre of Apollo" for Vangelis

Vangelis is to be awarded the "Golden Lyre of Apollo", the highest honorary distinction by the Municipality of Delphi and the Hellenic-American National Council. A ceremony honoring Vangelis will be held at Delphi's "Frynichos Theatre" on Saturday, August 19, starting at 21:00. The proceedings will include a screening of the "Mythodea" DVD recording.

The award is part of a new annual symposium in light of the "Revival of Delphi's Ideals". Vangelis was chosen for the honor because of "his contribution, through his work and public expression, in promoting global values." Mr. T. Spyropoulos, president of H.A.N.C. was quoted saying "Delphi is linked with the most important events in Greek history. With the institution of Amphictyony, it spread the message of friendship, brotherhood and peaceful coexistence between nations. In their totality these principles represent the 'Delphic Idea,' and so Delphi is the ideal location for such a meeting. Vangelis both in his work and public life embodies the Hellenistic philosophy as an ideology."

Oliver Stone working on extended "Alexander" movie

After the initial theatrical version of "Alexander" and the shorter re-envisioned "Director's Cut", released about a year later, Oliver Stone has announced he is now working on an extended version, which should reach a duration of about 3 hours and 45 minutes. That would make it almost 50 minutes longer than the original cut.

In the interview at www.ropeofsilicon.com/news.php?id=4242%5D, Stone is quoted saying: "I'm doing a third version on DVD, not theatrical. I'm going to do a Cecile B Demille/Oliver Stone three hour forty five minute thing, I'm going to go all out, put everything I like in the movie. He was a complicated man, it was a complicated story and it doesn't hurt to make it longer and let people who loved the film and see it more and understand it more."

As for its release: "I love working on it because I love the movie. I hope to have it done in two months, a month and a half and then it's up to Warner. It will be a catalogue item, I don't think they'll go out and make a big thing of it."

Needless to say, it's almost impossible to lengthen the movie without using more or longer versions of Vangelis' music. One could speculate on at least the fabled uncut dance scenes.

Blade Runner DVD box set

The long planned, discussed and awaited deluxe DVD set of "Blade Runner" is back on track, after issues with the rights forced the project into a long delay.

Current plans for this box include 4 disks, one for the original cut as shown in theaters upon it's 1982 release, the 1993 Director's Cut, which famously never actually represented director Ridley Scott's preferred configuration, plus an all new third version, which should finally make Scott's original ideal version come through. A fourth disk should be filled with extras related to the movie, and hopefully the music.

Previously, only the 1993 Director's Cut has been available on DVD, in substandard quality. Even that disk had become a rarity, while Warner dealt with issues surrounding an expired license. With those problems out of the way, Warner will re release the Director's Cut in the coming months (US: September 5, UK: October 9), with improved image quality, but the old stereo sound. It seems to be only for those who can't wait for the new versions project's duration, with the box set planned for a release well into 2007. HD DVD and Blu-ray releases of the movie are also expected in 2007, but no further details are available so far.

Delayed Mathieu DVD shipping

The long awaited DVD release of Rossif's "Georges Mathieu ou la Fureur d'Être" (See the April 22 update) is expected to ship on August 25. The producers encountered problems due to pressures surrounding the Cannes Film Festival as well as quality issues with the artwork prints. But everything should be on track now for delivery soon. At least at this point, the DVD can only be ordered online, at www.georgesmathieu-themovie.com.

Appearance on "Musical Express" to re-air?

In 1981, a Spanish TV series about music visited Vangelis' studio in London. Vangelis answered questions and performed music solo as well as with Neuronium (a jam session later released as "In London"). These recordings were used for a series of 2 episodes that were dedicated to various forms of European electronic music. Vangelis mostly appeared in the 2nd episode, although the first episode showed a short preview on Vangelis' participation in the next episode.

Spanish channel TVE50 will now re-air at least one of these 2 episodes. It looks like it's the first part that will air, on Saturday May 20, starting at 9PM local Spanish time. Artists featured in this episode are Klaus Schulze and Neuronium, but hopefully the small Vangelis preview will be included as well. There is currently no information on whether TVE50 will follow up this program with its second half, the one focussing more prominently on Vangelis.

The channel can be received on Astra and Hispasat satellites.

More info: www.rtve.es/tve/programo/avana/tvas2005.htm

Vangelis to score "El Greco" movie

Seven years after Cavafy director Iannis Smaragdis started preparing a movie about Greece's most famous painter El Greco, newspapers are reporting that the project is finally going ahead filming, with the first shooting planned for August this year. Some newspaper articles confirm Vangelis' involvement, which has also been advertised on production company Alexandros Films' web site, ever since the film's development entered its financing stage.

The movie will be loosely based on Demetris Siatopoulos' biography of the 17th / 18th century painter. The story will follow El Greco's life from 26 years old, as he sets to leave his birthplace, the island of Crete, up till the age of 40. The complete international cast will be announced at a later date.

Because the movie is currently in the middle of pre-production, no other details about the music are currently available, but as soon as there is more news, you will find it here.

More details on the movie in this English language newspaper article: www.hellas-in.gr/showarticle.asp?cid=289
and on the official web-site: www.alexandros-film.gr/new/elgreco.html

Pre-ordering the Mathieu DVD

The upcoming DVD release of the Frederic Rossif documentary "Georges Mathieu ou la Fureur d'Être" can now be ordered on-line. A web-site has been set up at www.georgesmathieu-themovie.com.

This previously unavailable documentary famously not only features Vangelis' original musical score but also shows him perform his music live, in an extensive scene where Mathieu works on a new painting.

The audio of this DVD - presented both in English and French - has been mastered from the film's original negative, to be in the best possible quality for a movie dating back to 1972. The image quality will be perfect, as the cleaned up source is used as previously seen on a special Paris film institute screening.

The extras include English subtitles, an extra Mathieu interview, a gallery of still photographs shot on location, including of Vangelis, biographies, the screenplay, as well as a number of letters.

Note, the TV format of this DVD will be the PAL standard, as is common in Europe, Africa, Australia and most of Asia. Buyers from Japan or the American countries will have to be careful, as they will need more specialized equipment to play this disk.

The special launch price for the DVD is 20 Euro, which applies only in the first three months. Payments go through Paypal, allowing the use of all major credit cards. The DVDs will ship out on May 15, the disk's official release date.

Japanese Remasters released

BMG in Japan has released their series of 4 remastered Vangelis albums. All are limited edition CDs that are packaged to look like the original LP releases in smaller shape. A format that is much desired by collectors. So much, that most online stores are already reporting some editions as sold out, without being clear whether back-ordering is still possible.

The results of the remastering process in terms of audio quality are varying. All albums have indeed been remastered (unlike most of the Universal series from 2004, which had only been boosted digitally).

