Earlier news updates: 2004 / 2007

December 11

December 12

December 18

Thanks to Brage Midtsund, Jussi Jakobsson and Ville Koski for their input!

Collaborations (re)-released

Jon Anderson's album "3 Ships" (1986) included one track that he wrote with Vangelis, but recorded without his input. The song is called "Easier Said than Done". A CD of the album was released at the time, but as it was never reprinted, became one of the rarest and most desired (and most counterfeited) CDs in the collectors market. The album has now been reissued as a 22nd anniversary edition, remastered and including bonus tracks. It's for sale on Anderson's website, or directly at www.jonanderson3ships.com.

Also rereleased are two albums by Italian new wave formation Chrisma. "Hybernation" (1978) was never released on CD before, while "Chinese Restaurant" (1977) went out-of-print a long time ago. Both albums are now available again on CD, at the better CD shops or through online stores. If you can't find these under "Chrisma", be sure to also try "Krisma".

Vangelis' relation to these albums remains a bit of a mystery. Both were recorded at Vangelis' studio with Vangelis' brother, Nico Papathanassiou as producer. Many of the electronic sounds are easily recognizable from Vangelis' own albums, but most are performed in a different way. Vangelis himself has no credit whatsoever on these releases. Some people involved in the production claim he did play on many or all tracks, while others strongly deny he had any such part. Vangelis' fans, judging by ear, are much divided over the likeliness of his involvement.

Blade Runner Trilogy release dates overview

Here's an overview of the currently known release dates for Vangelis' new Bladerunner release, including the new album:

December 10

December 18

Award for Vangelis' El Greco score

Vangelis' recent score for Greece's mega production "El Greco" has won the award for best music at the 48th Thessaloniki Film Festival in Greece. An equal music award was handed to the score for "Uranya".

Iannis Smaragdis film was the big winner in this ceremony, claiming a total of 7 awards, for best film, direction, cinematography, sound, editing and makeup, in addition to Vangelis' music award.

The film is an absolute smash hit in Greek cinemas, having sold more than 650,000 tickets in just 4 weeks, while still going strong... Visitor numbers are projected to reach at least a million tickets within Greece alone. Greece has a population of only 11 million inhabitants.

It is rumored that the film may be screened at the Berlin film festival in February next year, while Spain is reportedly expecting to have the film on general release by the end of February or shortly thereafter. No news so far for any other territories...

Blade Runner 3CD set local release dates

The first non-UK release dates for the upcoming Blade Runner 3CD set are being announced by local Universal departments. Both Italy and Holland claim to be targeting a December 7 release date, 3 days before the UK's intended December 10 launch.

Universal's official press release

The artwork for Vangelis' new Blade Runner CD is appearing on the internet, at about the same time that Universal in the UK released the official press release about the upcoming 3 CD set. Read it, for quite a few new details.

Track 1: Main Titles (3': 42")
Track 2: Blush Response (5': 47")
Track 3: Wait For Me (5': 27")
Track 4: Rachel’s Song (4': 46")
Track 5: Love Theme (4': 56")
Track 6: One More Kiss, Dear (3': 58")
Track 7: Blade Runner Blues (8': 53")
Track 8: Memories Of Green (5': 05")
Track 9: Tales Of The Future (4': 46")
Track 10: Damask Rose (2': 32")
Track 11: Blade Runner (End Titles) (4': 40")
Track 12: Tears In Rain (3': 00")

Track 1: Longing (1': 58")
Track 2: Unveiled Twinkling Space (1': 59")
Track 3: Dr. Tyrell’s Owl (2': 40")
Track 4: At Mr. Chew’s (4': 47")
Track 5: Leo’s Room (2': 21")
Track 6: One Alone (bonus track) (2': 23")
Track 7: Deckard And Roy’s Duel (6': 16")
Track 8: Dr. Tyrell’s Death (3': 11")
Track 9: Desolation Path (bonus track) (5': 45")
Track 10: Empty Streets (6': 16")
Track 11: Mechanical Dolls (2': 52")
Track 12: Fading Away (3': 32")

Update on "Blade Runner Trilogy"

A few new details on Vangelis' expected "Blade Runner Trilogy" release, as more rumors from the music industry are coming in.

The first disk, which is the album as we know it now, contains its usual 12 tracks. The same number of tracks can be heard on the second disk, indicated as "previously unreleased and bonus material", as well as the third disk, with "music composed for Blade Runner's 25th Anniversary". Thus, the complete set contains a total of 36 tracks, 24 of them previously unreleased.

Apparently, it will be packaged in a digipak and includes still photographs from the movie and liner notes by Ridley Scott.

A few details have leaked about the new music (disk 3). It was of course composed, arranged, produced and performed by Vangelis, but reportedly includes guest performances on saxophone on two tracks and a ney (ancient wind instrument) on one track. Furthermore, in line with Blade Runner's multi cultural urban atmosphere, Vangelis has included spoken word, with the help of a range of distinguished actors, directors, and world dignitaries.

The set should be released by Universal Music UK somewhere mid December, simultaneously in both the US and all major European markets.

Official confirmation and more details (track listing, etc) are expected to be released by Universal Music very soon now.

The upcoming Blade Runner release...

Although final confirmation has yet to come in on this, fans will be glad to hear rumors within the music industry are buzzing frantically about Vangelis' upcoming Blade Runner related release.

It was late in June when word first broke Vangelis had been composing music for a new album related to Blade Runner, but it wasn't yet clear in which way this would be released. Here finally are some details, according to some very excited insiders.

The new release will be a deluxe set, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Blade Runner movie. Described as a three CD package titled "Blade Runner Trilogy", the set is said to start with the Blade Runner soundtrack as we know it from the official 1994 release. The second disk would present both music from the film not previously released on LP or CD (the notorious bootlegs excepted), as well as music made for the movie at the time, which was neither used nor released in any shape or form. Finally, the third disk would be Vangelis' expected new album, inspired by and thematically linked to Blade Runner.

Personally, I think a lot of people were dreaming about unreleased music from the film finally appearing on CD, while others dreamt of Vangelis returning to the dark melancholic moods played on synthesizers that peeked on the popular Blade Runner soundtrack, by creating new music in the same vein, but I've never heard anyone who dared to openly dream about both of these at the same time... With early word being strongly positive about the results, this could be the answer to what literally everyone has been longing for.