Heaven and Hell surprisingly seems to sound less clear than both previous editions, making the old Japanese remaster still the prime choice to play. The remaster of Albedo sounds similar, but is graced with an extra layer of noise that was never there before. Beaubourg is less disappointing. Compared to the "good" German master (the album was also sold in a faulty wobbly version in most countries), it's hard or impossible to actually hear any differences, but the cut off frequency is a little higher, which might be preferred by some. The treat among these editions is "Spiral", which indeed sounds a great deal better than the strangely muffled CD we all know. More clarity and presence, due to improved higher tones make this CD finally come alive as the LP did when it came fresh from the stores in 1977.

Other collector's gimmicks

Purely for collectors' interest, the French market saw the release of this little gimmick, almost echoing the Japanese mini-LP fashion on a smaller scale. It was the Vangelis Collector site (www.vangeliscollector.com) that first reported the release of a CD single by "Magic Records", which combines the classic 7" singles of Rain and Tears and "It's Five o Clock" into one little CD EP that looks like vinyl and reproduces the two authentic sleeves (French editions), each on one side of the CD's cardboard slipcase.

And more news for completists only, also reported by Don's Collector site involves a re-recording of an old Vangelis song. Back in the sixties Vangelis wrote a little pop tune for a cheerful summer movie called "Apollo goes on holiday" (its Greek title translated as "Operation Apollo"). The song was never released or heard outside of its existence in the movie. Now however, Greek pop singer Agni recorded and released a cover version of this piece on her album "Otan Allazei O Kairos" (When the Season Changes), available in Greek CD stores.

Many will be interested in the announced upcoming release of Frederick Rossif's documentary "Georges Mathieu ou la Fureur d'Être" (1972), which not only had a score by Vangelis but he also appeared in it, improvising music while Mathieu performs his action painting technique. A few years ago, the movie was restored as well as screened on occasion in a French cinema (see the June 5, 2002 update). It should now finally see the light of day on DVD. The Collector Site is raising emails to advance the release for ordering on the internet.

More details here, when this release comes nearer.

Japanese Remasters

Unrelated to the rumored Polydor remasters (see the February 3 update), Sony/BMG in Japan is about to re-issue four of Vangelis' classic RCA albums: Heaven and Hell, Albedo 0.39, Spiral and Beaubourg. All of these will be remastered by the record company.

These new releases will come as limited editions in special cardboard sleeve packaging, imitating the original LP releases, as is quite customary in Japan for collector targeted releases.

For the new masters, BMG used the JVC K2 24bit A/D-converter. This is the follow up to the one used for the "Heaven & Hell" remaster previously available in Japan, which was always admired by audiophiles. In details (clarity, dynamics) it sounded superior to the regular Heaven & Hell releases in the rest of the world. Since all of these RCA albums were mastered quite sloppily - when they came out on CD early in the digital age - considerable improvements can be expected. For those who have the ear, attention and equipment for it.

Release is expected on March 22, in Japan only. But specialist shops around the world sometimes import these sort of titles. Releases on BMG Japan, catalog numbers:

Rumors about remasters

Rumors are persisting that Universal plans to release a large series of re-issued Vangelis albums, remastered by the maestro himself. This would involve the entire catalog of albums released by Polydor. More info here, when it becomes available.

Faulty "Chariots of Fire" DVDs in Germany

A note to people who bought the remastered Chariots of Fire DVD in its German edition. Some customers have sent emails to complain that this German edition actually contains the previous transfer of the film with mono sound and no extras, instead of the excellent new master with perfect sound and documentaries that include new Vangelis interview footage. As it turns out, this was a mistake by FOX Video Germany, shipping some of the new packaging with old disks. In other words, check your DVD and contact Fox if they gave you the wrong version. Some customers have managed to get it exchanged.
See: www.fox.de

For the record, this is the same version (remastered movie / extras) that was released in the States in 2004, in the UK in 2005, and has since been appearing in several other European countries including Germany, Holland and France, as well as Japan.

News in short

Variety, the US' leading entertainment industry magazine, published their list of "The Gorgeous 100, the best moments in music", appearing in films. Vangelis' score for Chariots of Fire was listed at #18, while the score for Blade Runner landed even better at #16, making Vangelis the only composer to appear twice in the top 20.

Earlier, Record Collector magazine devoted a special to legendary progressive rock label Vertigo. They elected Aphrodite's Child's album "666" as the label's most important release, lauding Vangelis' creativity.

The Brighton Documentary Film Festival saw the premiere of Suzanne Gielgud’s "Dancing For Oliver". Gielgud was involved in the casting of dancers for "Alexander", and followed the entire process of creating the Roxane and Bagoas dances, an experience she captured in her documentary. Although currently not up for a general release, this film should hopefully be appearing at festivals in the near future.

The documentary, which lasts 56 minutes, includes interview snippets with Vangelis, Stone and others, shows footage from rehearsing in London and Marrakech and most notably includes uncut versions of both dance scenes, reportedly about 3 times as long as the edits used in the actual film.

There will be more chances to see Gielgud's film, beginning March 23 at the Constellation Change festival in London, where it is part of the "Dance, Camera, Action 1" short films combination, playing at the Curzon in Soho. See:
www.constellation-change.co.uk/Pages/film5.htm

Vangelis' painting exhibition at the "Museo de Arte Contemporaneo" in Aguascalientes closed on January 8. There is currently no sign of any other upcoming locations / dates for these paintings.

Vangelis wins WSA Public Choice Award for "Alexander"

This year's "World Soundtrack Award" in the public's choice category was won by Vangelis for his score for "Alexander". The award was based on the public's vote at the WSA web site over the summer.

Vangelis could not personally make it to the award ceremony in Belgium's historic city of Gent, but he sent a message in audio, to thank the public:

"I would like to thank the people all over the world, who voted for me. And also I would like to thank the World Soundtrack Academy, which gave this opportunity to the public, to express their choice. Once again, thank you all very much."

The ceremony was combined with film music concerts by Gustavo Santaolalla, Raymond van het Groenewoud and Rachel Portman, while composers and celebrities attending included David Arnold, Angelo Badalamenti, Stephen Warbeck, Tim Rice, Brenda Blethyn, Mike Leigh as well as Belgian politicians and celebrities.

The other awards categories are selected by the World Soundtrack Academy members. Angelo Badalamenti was named best soundtrack composer for "Un long dimanche de fiançailles", while John Williams' music for "War of the Worlds" was named best score. Game score veteran Michael Giacchino was named discovery of the year for "The Incredibles".

An hour of highlights from the event will be broadcast on Belgian TV station "Canvas", on Sunday October 23, starting 12:30 local time.

"Cosmos" on Discovery Science channel

Many fans often speak fondly of discovering Vangelis' music for the first time back in 1980, through Carl Sagan's television series "Cosmos".

Building on the history of two millennia of scientific progress and recent discoveries in science, astronomer Sagan explored the view of the universe from the atom and DNA molecules, to planets Mars and Saturn, and to the faraway reaches of the cosmos. With the aid of visual effects, Carl explained difficult ideas in an accessible way, and thus helped usher a new era of popular science as a mass media phenomenon. In the years to follow, the Cosmos series attracted a global reach, estimated to reach over a billion viewers.

As Sagan turned to a versatile selection of pre-existing classical and electronic music - to create a dreamy, majestic atmosphere - the unsuspecting audience was introduced to a lot of previously unfamiliar styles and compositions, spawning perhaps more interest in musical genres than any other series ever did. Vangelis' music had the lead role, with selections ranging from Albedo 0.39, Beaubourg, China to Ignacio, while Cosmos' main title theme was taken from "Heaven and Hell".

Vangelis wrote new music for a special 6 episode re-edit called "Special Edition", parts of which were also used in the revision of the series that is now available on DVD, through the internet and shops in various European countries.

This month on September 27, marking exactly one day short of its 25 anniversary on television, "Cosmos" will be shown again on the Discovery Science Channel in the shape of a digitally remastered edition. It will be updated with new 3D animations replacing the scale models, static paintings from the original show, and re-interpreting the cosmic zooms and space flyby with 3D animations. Whether Vangelis' original music for the '86 version will be used, remains to be seen, but nostalgia over the original edits could be just as attractive, after all these years.

The premiere night will broadcast two episodes at 9pm ET/PT time (check local listings), with the remainder of the series - a total of 13 episodes, as it was back in 1980 - shown during the weeks that follow.

Check out: science.discovery.com/convergence/cosmos/cosmos.html

More Alexander DVDs

Since early this month, more territories have had their local Alexander DVDs released, including for the US and the UK, Oliver Stone's new Director's Cut. Most other regions, including Holland, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Japan, etc, have no access to this new version, at this point.

The Director's Cut is Stone's new vision on the movie, both cutting out as well as adding new material, making the result 167 instead of its original 175 minutes. Stone has reconsidered both the large structure of the movie was well as a great number of individual scenes.

Most of these scenes have been cut shorter, words or sentences taken out, or certain happenings have been trimmed or expanded. For instance, the Aristotle scene has the order of topics reversed, as well as a few passages of different music inserted. Roxane never puts a knife to Alexander's throat (she simply relaxes her anger), Philip has more to say to Alexander in the caves, and there's a new cave scene as flashback, just before the army's entering of Babylon. It refers to the Titans myth, which is now refered to at various points throughout the movie. Olympias also has a much extended scene of Alexander manipulation regarding his possible succession to the throne. Both battle scenes have been lengthened and have a slightly clearer progression of events. There are more details on both the poisening attempt and the mutiny in India. Aristotle now writes Alexander during the India exploration.

Removed scenes include Hephaesteon's meeting with Alexander before the Gaugamela battle, although other Hephaesteon scenes have been lengthened (with some extended music too). Also removed is Alexander being sick after killing Clitus.

But perhaps of greater influence are the changes in the movie's structure. Most of the family politics have been taken out of the first part of the movie, and appear scattered throughout the last part of the movie in the form of extended flash backs. This changes the balance of the movie (the first battle starts earlier, and the ending feels less slow), it also takes away a lot of context for the rest of the movie, diminishing the importance of otherwise ironic or meaningful scenes.

All in all, there is some new and re-edited music to be heard, but a lot of music is also gone. Whether the new version is a better movie will largely depend on the viewer's taste, it's unlikely those who loved the original will actually prefer this new version. But for others it may be a new chance to enjoy the story, as well as the music.

The US 2-DVD sets contain some interesting extras on the 2nd disk. Appart from being the first releases to actually include the "Vangelis scores Alexander" item that we know from the score's internet site (earlier Italian releases advertised it but didn't actually contain this piece), it also has a new "Behind the Scenes of Alexander" documentary, not seen on the European disks, so far. Just like the earlier "Fight Against Time" documentary, this is directed by Stone's son Sean and is also laced with Vangelis' music for the movie, including a number of passages not actually heard in the movie or on CD. However, for completists: The American releases do not include a few other Vangelis related snippets found on some European / Asian releases.

Voting for soundtrack awards

Every year, the World Soundtrack Awards (related to the Flanders Film Festival in Belgium) are handed to the years best film composer, film score, and to winners in a number of other categories, including the Public's Choice Award.

Any score for a film released between July 1 2004 and June 30 2005 is eligible for this year's Public's Choice award, which does include Vangelis' music for Alexander. If Alexander was your favorite score of this period, feel free to vote at the WSA's web-site. Go to www.worldsoundtrackawards.com/news.cgi?go=detail&id=29 and search for Alexander.

Exhibition in Aguascalientes

Earlier this month, the painting exhibition in Mexico City closed its doors, and the paintings are now heading for the city of Aguascalientes, also in Mexico, where they will be exhibited at the "Museo de Arte Contemporaneo" [Note: not the "Instituto Cultural de Aguascalientes" as erroneously mentioned here before]. The doors will open on September 27 and close on December 18, 2005.

Cavafy DVD details

Some more details on the Cavafy DVD that was recently released in Greece. The contents are not identical to the limited edition box that has been discussed here before. To start with the bad news, this domestic Greek release does not come with English menus or even subtitles. The movie is presented for a purely Greek language audience.

On the up side, the audio quality has been greatly improved. Where the rare box set had a problem with a fluttering sound, especially near the end (which sort of ruined the beautiful and still unreleased end title music), this DVD comes with crystal clear sound throughout. The sound is presented in two channels stereo (Dolby Digital in AC3), but according to the packaging, this contains Dolby Digital SR surround encoding.

On the 2nd DVD, the one with the extras, the Vangelis bio has been updated. For the rest, all contents are the same as was in the boxed version, given that they are now only available in the Greek language.

The packaging comes with an extra slip case and an 8 page booklet inside, one page with information and pictures of Vangelis.

Ecuba details

Irene Papas gave a press conference in Taormina, a day after the film of her Ecuba play premiered at the local international film festival.

She explained that her film was shown because the film festival organization had invited her too. But she considers the film as yet unfinished, still working on editing it with her collaborators.

Papas would like to see the movie partly as a "making of" for the production, while somehow still keeping the "Ecuba" story intact. The performance itself was reportedly shot with 15 cameras.

Some Italian media are talking about a release on VHS (DVD???) soon. There have also articles talking of a possible entire series of Papas productions being filmed in this way. It's not sure whether this is related, but it seems that the new Antigone play's premiere night was filmed indeed. Perhaps this might one day lead to a release where Vangelis' new music can be heard by a wider audience.