Confirmation and more details expected soon... Expectations are that "Blade Runner Trilogy" will be released in December. Time to start writing those Christmas wish lists...

George Romanos single

Collectors may be interested in another nostalgic release for the Greek market. No doubt inspired by the recent CD single releases of old Forminx hits from the seventies, competing CD label "Lyra" has now released George Romanos' "To Roloi" (aka "The Clock") as a CD single.

To Roloi was a 7" single at the time, with both songs composed and sung by Romanos and Vangelis "and his orchestra" performing the accompaniment. The same music - but with Romanos' vocals deleted - was also released as a Vangelis single around the same time.

Funnily enough, the first track on this single is Vangelis' solo version, followed by Romanos' single and two more tracks from the same album, also featuring Vangelis' performances. All in all, nothing that couldn't be found on CD before (in Greece), but a curious new release nonetheless, especially with its advertising Vangelis' hammond playing on the cover!

Empire interview

Readers of the Australian edition of "Empire" magazine had to miss out on the Blade Runner special, when it appeared in the magazine's UK and international August editions earlier this year. Luckily, the special, including the interview with Vangelis will now published in the December 2007 edition, which is to hit the Australian stores during the middle of November.

"El Greco" review

"El Greco" follows the story of young Cretan painter Domenicos Theotokopoulos, as he travels away from his occupied country to develop and exploit his talents in Venice and Spain. His path continuously crosses that of the Niño de Guevara, a rising figure in the Roman church, who admires as much as he fears Domenicos' talents. The story deals with El Greco's struggle against his oppressors and the fear this instills on those who see their authority threatened by the power of a true visualist. British actor Nick Ashdon plays El Greco opposite Juan Diego Botto from Spain (previously seen in "1492" as Columbus' oldest son) as De Guevara. They are supported by Laia Marull (Spain) and Dimitra Matsouka (Greece) as Dominicos' romantic interests and Lakis Lazopoulos (Greece) as his friend and companion. Vangelis' score reflects the same combination of passion and beautiful restrain that critics tend to attribute to El Greco's paintings. It sets the mood and paints the scenes as holier than they are, without having to resort to needless bombast. Especially the role of Greco's unmarried life partner Jerónima is consistently set to soft but colorful gentle tones. Most talked about will no doubt be the film's opening title music (thundering percussion drives an uplifting plucked Greek melody, along with a powerful and colorful mix of choirs) as well as the slowly build emotional climax at the movie's end where, with the help of some crystal clear choirs, Vangelis paints some of those complex emotions that you didn't know existed before you heard them played by him. The closing titles will please those who had hoped to hear Vangelis on the piano once again, as he seems to quietly reflect on the movie that has passed you by during the last two hours. If only cinemas would offer rewind buttons, to make that never end... Dennis Lodewijks

El Greco will be released in Greek cinemas as of tonight. It is expected to appear in Spanish cinemas by the end of this year or early next year, with other territories being under negotiation. It is however expected to play on various international film festivals before that time. Any such locations and dates will be published here.

"El Greco" gala premiere

Greece is warming up for the theatrical release of Iannis Smaragdis' new "El Greco" film.

Yesterday, October 15 started with a press conference, attended by the film's director, producers and of course the main cast.

When asked, director Smaragdis explained that the movie is not necessarily a factual telling of actual events in El Greco's life. The film was made following one of the stories main messages, being that art should have the liberty to tell fiction, just as El Greco painted people as he liked to see them, not as they truly were.

The press conference took place inside a special exhibition dedicated to the movie. On display are the actual costumes worn on screen, as well as a series of paintings in their various stages as they appear in scenes throughout the film. This exhibition is located inside the impressive subway station of Syntagma Square in Athens and is open to the general public.

As the evening fell, the Pallas theater, a recently renovated classical music hall, yet for this event restored to its original function as a movie theater, was the setting for the official gala premiere. In the presence of a crowd of cameras, press, as well as movie- and indeed music fans, the cast, crew and celebrity guests entered the theater to enjoy "El Greco", before its general release.

Vangelis himself was indeed among the attendants, as well as notables including the Greek prime minister, former French minister Jack Lang and many other notables with, as highest guest of honor, Queen Sofia from Spain.

Expect more details soon, about both the movie and the music, but to share a few first thoughts:

Unlike some have speculated, the movie's music has no connection to Vangelis' "El Greco" album ('95 / '98), which obviously explored the world that lives through El Greco's paintings, while the movie explores the (possible) life of El Greco himself.

In general, Vangelis' score for "El Greco" is respectfully restrained, often playing quietly in the background to set the scene's mood, but almost never completely absent. Much of the style reminds of the quieter moments in "1492" and "Alexander", all of it played by Vangelis himself. There are also some glorious moments where the music really takes over, with choirs adding to Vangelis' tender keyboard performance, most notably as the movie reaches its emotional climax.

More to follow soon...

Special "El Greco" screenings

With El Greco's general release on October 18 approaching, a number of special screenings are planned. On top of the official gala premiere in Athens on October 15, there will be an avant premiere screening in Crete (Theotocopoulos' origin) as early as October 11 and a special screening in honor of Vangelis as the movie's composer, in Volos on October 17.

In the mean time, a new trailer for the movie has been released on the internet. Reliable sources confirm that, as with the earlier trailer, it is not accompanied by Vangelis' music. So, more patience will be needed for any first impressions.

mftm.blogspot.com/2007/09/el-greco-2007-trailer.html

Check back here for some first impressions of both the movie and the music it features somewhere during next week.

"Difono" magazine article + CD

The new October issue of monthly Greek magazine "Difono" is dedicated to Vangelis. Not only is he featured on the cover, with two related articles inside, but the magazine is also packaged and sold with Vangelis' album "Mythodea" included, for a total of only €6.00.

Copies of the magazine are also available without the CD, for about half the price.

For completist collectors: The CD is marked 88697179602 / Made in the EU, and has "Difono" markings with "Not for sale" on various places throughout the artwork.

The first article includes (sparse) interview quotes. The second, about Vangelis' life, was written by Aryris Zilos, who writes he knew Vangelis from the days of recording the Direct album.

Incidently, the same issue contains a small article about the upcoming "El Greco" movie, which is starting to enjoy quite some attention in the Greek press.

The October issue of "Difono" (Nr 145) is on sale in Greek stalls as of today. It will be available for about a month.

"El Greco" movie premiere

Iannis Smaragdis' new movie "El Greco" is set for an official premiere, three days before the movie goes on general release in Greek cinemas. On October 15, a host of celebrities - including queen Sofia of Spain - are expected to attend the event at the Pallas cinema in Athens.

There still are no details about the movie's international release, although it should at least play in England and Hungary. The movie is aimed at an international audience, having been shot in the English language.

An article in Greek:
www.e-tipos.com/newsitem?id=8218.

Blade Runner - The Final Cut (Movie)

The newly revised version of the "Blade Runner" movie has recently had its pre-premiere at the Venice film festival in Italy. Edward James Olmos, Daryl Hannah and Rutger Hauer attended, together with director Ridley Scott.

It seems more journalists than fans of the film managed to attend this happening, so details about the new version aren't very clear. Opinions conflict on whether the visual effects were boosted. Some reports involve lots of extra spinners (ships) flying around, while avid fans say that, special effects-wise, only some wiring was digitally removed. A number of newly inserted shots excepted. It's likely some viewers simply didn't remember how detailed the movie always was. General feeling seems to be that the biggest changes involve some extended dialogs and a number of fixed (continuity) mistakes. It's supposedly edited a bit more smoothly, but Vangelis' music seems to have hardly changed, with only an occasional subtle edit to match the changed timing. For more clarity and certainty, we'll have to wait until this movie is released for a wider audience.

The movie will see a limited release in American cinemas, where it will play in New York and Los Angeles, starting October 5. At this moment, no details are available on possible screenings in other countries.

On DVD, "Blade Runner - The Final Cut" will first be released in the USA, reaching the shops on December 18. There's a choice between three packages: a 2 disk set, a 4 disk set, and a special 5 disk set packed in a Blade Runner suitcase. The two luxurious versions will also be available on the two new formats that are to follow up the DVD standard, HD-DVD and Blu-ray.

Promotional trailers and more info on the movie's official site:
bladerunnerthemovie.warnerbros.com.

A fan site for the movie, tracking the news around the new releases:
www.tyrell-corporation.pp.se.

Forminx CD singles

A very peculiar release in Greece. Quite inexplicably, long running Greek label "Music Box International" (MBI) has released a series of 5 CD singles containing the historic music of the Vangelis' first band, The Forminx. At the very start of his career in the early sixties, Vangelis with his friends released quite a number of summer hits that became very popular with the young people in Greece, of the time. They can now explore their nostalgic feelings with these singles for "Love Without Love", "Yenka Beat", "Jeronimo Yanka", "Our Last September" and "Il Peperone". For completists, the most interesting of these CD singles is the "Il Peperone" issue. It includes three bonus tracks from the illustrious Christmas EP, all of which have not been available on CD before now. Inconveniently though, this leaves just one track, a cover version of "The Sound of Music" from the same EP still unavailable on CD. These CD singles are only available in Greece, but thankfully can be ordered internationally through web shops, like this one: www.studio52.gr/srch_all_en.asp?D2=GR1&searcher=forminx Thanks to Robert Eichelsheim for the Forminx tip.

Interviews

Rare as it may be, on occasion Vangelis allows interviews, and has been busy indeed, with two being published this month.

The first is in English, printed in UK movie magazine Empire. Their August issue (now in shops in the UK, and gradually also appearing in shops around Europe and other continents) has a massive 20 page special about Blade Runner, as a preview to the upcoming release of Ridley Scott's final renewed cut of the movie as well as the much anticipated DVD box set.

Two pages of this feature are dedicated to Vangelis and his score for the movie, praising the score and citing many interview quotes.

Then, for those who can read Greek, here's a link to newspaper Enet, who published an interview with Vangelis on their pages only yesteryday. The article is available online, in the Greek language:
www.enet.gr/online/online_text/c=113,id=86818596

New Blade Runner related music project

"Blade Runner" has often proved to be a topic that can set the internet in its highest gears, as became clear once again when Vangelis' assistent producer and sound engineer Frederick Rousseau wrote an article in the blog on his web site about finishing work on a new Vangelis "Blade Runner" project. In no time at all, Blade Runner sites and forums throughout the world started refering to this article and both movie and music fans speculated - sometimes quite wildly - about what this all means.

Here are the details of the current situation, from reliable sources close to Vangelis:

A project is currently in completion that should lead to the release of a new Vangelis album, linked to and inspired by Blade Runner. This may or may not include some music created at the time of the original movie, but the bottom line is: Things have not been finalized. The content, or the format it will be released in may still change or has yet to be decided. There is also - at this point - no schedule for its release.

In short, the good news is that Vangelis has been hard at work, and we have something new to look forward to, especially exciting to everyone who loved Vangelis' Blade Runner music.

More complete information will become available at a later date. You will be able to read it here...

Vangelis Foundation organizes Juno mission conference

Greek media and newspapers are reporting about the first conference to be organized by the newly founded "Vangelis Foundation For Research, Music and Science" organization.

From June 11 till 13, the city of Volos will be the center of attention for the scientific community, as the foundation conducts the event at a Volos Conference Center. Fiftyfive distinguished NASA scientists participate on the topic of the launch of the Juno spacecraft, which should reach the end of its journey to Jupiter in 2016.

On the second day of the conference, the scientists will visit the Argo ship gracing the ports of Volos, which is hoped to commence its intended voyage next year, by means of a Vangelis directed event. As for the scientists, according to a news paper article, they have requested to be allowed to row the ship.

Scientific research and its ties with the arts comprise the core philosophy of the Vangelis Foundation, serving as a benefactor to important events of both a scientific and artistic nature:

Among the Foundation's objectives are the study, research, preservation and promotion of Greek music as well as of the arts in general and the exploration of their primordial relationships with philosophy and science. The cultural development and international promotion of Greece are the primary motivations of both the composer Vangelis and of the Foundation, which he finances and to which he bequeaths all of his material and intellectual property.

The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will reach Jupiter in 2016 and enter into a trajectory just 5000 kilometers above the planet's atmosphere. NASA hopes Juno will provide new information about how, when and where this giant planet was created. They explain that the answers to these questions about Jupiter are important to our understanding of the beginning of our solar system, given that Jupiter contains more mass than all of the other planets combined.