Antigone pictures

Irene Papas mentions in the booklet about Antigone, that Vangelis, as a friend, wrote no less than two and a half hours of music for her "Antigone" play. Two photographs from the show:

Reports on Antigone

Irene Papas' stage play of "Antigone" is still being performed every other day in Siracuse, Italy. As time progresses, impressions of the spectacle are being sent in.

The performance lasts almost an hour and a half, with a considerable amount of Vangelis' new music underscoring the proceedings. The music is said to cover about half the duration of the play.

The style is being called a bit more accessible than the music for previous Irene Papas plays. Some passages can even remind listeners of Vangelis' recent score for "Alexander", for instance through the use of a Duduk, like in the track "Eastern Path".

The choir parts in the music are actually performed live on stage: both female and male vocalists sing along the Vangelis recordings that come from speakers.

The emotional impact of the play does not leave its spectators untouched, which can help make the experience extra special. The performance always seems to end in a standing ovation for the cast and crew.

Collectors may be interested to hear about the goodies connected to this play. There are posters (crediting Vangelis for the music) spread throughout the city, while the event is announced in general cultural flyers. As for booklets, there are both small and large programs available. The small version only lists the entire text of the play, while the luxurious edition provides more information, including a small article about Vangelis, with a photograph.

Ecuba movie

This very evening, the film "Ecuba" will have its world premiere screening at the Taormina BNL Film Festival, also at the Italian Island of Sicily.

As previously referred to in the update of October 5, 2003, director Giuliana Berlinguer filmed one of Irene Papas' performances of Ecuba at the Tor Vergata university in Rome. This was made into a cinema feature, which now finally sees the light of day. What sort of distribution plans exist for this movie is not clear at the moment.

Vangelis of course composed the music for this play, a score which is now also part of the movie.

For more information, see www.taorminafilmfest.it/2005/grandecinema/scheda.asp?ID=5.

Jon Anderson re-records...

Jon Anderson announced his next solo project on his web site. He's working on a DVD called "Work in Progress - Tour of the Universe", with new tracks as well as re-recordings of collaborations with Yes and Vangelis.

The two Vangelis tracks on the track list announced for the DVD so far are "State of Independence" and "Change We Must", both rerecorded for the occasion. This recording of "State Of Independence" will also be released separately on a CD single, along with some other tracks and a video for the title song.

Anderson will also tour Europe and Israel, where he is expected to play the same tracks. This follows his similar tour in the States last year.

For more information, see www.jonanderson.com/news.html.

Cavafy on DVD in Greece

Greece has finally seen a domestic release of Cavafy on DVD. Previously only a limited box set made for the film's crew with a number of copies sold privately through ebay and other internet channels existed. But the film is now available to buy for anyone in Greece. It can also be ordered through Greek web shops like http://www.dvdland.gr

The movie is sold as a 2 DVD set, which makes it likely that the contents are identical to the earlier private box edition. More info on this and other aspects of the DVD here soon.

Another Antigone TV item

Irene Papas appeared on an Italian talk show to talk, amongst other things, about her Antigone play. Some fragments of the play (with indeed a few notes of Vangelis' music) could be seen, intercut with some interviews. The show can be seen here:
http://www.international.rai.it/ilcaffe/puntate/2004-2005/20050524.shtml
To see the broadcast, click on the RealVideo logo at the bottom of the page. The segments with Vangelis' music can be found starting at 15:09 and 32:39.

Mexico Exhibition opened

On June 7, the next installment of Vangelis' series of exhibitions has opened in Mexico City (see photograph). In parallel with Vangelis' paintings, the museum also houses a photographic exhibition focusing on Valencia, the city which organizes the tour of Vangelis' paintings. Mexican newspapers and radio stations have commented very favorably on the exhibitions.

Chariots of Fire used in.....

Chariots of Fire is popping up in several places at once. For started, Music television station VH1 made a top 10 of sports themes and has been broadcasting the old video of Chariots Of Fire in that regard. The video shows images form the film plus shots of Vangelis playing his piano and synths. A rare chance to see this footage.

Movie audiences are currently enjoying Chariots of Fire appearing in Dreamworks' successful new animated feature "Madagascar", with Vangelis' original track also appearing on the official soundtrack album. Television audiences at the same time can enjoy a cover version of "Chariots of Fire" used in a new Nike commercial, paying tribute to the Olympic sports movie.

The Nike commercial can be seen here: nike.com/nikefree/usa/index.jhtml#landing,movie1

Alexander DVD extras

Some details about Alexander extras that have appeared on DVDs, so far...

Most Alexander DVDs with extras include the B-Roll (In Germany: Blick Hinter Die Kulissen), which contains a minute or two showing Vangelis playing. Also, earlier in the movie, some music is played on set, while the actors prepare their roles. This music did not turn up in the movie or on the album, but based on the sound one could speculate it's Vangelis. Also, almost all extra disks come with the interviews, which include a minute of Vangelis. Both this footage is similar to - but not all of it seen in - the item previously seen on the soundtrack's web site.

Unique for the German release so far is that some of the menus come with background music not found on Vangelis' soundtrack album. Both are only short fragments, one from the film's opening theme, the other from the movie version of "Roxane's Veil".

A number of European countries (UK, Holland) will see the new Director's Cut released only as coupled with the original movie, in a 3 DVD set configuration.

TV item on Antigone

"Antigone" is the second play featured in this broadcast.
Thanks to Giuseppe Andreazza for the tip.

Papas' Antigone premiered

The new Irene Papas stage performance of "Antigone" - with its new original score by Vangelis - has premiered on May 14. The performance was reportedly warmly received by the audience, and rewarded with a long ovation. The premiere was attended by high government officials including Italian minister of foreign affairs (and deputy prime minister) Gianfranco Fini and Stefania Prestigiacomo, Italian minister of Equal Opportunities.

According to an Italian news paper, Vangelis' music was an important contribution to the play's success. Read the article in Italian at www.agi.it/private/news.pl?doc=2005051...nline.palermo.

The image on the right promotes the XII Cycle of Classical Spectacle organized by the Italian Institute of Ancient Drama, of which this stage play is one of the most important parts.

The play is performed almost every other day and will run until June 25. More news on this, as soon as eye witness reports come in...

"Alexander" DVD releases

The Alexander DVD is getting released in more countries now. Italy's release was initially planned early, but they should finally find their discs in stores as of today. Portugal is getting it tomorrow.

This would be the first release with an extra called "Vangelis scores Alexander", which might be the short interview feature that can also be seen on the soundtrack's web site, and was packed with the computer game in a cut-down version. This "extra" was not included in the early Danish DVD release, nor is it present on the limited edition 3 DVD set that's being sold in Asia.

Some countries have actually seen the rental version of the movie released early, so check the rental shops if you can't wait.

People in the States will see their DVDs released on August 3, available in no less than three options: The theatrical version as a 1-disc or 2-disc set, or the new "Director's Cut", only as as 2-disc set.