The launch of the spacecraft will take place in August 2011. Dr. Scott Bolton of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas is the Principal Investigator. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California manages the mission and the Lockheed Martin Corporation is responsible for the spacecraft. The University of Wisconsin - Madison leads in Juno education and conducts the Juno Public Outreach Program.

More information about the Juno project:

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:

Released...

Confirmations have come in from both Norway and Israel that the Alexander soundtrack is now domestically available. In Hong Kong it was found at an HMV store, so it should be out there, too, unless HMV imported it.

Alexander updates

The "Alexander" soundtrack has now also been confirmed available in Hungarian shops.

Germany, as it turns out, is not the only country to get the limited edition with bonus track "Bizarre Bazaar". Popular CD chain "Borders" in the USA are selling a limited edition as well. The extra track, "Bizarre Bazaar" like in Germany, is actually referred to as a "Borders Exclusive Bonus Track" on the CD's artwork.

Reactions...

Here's the first reactions that have come in so far. As time goes by - and the album gets released in more parts of the world - there will be more sets of opinions published here. Remember to keep it to about 75 words or less.

Released in the United States and Finland

The "Alexander" album has been released nationwide in the United States. Many American fans will be happy that this time they can be one of the first to buy a new Vangelis album.

The album is also confirmed to be available in shops in Finland.

Reactions

It will be interesting to share reactions from around the world, on this site. If you wish to share your feelings on this album, write a short review to this specific e-mail address: [Changed, now send to:] reactions@pixelsweat.com. Please don't make your text any longer then 75 words. Clearly indicate your name, and optionally your geographical location and / or your e-mail address). New reactions will be manually added here every few days.

First reactions / sweepstakes

Reactions to the album so far are overwhelming. Another review to be found at www.soundtrack.net/soundtracks/database/?id=3777 shows again that the results are received with great enthusiasm by film score enthusiasts: lauding reactions with so far not even one exception. It's reassuring that this soundtrack should be able to reach out to a very big audience. The usual Vangelis fans who are writing in seem unanimous that this CD gives all that they look for in Vangelis' albums.

In addition to Soundtrack.net's earlier international sweepstakes (www.soundtrack.net/contest/index.html?id=alexander), Sony is now also celebrating with sweepstakes on their official soundtrack page. Curiously not accessible from the front page, follow this direct link to enter the contest:
www.alexandersoundtrack.com/win/screening
They will reward two winners separate invitations for two to attend a special early screening of the movie in New York. Transportation not included. On top of this, the winners receive the soundtrack album, a poster, and a digital photo camera. This giveaway is only available for US residents.

Here follows a photograph of what the actual CD looks like:

"Alexander" released

"Alexander" is in the shops. At least, in the first countries where it gets released. It's confirmed in Ireland (always in line with the UK) and Portugal.

The release in France seems to have been delayed, possibly to December 6.

"Alexander" album to be released in the first regions

Tomorrow, November 8, should be the day that the first copies of Vangelis' new album "Alexander" reach the first stores. Britain - possibly not all of Britain, but at least some important parts of it - as well as Norway and France are reported to have it scheduled for release this Monday. The USA of course should see the release of the album a day later on the much published Tuesday November 9. This page will be updated as soon as confirmations come in. Feel free to mail your findings to d.lodewijks@chello.nl, but please, only if you actually did manage to buy the CD in a store in your country.

A few new expected album release dates to report: Japan: January 19, Sweden: November 17, Italy December 6.

"Alexander" game demo

As announced earlier, UBI soft's computer game for "Alexander" will also be using Vangelis' music for the movie. A demo of this game is now available.

During installation of the game, the screen informs us with some good news: As a bonus, the game will come with an "interview with Vangelis and 'making-off footage of the movie soundtrack'". This likely refers to the 5 minute movie which can also be seen as a video stream on the soundtrack's official site, but could provide a better quality. Also, it will be good to be able to view this footage even after the soundtrack site may have disappear, one day in the future.

The main menu is accompanied by "Dream of Babylon", track 17 of the album, which includes a synthy reprise of the now already well known "Titans" theme.

Two pieces of music can be heard while playing the demo levels, but these sound very different from the known "Alexander" music. It seems this has been composed by someone else, especially for the game. More info on this, if it becomes available.

This demo version (for Windows PCs) can be download, visiting the following page:
www.3dgamers.com/games/alexander/downloads

"Alexander" soundtrack site updated

Sony has updated their web site for the "Alexander Soundtrack. The design has changed to match the CD's artwork and the excerpts from the Sony Classical site can now be listened to directly of the page.
www.alexandersoundtrack.com

"Alexander" updates

Another raving review of Vangelis' "Alexander" score album can be found on one of the most important film score sites:
www.filmtracks.com/titles/alexander.html.

More opinions, so far consistently positive, can be found as user comments on sites such as the German www.amazon.de.

Release dates for the album around the world are still very unclear. Sony's November 9 date mostly seems to refer to the United States. Britain, Norway and France will get it a day early on November 8, while Germany has to wait till November 29. Poland will get it somewhere between December 17 and 20.

As for the movie's theatrical release, quite some of the dates mentioned earlier have changed. Sweden for instance should be able to see it as soon as November 19. Poland however has to wait until January 3.

If you live in the States and you pre-order Alexander now on www.amazon.com, you will earn the right to listen to the entire album on-line, until the CD has been sent out. This special service temporarily licenses you to listen to a 64Kb stream, which is not as good as the CD, but certainly quite listenable. Note that this is only available to customers actually living in the USA.

Special edition "Chariots of Fire" DVD coming out

The USA is finally going to see a wide screen release of "Chariots of Fire" on DVD. The disc is going to come with quite a few extras, including directors commentary, deleted scenes (no word yet on whether there is more music in these scenes), reunion featurette and a making of documentary. The sound of the movie has been remixed to 5.1 surround, although this usually means the music remains stereo. There are currently no plans to release this edition in Europe or elsewhere outside America.

Hopefully more news soon, if there is any Vangelis related material between the extras.

The Havana Exhibition

Vangelis' new painting exhibition in Havana, Cuba has opened on October 28 and has been receiving a lot of international media attention. Some of the internet references contain pictures of the exhibition hall, such as:

Gregorian

Although news on cover versions is generally avoided here (noise...), the new version of Aphrodite's Child's "The Four Horsemen" (666 album) is bound to attract some attention. Gregorian (former member of Enigma) made a new version of this track, incorporating gregorian chanting, appearing on the new album "The Dark Side". A different approach indeed.