Both 2-disc versions are said to contain the afore mentioned "Vangelis scores Alexander" item, and some other extras called "Resurrecting Alexander", "Perfect is the Enemy of God" and "The Death of Alexander". There is no sign of the "Fight Against Time" documentary which is appearing in some other countries, and which contains Vangelis' score for the movie, including some material that did not actually make it in the (theatrical) Alexander movie.

The Director's Cut includes:
- A breathtaking new cut of this sweeping epic
- Director's new vision of the film
- New and extended scenes

As for the speculation that the pending DVD issue of "Alexander" would be significantly different to tone down the homosexuality featured in the theatrical version, Stone said that in truth, Warner Bros. plans to release two versions of the DVD, the theatrical cut and a director's cut.

"There are a lot of changes, a whole new third act," Stone said of the director's cut. "It's 25% changed. We lose 20 minutes and put back in 12. … It was a big job (that required) two more months of editing work."

In the mean time the artwork - or an early version of it - features the claims "Newly inspired, faster-paced and more action-packed".

Mexico exhibition

The dates for Vangelis' painting exhibition in Mexico have changed. The museum will officially open its doors with these works on display on June 7, and stay open until August 7, although closing dates can sometimes fluctuate a bit. Local papers and web sites report on the upcoming event, like here:
estadis.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/282003.html

Thanks to Andres Eloy Martinez Rojas for his input.

Paintings in Mexico

It looks like Vangelis' paintings are going to be shown in Mexico City soon. The "Palacio de Mineria" will host an exhibition, that could run from May 27 to July 9, however, these dates have yet to be confirmed and may still be adjusted.

Alexander DVDs

The first countries are seeing "Alexander" being released on DVD, with Denmark having been the first, a week or two ago. Italy expects it in the stores as of tomorrow...

Almost all the different territories are getting a 1 DVD version as well as a 2 DVD version. Both contain the movie, the original version, as we know it from the cinema, with a duration of 176 minutes (168 minutes on PAL DVDs as the format runs movies a subtle bit faster). The 2 DVD version however comes with a large set of extras. These seem to differ slightly per country of release.

All 2 disc versions seem to include the "Fight Against Time" documentary. This documentary by Sean Stone - Oliver's son - follows the director while conceiving and filming "Alexander". This documentary is mostly set to music from the "Alexander" score. The careful listener may detect some parts that were not actually used in the movie.

The Danish DVD (2 disc version) includes a small excerpt from the Vangelis interview seen on the soundtrack's web site so far, as well as a bit of unedited footage of Vangelis working on the score. The Italian version promises an item called "The music by Vangelis", which could be the web interview in its entirety, or something else altogether. Time will tell.

The Vangelis collector site at www.vangeliscollector.com also refers to a possible 3-disc set that is being released in Asia. More news will follow if this will turn out to contain more Vangelis related material.

With these releases containing the original theatrical version, the 'newer' version Oliver Stone has been talking about is still being planned by Warner for a DVD release at a later date, probably in July.

Vangelis to compose for Papas' "Antigone"

Irene Papas is currently working on a project, which will involve her directing one of the most famous Greek classics: the tragedy "Antigone". Vangelis will compose the original music for this stage performance.

This staging of Sophocles' play will take place at the beautiful outdoor "Greek Theater" in Siracusa on the island of Sicily, Italy.

The premiere performance will take place on May 14, with further dates planned ranging well into June. For more information, see this web site: www.indafondazione.org/stagione/calendario05.htm

It will not be the first time that Vangelis writes music in connection with this classic. In 1991, Vangelis ended the "Night of Poetry" concert with a series of excerpts from his (otherwise unreleased) work "Antigone", performed with soprano Markella Hatziano.

More info here, as soon as it becomes available...

Nuremberg

As reported earlier, by means of a unique experiment, Frederic Rossif's memorable WWII documentary "De Nuremberg a Nuremberg" (1987) will soon play in French cinemas. The publisher has now set up a web site for its promotion: www.editionsmontparnasse.fr/nuremberg/. The movie, featured in its original 177 minute version, can be seen as of March 30.

Oliver Stone at Berkely University

Oliver Stone's recent appearance at Berkeley University, can be viewed on-line. Although it starts with Vangelis' "Preparation" track, the music is not discussed. Fans of the movie however, may be interested in Stone's discussion of the movie and its reception, as well as his insights on the upcoming "DVD version" of the movie, which is quite strongly suggested to have been cut down to about two hours and forty minutes.

View the web cast from Berkeley's site at webcast.berkeley.edu/events/replay.html?event_id=193.

More unreleased Aphrodite's Child videos on DVD

BR Music has managed to dig up four more previously unreleased "Aphrodite's Child" TV appearances, and have released them on a new Demis Roussos DVD called "Forever and Ever". All these videos show Vangelis and the other band members mime to the studio recordings of the hits. This DVD includes "Rain and Tears" (b/w), "End of the World" (color), "It's Five O'Clock" (color) and "Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall" (b/w). The disc has been in Dutch shops since earlier this month, and is also appearing in other European countries. Also available in internet shops and at www.brmusictwo.com.

Thanks to Mourad Gamha for the tip!

DVD movies

The "Missing" DVD has been appearing throughout Europe in the last month or so, including regions like Poland ("Zaginiony"), Holland and now also the UK.

"Chariots of Fire" was released as a two disc Special Edition in the States late last year (see the November 4 update). This version, including all the extras, is now also being planned as a PAL (R2) release in the UK on April 11 this year. This version (both the UK and US versions) is especially interesting to Vangelis fans, as it contains a short but recent interview snippet with Vangelis.

In the mean time, Oliver Stone has been seen mentioning "the longer version of Alexander" (his words), which could mean that the reported future re-edit of the film might actually be expanded, compared to the theatrical release. However, he also mentioned a two and a half hour version, referred to in this article: www.dailycal.org/article.php?id=18029, leaving it unclear whether that deals with the re-edit, or an ideal, since the original version which was five minutes short of three hours... Time will tell.