Two "Alexander" tracks for sale, on-line

As of today, Sony is selling two tracks from Vangelis' "Alexander" album online. For $0.99 each, track 3 "Titans" (known as the excerpt on the soundtrack's web site) and track 17 "Eternal Alexander" (a wonderfully dramatic but uplifting hymn) can be downloaded as Windows Media Files. Visit Sony's store at
www.sonymusicstore.com/store/catalog/TalentDetails.jsp?talentId=1038883.

"Alexander" - another review

14 days to go, before November 9, but it's getting more clear that this date will not go for every part in the world. More details on release dates when they become available. In the mean time, another review of the upcoming album has appeared on-line. After Elsewhere's review (see the October 9 update, now a famous film score site features their own analysis of the album, to be found at: www.musicfromthemovies.com/review.asp?ID=4610. No sign of any reviews in print, thus far.

"Alexander" - movie release dates

These dates are all still subject to change, of course, but many of us might still be interested to learn of the local planned distribution dates of "Alexander", the movie. With an expected running-time of almost or more than 3 hours, this movie is bound to contain more Vangelis music then we can find on the album. In fact, it's almost a tradition for Vangelis to tailor his music differently for the screen and for the soundtrack album. Which might just be one more good reason - on top of many others - to go and see this film in the theater as soon as it is out. If plans don't change, these should be some expected release dates for countries throughout the known world:

Switzerland (German version): November 18, USA: November 24, Poland and Rumania: November 25, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Finland and Sweden: November 26, South Korea: November 27, Germany and Israel: December 2, Austria: December 3, South Africa: December 15, Portugal: December 17, Hungary: December 23, Belgium, France, Switzerland (French version): January 5, The Netherlands: January 6, Spain, United Kingdom: January 7, Italy: January 14, Australia, New Zealand: January 20, Argentine: January 27, Japan: February 2005

"El Greco" charity auction delay

The start of the auction of these two special boxes has now been delayed to November 1. Please keep checking here for a unique chance to obtain this rare luxurious item while helping a good cause in the process.

"Alexander" - Excerpt from Alexander "production information"

A press release, to be found at a Val Kilmer fan site (www.vkn.com, read it directly by clicking here) contains an interesting passage about Vangelis' input on "Alexander":

THE MUSIC OF ALEXANDER

During filming, Stone employed a technique familiar to him throughout his career: the playing of appropriate and often haunting music between scenes on set as an aural backdrop, setting tone and mood for the actors and crew. Although on previous films Stone would often utilize “temp music,” for Alexander, he played music that was being composed simultaneously, a thousand miles away in Athens, by famed Greek composer Vangelis. Inspired by the story of Alexander, one of his personal heroes, Vangelis dug deep into the roots of Greek and Macedonian musical heritage. The composer scored not only with his famed synthesizer, but also for such ancient instruments as bagpipes (which, although associated with Celtic music, probably originated north of Macedonia in what is today Bulgaria), drums, lutes and lyres.

“There’s a whole mixture of musical influences in the melodies and rhythms,” explains music supervisor Budd Carr (who has worked with Stone on every one of his films since Salvador), “blending the cultures that Alexander encountered: Persia, Afghanistan, Egypt, India. Since we’re depicting 320 B.C., you can’t go to your CD collection and pull out material. Oliver has always written music into his scripts, so we had several scenes with groups of musicians playing in Macedonia, Persia, Balkh (Afghanistan) and India. In order to provide the authentic feel Oliver wanted for these scenes, composer Vangelis, who has a deep knowledge of the musical history of these areas, composed, recorded and produced original music for the musicians to play. His powerful score for the film evokes the past and includes diverse ethnic influences and instrumentation.”

Movies on DVD

Germany is about to see the release of "Fransceso" on DVD. This still is one of the more elusive Vangelis' scored movies. This Italian (though originally acted in English) movie portrays the life of St. Francis of Assisi. The good news is that the DVD will contain the long, unedited version of the movie, as it was available in Italy as well. This includes more music and the story makes more sense then the original re-cut theatrical / American version. The bad news is that, as with the Italian release, there is no English speech available. One can choose between the Italian and German dubs.

Another elusive Vangelis scored movie, "Missing", is going to be released on DVD in the States. Difficult to find, perhaps due to it's political controversy in the States upon its original theatrical release: the movie deals with American involvement in South American right wing coupes.

"Alexander" - Limited Edition

Some may already have noticed that on-line stores in Germany are listing Vangelis' "Alexander" not once but twice. Next to the normal soundtrack album they also refer to a "limited edition". As it turns out, this limited edition will actually contain one extra track, not found on the normal album. The piece called "Bizarre Bazaar", added to the end of the album reportedly sounds very electronic, with a dance groove, different from anything we know by him, but still "Vangelis" in quality. That will no doubt get many of us curious.

Amazon in Germany is listing a release date of November 29, while different dates appear on lists of other on-line stores / countries. It does not seem certain that November 9 is the date for every country. Amazon in the UK actually lists November 8, although this could just mean they are allowed to send it off one day early. It would still arrive November 9. Sony's official site in Poland mentions December 17. More news on release dates when it becomes available.

"Alexander", the movie itself, is now set for a world premiere in Los Angeles on November 16, when cast and crew - plus a large list of celebrity guests - will attend this first screening.

"Collateral" using Vangelis track

This item by popular request, it indeed should have been up here much earlier but kept getting overshadowed by the approaching promise of "Alexander". Please take note that Michael Mann's successful thriller "Collateral", starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, uses a few minutes of Vangelis' "Moxica and the Horse" (1492 soundtrack) to spice up the atmosphere in a certain scene.

"Alexander" soundtrack interview

Sony has just updated their official web site for the Alexander soundtrack, adding an interesting video file featurette where Vangelis talks about scoring this movie and can be seen at work in a studio. Visit the site at www.alexandersoundtrack.com.

The album: T-minus 22 days and counting...