"Ace Up My Sleeve" on DVD One of the more obscure movies enjoying a Vangelis soundtrack is the 1975 dark comedy "Ace Up My Sleeve", directed by Ivan Passar. As it seems now, Greek label Audiovisual Enterprises decided to release the movie on DVD, somewhere in the past year. It was produced in small numbers and unfortunately is now already very difficult to find, even in Greek DVD stores. It is however the first and so far only chance to see this movie on DVD. Some details: The original mono sound is included, as well as a 5.1 (6 times mono) encoding. Visually we see the German version titled "Frankenstein's Spukschloss", the image quality is rather good for this old and obscure a movie. Sadly, the end titles have been cut off. The DVD's menu includes music from Vangelis' score but it's taken directly from the movie's opening, being mono with quite some noise. The packaging promises a theatrical trailer but this is not included. The spoken language is English with Greek subtitles that can be turned off. Nuremberg in the cinema Frederic Rossif's 1988 World War II documentary series "De Nuremberg a Nuremberg" is going to circulate in French cinemas again. Distributor CBO Box Office announced a 7 week circulation that should start at March 30. Vangelis composed the original music for this series, which since its original theatrical release has been released on VHS and DVD. Amongst those releases were versions including the original 3 hour version but also containing an extended 4 hour version. It looks like the planned theatrical rerelease involves the original 3 hour cut. More info on: www.cbo-boxoffice.com/page000.php3?Xnumitem=110&inc=fichemov.php3&fid=7288 Alexander album in Japan As of today, the Alexander soundtrack is also officially available in Japanese CD shops. See the January 5 update for a glance at its alternative cover design. Thanks to Seiya Hirano!

This update: February 3, 2005 Paintings in Santo Domingo Vangelis' paintings have now entered Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, where they will be shown at the Museo de Arte Moderno. The exhibition opens tonight, at 8pm, in the presence of Consuelo Ciscar Casaban, president of the Museum Ivam in Valencia, as well as other high Spanish and local officials. The paintings will be on display until April 11. This exhibition is organized under the auspices of the Generalitat Valenciana and the local government. For more information about the museum, see Yahoo's information page at: travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2770115-museo_de_arte_moderno_santo_domingo-i.

"Cousteau" DVD in France

As most of us know, Vangelis wrote original music for a number episodes of Jacques Cousteau's underwater wildlife series. The two most famous episodes, focussing on Indonesia and Sumatra, have now been released on DVD in France.

The DVD is number 29 in a series called "La Collection Cousteau", which is released like a magazine, appearing one issue at the time, every two weeks, being sold in news stands and magazine shops around France.

The disc's two episodes are formally called "Les Vergers De L'enfer" (The Devil's Orchards) and "Le Coeur De La Mer" (The Heart of the Sea), both with new unique Vangelis music.

Because these DVDs are sold by news stands rather then the regular DVD shops, it's a little bit more difficult to acquire them through the internet, but those who are interested may want to try the following online magazine shop:
www.journaux.fr/revue.php?id=92710

Alexander in Spain

Spanish fans may want to check their stores, as Sony has released Vangelis' soundtrack album for "Alexander" today. The movie is a big success in Spain where in one week time, more than a million and a half people went to see it.

"For your consideration" promo details

It's time for a more in-depth look at the "For Your Consideration" promotional CD-R, which has been the subject of many fans and collectors' curiosity over the past few weeks.

This special version, used by Warner Brothers to promote the films score for awards consideration, turns out to be closer to the regular album than expected. It remains very different from the actual score in the movie. The opening, Young Alexander, Gaugamela, Across the Mountains and other pieces are all still included on this CD, just as we know them from the commercially available album.

The differences can be summed up as the removal of four tracks and the inclusion of two unreleased tracks.

Removed are "One Morning at Pella" (which was not actually used in the movie), Roxane's Veil (which was very different in the movie), Dream of Babylon (one of the tracks that literally came from the film's score) and Tender Memories (which was performed differently in the movie).

To make up for Tender Memories' removal, the actual film version of this track has been included. The soft but spirited track, performed by Vangelis on harp and strings beautifully accompanied scenes with the young Alexander and his mother Olympias. The other unreleased track included on this promo also appears in those scenes. A delightfully positive melody is played on harp and strings. This track seems to replace the "One Morning at Pella" track.

Also, with the removal of "Dream of Babylon", "Immortality" now segues into "Eternal Alexander", slightly increasing the "Immortality" track's duration.

Collectors will wonder about their chances to purchase this CD. Officially, the answer is "none", but of course some of these discs given to journalists and award voters can sometimes turn up in the 2nd hand circuit. But with such a big demand, the prices can go sky high. The one copy appearing on Ebay in the past weeks was sold for more than US$1400.

No actual track list is provided with this CD-R, but when compared with the normal album, it would be something like this:

   1.  Introduction                     1:31
   2.  Young Alexander                  1:35
   3.  Titans                           3:59
   4.  The Drums of Gaugamela           5:19
   5.  [new track]                      1:51
   6.  Roxane's Dance                   3:24
   7.  Eastern Path                     2:54
   8.  [Tender Memories - film version] 1:42
   9.  Gardens of Delight               5:20
   10. Bagoas' Dance                    2:28
   11. The Charge                       1:40
   12. Preparation                      1:41
   13. Across the Mountains             4:12
   14. Chant                            1:38
   15. Immortality                      3:36
   16. Eternal Alexander                4:43

More Alexander news

The Entertainment industry press has been writing about the "Alexander" movie's commercial results picking up rather well in the international markets, after the disappointing results in the United States. Critical reaction to the film is usually balanced much more positively than in the States, although it's still a colorful mix ranging from very negative to very positive.

The press in France was spoiled with promotional material containing the "Alexander" soundtrack. This press booklet contains Vangelis' album, attached to the back of the cover, accompanied by a text about Vangelis' contribution to the move. The CD is the regular version, as is commercially available.

Another Vangelis interview was published. This time he agreed to talk to a reporter for Portuguese weekly news paper "Expresso". The article was published in nr. 1680, released on January 8. Fans in India can now also enjoy Peter Culshaw's article previously published in "The Daily Telegraph" as it has now also been published in India's English language newspaper "The Daily Pioneer".

The First reports about Alexander being planned for release on DVD are coming in. In the States, Alexander was announced to become one of the fifty first HD-DVD releases: a new standard that might form the next generation of DVD players. This release is projected for late 2005. A regular DVD release is expected much sooner, possibly as early as April. No details on the contents so far, but the New York Times and other newspapers have been publishing rumors that Oliver Stone might be editing a "more accessible" version of the film, for its DVD release.

The German DVD rental market expects the DVD around May. A "premium" edition has been announced, which should contain 2 discs full of extras. In the mean time, German fans will be able to enjoy the German release of "Missing" ("Vermisst"), the first release of this movie on the PAL format. No word yet on the language being available in English or only German.

Daily Telegraph interview

Vangelis' picture features today on the front page of UK's "Daily Telegraph", Britain's best selling quality newspaper. The music section of the January 6 issue contains a large page sized article, written by journalist Peter Culshaw who interviewed Vangelis at a hotel in Athens. The article can also be read at the paper's on-line edition. It will be easily accessible in the first few weeks, after which it will require visitors to register before reading the article. Find it at: www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/01/06/bmvang06.xml

This update: January 5, 2005 "Alexander - Japan Alexander's soundtrack album will be released in Japan on January 19, featuring a third design for the album's cover. A little later, the Mythodea concert on DVD will finally see a domestic Japanese release on February 2. While checking DVDs, Japanese fans might also want to keep their eyes open for a reissue of "Chariots of Fire" and the first Japanese release of "Missing". Thanks to Seiya Hirano.