"Alexander" movie excerpt / soundtrack excerpts

Techcom Forces, the biggest "Alexander" fan site on the net, now features an early excerpt of the "Alexander" movie. The last half is supported by a bit of Vangelis' score, music represented by the first two tracks on the Alexander album. Click on the October 13 image here:
www.techcomforces.com/alexander.html.

Also, find the album's cover design displayed to the right. Sony, in the mean time, has added sound samples to the album in their on-line store, offering more glimpses of the upcoming music! Find it here.

26 days to go...

Charity auction delayed

The auction of 2 signed rare (red!!!) deluxe El Greco boxes has been delayed to October 22, due to technical difficulties. Anyone interested will have one week extra to prepare and save some extra money. Funds will go to Hannelore-Kohl-Foundation / KURATORIUM ZNS. More info, at a later date.

Top 40 DVDs review

As announced in the October 11 update, Dutch pop chart "Top 40" is celebrating by releasing a series of DVD with music video clips. The discs from this series "40 Jaar Top 40", are now all available in Dutch music stores. Each set contains both a DVD with the videos and a CD with the music.

The first of these two is a bit of a disappointment. Disc "1979-1980" (Universal 981 937-3) has "I Hear You Now" (Jon & Vangelis), but the clip has been altered. The image quality is great, better than fans trading recordings on VHS have ever seen. But for some unknown reason, at about 2 and a half minute into the clip, the material that used to be seen (including still shots of Jon & Vangelis in the studio) have been edited out, being replaced by the start of the clip with its colors reversed. Then the music fades out prematurely. It looks like part of the clip was missing and it was disguised with this edit. It's certainly good to see the quality of the first part, but this is not the definitive way to have this video.

Dreamy images of a ballet dancer and a mime player set the stage before Jon Anderson's face can be seen singing. Vangelis only briefly appears in a still photograph, but some synthesizers appear as part of the visual effects.

The second disc however more than makes up for this. Disc "1981-1982" (Sony Music Media 517828 7) has "I'll Find My Way Home" (Jon & Vangelis) in wonderful quality, and complete. Both Vangelis and Anderson appear on the stage of Britain's famous "Top of the Pops" show and, each pretending to play on instruments that are absolutely not featured in the music, make fun of the standard 'mime to the record' format. Give-away grins included. The act works even better now that time has aged the whole deal out of fashion. We know that now, they knew it then already.

To make this disc extra interesting, Donna Summer's famous cover version of "State of Independence" has also been included on this DVD.

"Alexander" soundtrack poster

"Alexander": 28 days and counting... Scroll down for an advance review in Saturday's news update. In the mean time, Sony has its own on-line CD shop. They currently have a special offer where pre-ordering the "Alexander" album is rewarded with a free Alexander soundtrack poster. While supplies last! Sadly, delivery is only to addresses in the USA. Only one poster per order.
www.sonymusicstore.com/store/catalog/MerchandiseDetails.jsp?merchId=76893

Paintings in Cuba

In other news, Vangelis' paintings are now on their way to Cuba, for another installment in the South American tour of exhibitions. The Cuban press is paying a lot of attention to this unique chance to see Vangelis' work in the art of painting. The exhibition at the Museo de Bellas Artes in Havana, will open on October 28, and is part of the International Ballet Festival of Havana.

New charity auction: Red "El Greco" boxes

Collectors, pay attention! Vangelis has again made a donation for a charity auction. This time two "El Greco" boxes will be sold through Ebay in Germany. Take note, these are not the well known 1995 blue boxes, but the very rare red box with the 1998 album. This beautiful set was never before for put on sale, and is very much sought after. Of course, Vangelis signed each of them, especially for the occasion. The cause is Kuratorium ZNS, once founded by the late Hanelore Kohl, supporting victims with damages to the central nerve system. The auction period will start next Friday, October 15, so check back then for much more information and direct links.

Jon & Vangelis music video clips

Last but not least, a unique chance is coming up to see two old music video clips of Jon & Vangelis tracks. Dutch pop chart "Top 40" will celebrate its 40th birthday with a series of music video DVDs, highlighting hits from specific years. The DVD for '79 / '80 contains "I Hear You Now" and the DVD for '81 / '82 contains "I'll Find My Way Home". There will also be a DVD containing an Aphrodite's Child clip, but no word yet on whether this will be one that was not released before. More info on www.40jaartop40.nl.

"Alexander" - advance album review

Exactly one month from today, Sony Classical will release Vangelis' new album "Alexander", the first completely new full-length Vangelis album since "Oceanic" (1996). This is an event many of us no doubt will anxiously be counting down to during those last 30 days.

In the meantime, Warner has updated the movie's official site with a full featured Flash version. Visit at alexanderthemovie.warnerbros.com. For background music, the site is playing around with the album's opening track "Introduction" as well as "Preparation", although it all seems to sound bigger on the CD.

A little warning on the next section, as it will discuss the upcoming music in more detail. Some may want to wait until they purchase the album themselves, to enjoy the experience of hearing it first hand without any bias. If you do, please stop reading here. For those who can't wait to learn more, here follows a set of first impressions on the upcoming album.

It's often said that film music today is not what it used to be. With most composers continuously imitating each other, or at least modeling their work on the same sources over and over again, it seems like films sound less unique or distinguishable than ever before. In such an environment, the music can lose its character and may fail to provide the film's emotional message with the proper momentum. Think back. When was the last time you walked out of the theater, humming a melody as it accompanied the story still lingering in your mind?

With "Alexander" Vangelis returns to us the large, powerful, lyrical melody. That, and a lot more.

The album contains 56 minutes of music, divided on the CD into 18 tracks. But most of the pieces actually evolve into each other. The recording is a mix of synthesizers, orchestra and choirs, with the latter two kicking in especially where the music builds to its emotional climaxes.

That's where we find Vangelis doing what he does best. It's the big anthems, the size of which I can't remember hearing for years. It's these lyrical, uplifting melodies that sway you until you feel it in your stomach, bringing on the goosebumps that tell you "hey, this music is on to something, these nerves have not been touched for a long time." Those are the pieces that will stick in your mind long after leaving the cinema, and it's these that most set this work apart from today's typical Hollywood score.

Other passages contain large sections of atmospheric music. In these lush but laid-back tracks like "Eastern Path" or "Garden's of Delight", we hear ethnic flutes and ancient plucked instruments, sometimes with Eastern flavored percussion, taking us back to those ancient times of Alexander the Great, and offering a taste of the exotic places to which he expanded his empire.

The battle scenes sound huge. During pieces like "The Drums of Guagamela" or "The Charge", Vangelis keeps up the tension and pace with large, pounding drums, while heavy brasses play threatening melodies, including the obligatory nod to Holst's Mars. Huge crescendos sweep up the action; this is a cinematic side of Vangelis we've never heard before.

The music is absolutely sure to please Vangelis' usual dedicated following, but who would doubt that to begin with... The orchestral flavour and much of the musical flow will also please fans of better film scores or heroic symphonies. But the melodic qualities, the giant size and the strong goosebumps factor - is it possible Vangelis felt less restrained due to the historical magnitude of its topic? - take this much further than the usual film buff's compilation of soundtrack cues.

Let's hope this gets picked up by the large audiences it undeniably deserves. Thirty days to go, then the world will hear.

"Alexander" orchestrator speaks (article)

The web site of "Music from the Movies" magazine carries a news article where Vangelis' orchestrator for "Alexander" speaks a bit about the music and its creation. Find the article on www.musicfromthemovies.com/article.asp?ID=395.

"Alexander" track list announced

Sony's pre-order music store has announced the track list of Vangelis' upcoming "Alexander" soundtrack album. The tracks are as follows:

    1  Introduction  
    2  Young Alexander  
    3  Titans  
    4  The Drums of Gaugamela  
    5  One Morning at Pella  
    6  Roxane's Dance  
    7  Eastern Path  
    8  Gardens of Delight  
    9  Roxane's Veil  
   10  Bagoas' Dance  
   11  The Charge  
   12  Preparation  
   13  Across the Mountains  
   14  Chant  
   15  Immortality  
   16  Dream of Babylon  
   17  Eternal Alexander  
   18  Tender Memories  

(www.sonymusicstore.com/store/catalog/MerchandiseDetails.jsp?merchId=76893)

In related news, reliable sources explain that, as for earlier trailers, none of the music featured in the latest "Alexander" trailer was composed by Vangelis. Thus far, the only advance glimpses of the music on this album remain the sample on Sony's official site (www.alexandersoundtrack.com) and "Roxane's Veil" on the Vanessa Mae album.

"Roxane's Veil" in Italian, Israeli and Czech stores

Vanessa Mae's album "Choreography", which containing an early release of Vangelis' "Roxane's Veil", continues to be released across Europe and other continents. It's now confirmed also in stores in Italy, Israel and the Czech Republic, as well as many other countries.

New "Alexander" trailer

The latest trailer for "Alexander" can now be found on the web. Movie news web site www.comingsoon.net/news/topnews.php?id=6582 was the first to link to the movie files, available one Warner's servers but not yet presented on the official on-line outlets.

At least some of the music used is the same as appeared in earlier teasers, which turned out not to be Vangelis'. There is also different music in this one, no word yet on its heritage.

"Alexander" soundtrack album delayed

Following the postponement of the "Alexander" movie's theatrical release, Vangelis' soundtrack album has now also been scheduled for a later date. The CD is now expected to be available in stores on November 9.

"Choreography" confirmed in Switzerland and Korea

Vanessa Mae's album "Choreography" is being released in more and more countries now. It's confirmed available in Switserland and South Korea. This is an early opportunity to listen to this new Vangelis track, as it will also appear on the Alexander soundtrack album (see September 22 update).

Some "Alexander" details...

A few details about Vangelis' score for "Alexander" may be of interest. For starters, the score will contain parts recorded with a philharmonic orchestra. Orchestrator and conductor for these parts is Nic Raine, who has previously worked as orchestrator for celebrated composers like John Barry, Elmer Bernstein, Maurice Jarre, Gabriel Yared, Michael Kamen, George Fenton and Stanley Myers.

Another interesting point is that "Roxane's Veil" - the music recently recorded with Vanessa Mae and released on her album "Choreography" - is also a part of the "Alexander" soundtrack. The track will appear on the soundtrack album in the same recording, with Vanessa performing the violin lead.

In the mean time, according to www.techcomforces.com/alexander.html, the movie's USA (first) release date has been pushed back to November 24. The soundtrack album however, still seems to be set for October 26.

Mae's "Choreography" released, plus more dates...

Vanessa Mae's new album "Choreography" can already be found for sale in Dutch CD stores. A review of the new Vangelis composed track, now spelled "Roxane's Veil", could be read here earlier in the August 16 update.

The album is planned for release in Germany next Monday, September 20, while some Asian countries should follow within the next two weeks. Amazon in the UK lists a local release date of October 18. No US release date seems to have been set yet, but word is that it will be 2005 before the album hits those stores.

More release date reports or confirmations are welcome at d.lodewijks@chello.nl.

"Belo Horizonte" exhibition details

The newly planned Brazilian painting exhibition will open on September 21 (not 20), in the prestigious "Palacio das Artes" (Palace of Arts), Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The museum's web-site can be found at www.palaciodasartes.com.br

New Brazil exhibition

There will be another chance to see Vangelis' paintings soon, at a third exhibition in Brazil. This time the city of "Belo Horizonte" will be host to the 75 paintings. An exact location has yet to be anounced, but doors will open on September 20 [Corrected: September 21], one week from now.

Alexander CD release date

Sony's web site for Alexander now lists a release date of October 26, one week later than the originally mentioned October 19.

Alexander on-line sample updated

Sony has today updated the Alexander soundtrack excerpt that can be listened to on the www.alexandersoundtrack.com web-site. The 3 minute piece that could be heard earlier has been replaced by a longer version of 4 minutes, recorded with different instruments.

Advance review of Vanessa Mae & Vangelis' "Roxanne's Veil"

The first advance promotional CDs for Vanessa Mae's upcoming album "Choreography" have recently begun circulating, revealing the new Vangelis track to journalists and music industry employees.

The track is called "Roxanne's Veil", and seems to sort of break the pace of the album. Where much of the music is dynamic and exciting, sometimes with bold orchestral fireworks, Vangelis' contribution seems to invite the listener to sit back and relax in a beautiful mood of nostalgia.

The piece evolves, with harp, synthesizers and finally even some human voices to further explore the spaces between popular music and a somehow more classy idiom. The entire track sounds like a true Vangelis piece, and will not likely disappoint any Vangelis enthusiast.

The cover artwork to the right is for the actual release (brown background) and the advance promo CD (white design) respectively. Watch for the album to first appear in September in some European countries. The release for the USA seems to have been set back to early 2005.

Special thanks to Rijko Ebens. (www.vanessa-mae.nu)

"Alexander" video game will use Vangelis' music

UBIsoft has announced to be developing the official video game for Oliver Stone's "Alexander" film, and it will indeed be using Vangelis' score as music.

The producers elaborate: "The game will include selected music from world famous composer Vangelis – whose music comprises the film’s soundtrack - movie extracts, and other features to make sure that the game is as daring, bold and ambitious as its subject, Alexander the Great."

Thanks to Sufian Irhimeh.

"Alexander" soundtrack web-site: Sound excerpt on-line!

Sony Classical has just released a web-site for Vangelis' upcoming soundtrack for Oliver Stone's "Alexander". The site, for now, only displays some graphics and allows to join a mailinglist, but the feature that will get everyone excited is the first glimbse of Vangelis' new music, which can be listened to in 3 different streaming formats.

www.alexandersoundtrack.com/

Do visit the site and listen to the music. Remember to put your speakers at their loudest, and brace yourselves for a good one.

"Alexander" press release

Sony Classical is issuing a new press release about Alexander's upcoming original soundtrack album, announcing its expected release date of October 19:

Agamemnon canceled

Spanish and Italian newspapers have been reporting about the cancelation of Papas' proposed trilogy of plays. Papers have been known to make mistakes, but the articles come with a lot of details, so hope seems faded for the new stageplay that was to have a new musical score by Vangelis.

The Troyans, Ecuba and Agamemnon

Newspapers all around Spain, Italy and Greece are starting to report on the expected Irene Papas organized stage production of The Trojans, Hecuba and Agamemnon.

The history of this event started in Valencia (2001) where Irene Papas produced, directed and acted in a special staging of "The Trojans", accompanied by newly composed Vangelis music. Two years later, in Rome, the project was moved to the next level by the staging of both "The Trojans", just as it was in Valencia, supplemented by "Hecuba", also performed by Papas and accompanied by more new music by Vangelis. This project should - so it was announced at the time - reach its climax in Greece during the 2004 Olympic Games, when a third play, "Agamemnon", will be added to showcase the complete the trilogy.

The Italian newspapers now report that supposedly, Italian actress Mariangela Melato will perform the lead in "Hecuba", while Spain's Angela Molina will front "The Trojans". Irene Papas would then play in Agamemnon, finally performing in her mother language.

Be sure to consider all of this still as rumors. Newspapers have proven to sometimes be shockingly wrong on these things, and so far nothing at all has been officially announced.

Despite Papas' announced intentions to have also the final play accompanied by Vangelis' music, his involvement for now is one more aspect that has yet to be confirmed.

More news here, when it becomes available.

Exhibition in Sao Paulo

Vangelis' next painting exhibition, in Brazil's Sao Paulo, will open on July 20. A closing date has not yet been said.

The paintings can be visited at the "Galeria Marta Traba de Arte Latino-Americana", in the museum "Fundaçao Memorial da America Latina", popularly known as "Museo Memorial Latino Americano". The building, designed by Oscar Niemeyer has earned its own share of fame in the world of culture and architecture...

Visit the venue's web site at www.memorial.org.br/

Details on ordering "Ithaca"

Some more details from Eleftheroudakis, the Greek bookstore chain that sells the "Journey in Color" / "Ithaca" box. They do indeed take international orders, when contacted by fax or through the right email address. If you wish to order the book, contact their exports department, at:

Payments by credit card, check or (international) bank deposits are accepted. The book's selling price is Euro 104, plus shipping charges for your particular region. Packages are shipped through the Greek postal service, using registered mail. Contact the shop for a quote for your region.

Ithaca review

It only happens on rare occasions that we find the chance to hear new Vangelis music, outside of the main stream series of album releases. Yet, it can sometimes be these rarities or collectors items that really do keep the fans or collectors going, while waiting for a full new album release.

That's why to many of us the fact that this new release contains only 1 track of little over 4 minutes will hardly matter at all. Vangelis collaborating with a star like Sean Connery, the luxurious box that the CD is a part of, and the limited nature of the production, will well make up for that. On top of that it's always good to add to a collection while supporting a good cause at the same time - in this case a kindergarten for children of single mothers.

This is not the first time that Vangelis can be heard interacting with poetry or other spoken word. Think of the final track on "Rapsodies", or more typically the live "Night of Poetry" event in Athens, 1991. The "Ithaca" recording released now is indeed not unlike the spontaneous performances of that night. Here, Vangelis plays soft and gentle music on piano, strings and some other instruments backing that up, while Connery - relaxed and self assured as he always sounds - reads the poem by Cavafy. The music, perhaps reminiscent of "Shine for Me" or the last "El Greco" movement, sets the pace for the narration and builds the melancholic mood where it is needed.

As Cavafy's poem devotes itself to the virtues of a mythical journey, the book this CD is sold with, "A Journey in Color" follows Micheline's artistic quest. Along with a selection of over a 100 of her paintings, the Cavafy poem is printed in the book, both in its original Greek text as the English translation that Connery reads on the CD. An introduction by Marilena Mamidakis-Kokkineas, president of the Athinais Cultural Centre, thanks the Connerys and Vangelis for their support to the "Child's Friends" society.

Another site (read here) wrote about the paintings:

Roquebrune Connery uses vivid but also pastel colors in her paintings, many of them portraits, which often have a joyful Mediterranean touch. "I don't like sad paintings," said the artist, herself impressed by what she called "the staggering color of Rome", with its clear summer light, deep blue sky and "ambiance of energy, strength and joy."

As mentioned earlier, this special set, costing about Euro 105, can only be bought in Greece at the Athinais Centre and a selected bookshop chain. However, some have managed to order the box using E-mails, so be creative and contact who you can, if you are interested in obtaining this item. See the earlier updates for some more details. Perhaps if enough people try this, the organizers will decide to create an on-line ordering facility.

Ithaca available

If all went according to plan, at about 8 PM local Greek time Micheline Roquebrune Connery along with her husband Sean Connery appeared at the Athinais Cultural center to present her book "A Journey in Colour" and the "Ithaca" CD by Vangelis and