"Alexander - For your consideration" promotional CD

With the awards season approaching rapidly, movie companies campaign to try and catch attention for their movies, hoping to reach those with the privilege to vote for nominations or awards. Soundtracks are traditionally promoted by special CDs. Warner, distributor of "Alexander", is doing exactly that with Vangelis' score. The CD cover contains no images, but has a Warner logo and is marked "For your consideration" and "Best Original Score". However, it is not only the cover design that is different.

As with almost all of Vangelis' soundtrack releases, the album we find in the shops is tailored to be a good Vangelis album, not so much a literal collection of cues taken from the movie. Some of the pieces we hear on the album are longer or more elaborate than the original score, while other themes heard in the movie do not appear on the album at all, or have been edited shorter.

As it turns out, this "For Your Consideration" version of the CD contains a different selection of the music, one that is faithful to the score in the movie, choosing only these exact pieces and versions that can be heard in the movie. This alternative CD is a bit shorter than the commercially available album, but is bound to contain a lot of interesting alternative versions or themes.

Obviously, this CD is only available to selected people working in the industry, as well as a group of journalists, so for music enthusiasts, obtaining this version will be next to impossible. More news here, as soon as anyone finds a way to properly compare these two versions....

Yannis Tsarouchis Book contribution

Last December 15, the new building of Athens' Benaki museum hosted the presentation of a special book release dedicated to one of Greece's most popular painters, Yannis Tsarouchis (1910-1989).

The book contains a selection of 25 articles about Tsarouchis, written by other celebrities who were friends or admirers of his work. Vangelis is one of those who contributed. Other celebrities writing in the book include Hatzidakis, Ksarhakos, Theodorakis, Melina Merkouri as well as her husband Zyl Dassen. Their writings are presented both in Greek and English.

Apart from the normal, commercially available edition of the book, there will also be a special edition, limited to 120 numbered copies, each of which has been signed by 424 celebrities, including Vangelis. This special edition comes with 37 photographs of Tsarouchis' paintings and several handmade envelopes, packaged in an exclusive box. It's being sold for 6000 Euros.

"Venice Magazine" interview

The current December / January issue of Venice Magazine, a Los Angeles based arts and entertainment publication, includes another new interview with Vangelis. In the 3 page article "Scoring Favors the Bold" Vangelis is asked about his work creating the score for Alexander, and topics such as Blade Runner, Bitter Moon, electronics vs orchestra and all the other likely questions, but it does in fact provide a fresh take on things. At this moment, the interview cannot be read on-line. The magazine can be found in Los Angeles shops, for at least a few more weeks.

This update: December 16, 2004 "Alexander" updates The French release of the soundtrack album, in shops since Monday December 13, features a completely different cover design, and a French spelling of the film's title, "Alexandre". The artwork used on this CD actually matches the official movie poster used in most of Europe's cinemas. The CD design as we know it throughout the rest of the world matches the movie posters as used primarily in the USA. The soundtrack album, with the cover design we know from earlier releases, has also been confirmed available in Italy, since December 6. Note that the bonus track "Bizarre Bazaar" so far exclusively appeared on the limited editions released in Germany (+ Austria and Switzerland) and the Borders books and CD store throughout the United States. Thanks to François Mouret, as well as Nicola from Italy.

"Variety" interview

"Variety", perhaps the most famous magazine for the entertainment industry, conducted an interview with Vangelis. The article can be found in the December 8 issue of the magazine, but they have also published it on their web site, limited to subscribers only:
www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=upsell_article&articleID=VR1117914571&cs=1

However, Yahoo has also published the text in their news section, freely accessible at
news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/variety/20041207/va_mi/_alexander__taps_greek_roots_1

"Alexander" updates

The Alexander album has been confirmed released in The Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, South Africa and Korea. The French should finally be able to buy the album tomorrow, Monday December 13.

Sony has organized a new price giveaway, a link to which has been added to the score's official site (www.alexandersoundtrack.com).

Interview on "soundtrack.net"

Soundtrack.net, one of the most important film score web sites on the internet has had the rare chance to have an interview with Vangelis. Dan Goldwasser asked about the Alexander score, its orchestra, Blade Runner and the thought of a second "Alexander" album. Find it all at
www.soundtrack.net/features/article/?id=134.

The recent Hollywood Reporter article can also be read online:
www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/music/feature_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000720522.

"Alexander" releases

"Alexander"'s soundtrack album has been released in Germany and neighboring Swiss and Austria on November 29. By Traditionally a very big market for Vangelis' music. Germany, as announced earlier has a "limited edition" of the album, containing the decidedly electronic "Bizarre Bazaar" as bonus track. It seems in these German regions only this limited edition has been released at this point, the regular version will probably replace this when they produce their next pressings.

Television commercials for the album - not the movie, but specifically the music - have been spotted on Hungarian TV, another region where Vangelis is traditionally very popular.

Vangelis' "Alexander" is also out in Canada. No bonus tracks.

"Alexander" game

UBI soft's game for the "Alexander" movie has been released in a few countries, and will continue to be released throughout the world in the next few months. The game, as explained earlier includes Vangelis music from the album during menus and movies that are shown during the game. In-game action music however has been written by game composers, not by Vangelis, but possibly slightly based on Vangelis' original score.

The "Making of" material promised in the game's demo indeed involves the Vangelis interview movie that can also be seen on the web site for this score. It's in better quality than the on-line version, however it has also been shortened by one and a half minute. There are some movie segments containing footage from the film, but all the music that comes with them is material from the soundtrack album, not the music as heard in the film.

UBI soft promotes the Vangelis material as being part of a "limited edition". Since the game is not really distributed as limited or normal, it looks like this migth mean the material is only part of the first, or perhaps the first few editions. And not necesarily any future re-releases.

Movie

The movie in the mean time is being greeted with very mixed reviews. There seem to be more negative conclusions than positive ones, and some critics really try to slaughter the movie as badly as they can. Still, decidedly positive reviews do keep popping up, and the film is actually gathering a certain fan base, probably due to the same unconventionality that makes others dislike it so much.

The first reactions in Europe are already a lot better than in the States, with some magazines lauding it as a true masterpiece. In the end, there is no other way to find out about this movie than going to see it for yourself. Do remember "Blade Runner", also put down and stamped on at the time of its release; it was totally misunderstood, under appreciated as people were blinded by its stunning visuals, narration and unconventionality. It all sounds so very familiar now.

The soundtrack album still has received unanimously positive (lauding) reviews in the professional press all over the world. Perhaps a better reaction by the critics than ever before. A few of the fans my be disappointed hoping for a more electronic album or longer tracks, the rest of the world seems very excited by this album.

Technical difficulties kept the reactions email address out of the air for a while. If you still want to submit your reacion to the album for this news section send it to reactions@pixelsweat.com. Please limit your review to about 75 words.

"Alexander", the world premiere

Screaming crowds awaited the arrival of Colin Farrel, Angelina Jolie and the other stars at the red carpet leading into Grauman's Chinese Theater (Hollywood, LA) where "Alexander" officially premiered last Tuesday. Inside the theater, director Oliver Stone was welcomed with a warm standing ovation, before he thanked as many as he could, asked for applause for the film's stars, and then introduced his new movie.

Possible spoiler alert: the following impressions may give away details that are best experienced first hand. Consider whether you want to read this before you see the movie...

"Alexander", the movie

Tastes can differ, maybe more than ever when ground breaking directors like Oliver Stone get the chance to work on something as big and ambitious as "Alexander". There's been a certain buzz on the internet, and in certain circles, that the movie would not live up to its expectations. It would be a mess or even boring. This may be true for some. It very well is not for others. In the end, it will be for everyone to decide personally.

If I may offer my personal view, I can only say that it was totally fascinating for me. Where one might expect a heroic account of history's most charismatic leader, Stone fiercefully explores the shadowy sides of Alexander's past. His unfulfilled dreams rather than his conquests. His doubts and anxieties, even his failures rather than his flawless successes. Maybe this creates a more intellectual rather than heartfelt approach, and perhaps this disappoints those who were looking for a feel-good rant about heroism and leadership. But this could very well be more true to reality and it certainly leaves more fascinating thoughts to play with, long after the movie has ended.

Although I can see some of the flaws here and there, the overwhelming impression is of its scale, its complexity, the bravery of making the film like no one expected. The story sometimes tells one thing, but shows another, leaving doubt and personal interpretation to the viewer. There are no good guys, there are no bad guys. No heroes or villains. No pure victory and no pure defeat.

The production quality - and the way this works out in the movie - is immense. The battle scenes left me gasping for breath. Even at its slightly boring moments - there are some parts where the story starts to drag a bit - the film would still impress with picture perfect visuals, set designs and music. I could not do anything but be swayed by it.

As for its critics, I'd say the movie is perhaps simply too European to be appreciated in Hollywood. Too dark and too theatrical, at least compared to what people expected. American critics may hate it, or they may still love it. In the end, they do not have the final say. History showed, with films like Blade Runner, that if they are powerful enough, a devoted audience can keep them alive and as false expectations fade in time, naturally propel them to their rightful place in cinematic history. Watch for homage as well as parody, in the years to come. And see it for yourself, in the biggest theater you can find.

"Alexander", the music in the movie

It won't be a surprise for anyone who's followed Vangelis' endeavors in film scoring, that Alexander's soundtrack album is not just a literal adaption of score cues from the movie.

Ironically, the only minor points that professional reviewers so far managed to find on the album - that it might miss a certain complexity of thematic structures found in other great scores, that it would miss subtly timed mood changes interacting with events occurring in scenes - these comments do not at all apply to the music in the movie. The score is precise, complex, well timed and minutely underscores the dramatic unfolding of events at every desirable level.

Yes, that does mean that the music differs from the album. To begin with, this three hour movie seems to have music going for maybe more than 2 hours of its time. There's a wealth of music to be found in the film that cannot be heard on the album. From strong darkly dramatic scenes, to subtle, gentle mood setters, to uplifting heroic climaxes. Some recurring themes, heard especially in the last part of the movie, are not represented on the album at all.

On top of the extra music, quite a few of the pieces in the movie simply differ from the album versions. "Roxane's Veil" stands out the most. Arranged completely differently, missing Vanessa Mae's violin playing, the film version of this theme is not one bit less powerful than it's much lauded album counterpart. The long "Gardens of Delight" track appears very briefly in the movie and has transformed completely: Only a perceptive ear will notice its reference. "Across the Mountains" in the film is more sedated: missing its orchestral rhythmic drive, it turns into an impressive hypnotic lament. Even the opening of the movie differs from the album. In a much longer and perhaps more mysterious take on this music, the "Introduction" track slowly builds to its climax to transport us to these ancient times.

Many of the melodies that we know from the album, like for instance "Eternal Alexander", return throughout the movie in different style and pacing. It is only at the end credits sequence that "Eternal Alexander" plays in full glory in the shape we know. It is preceded by (a shorter version of???) Titans and followed by the albums closing track "Tender Memories".

The fun side of these differences is that this provides another chance to rediscover the music all over again. The frustrating side will be that once again a great selection of inspired Vangelis soundtrack cues one might fall instantly in love with in the movie, cannot be enjoyed outside of its original context, without sound effects and dialog obscuring the music. We've seen this happen with "Blade Runner", "1492", and frankly all of his other movie scores. One can only hope that the trend - set by successful scores like Horner's Titanic and Zimmer's Gladiator - will be followed up for Alexander; both mentioned soundtrack albums saw the release of follow-up albums filled with additional unreleased tracks and appropriate "inspired by" music from the hands of the same composer.

For now, simply rejoice in the upcoming chance to hear Vangelis at work, once again. Hear his music in the context it was made for. Experience the film, live the story and explore these ancient times, of Alexander the Great. Soon, in a theater near you.

"Alexander" official world premiere Roads around the Grauman's Chinese Theater at Hollywood Boulevard have been closed off today, as final preparations are under way to make things ready for the official world premiere of "Alexander". The film screening should start tonight at 19:00 local Los Angeles time. Expected to show up on this occasion are of course the film's principle cast and crew, such as Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Rosario Dawson, Jared Leto, Christopher Plummer, Elliot Cowan, director Oliver Stone, as well as producers Moritz Borman, Jon Kilik, Thomas Schuhly, and Iain Smith. Celebrity guests reportedly expected to attend include Paula Abdul, Angela Bassett, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, Jaqueline Bisset, Alexis Bledel, Bow Wow, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Costner, Brad Delson, Aaron Eckhart, Angie Everhart, Gael Garcia Bernal, Nicholas Gonzalez, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Haysbert, Djimon Hounsou, Quincy Jones, Spike Jonze, Sean Lennon, Jason Lewis, Juliette Lewis, Christopher Lloyd, Eva Longoria, Roma Mafia, David Mamet, Michael Mann, Chris Tucker, and many more.

Hollywood Reporter interview

The November 16-22 issue of Hollywood Reporter - a special about "Fall Film & TV Music" includes a 4 page interview article with Vangelis. Reporter Ada Guerin spoke with Vangelis about working with Oliver Stone, being inspired by the topic of Alexander, and the power of film music. The same issue also contains a page sized "For your consideration" advertisement for Vangelis' Alexander score.

More reactions

Some more reactions on Vangelis' "Alexander" soundtrack from Elsewhere readers around the globe: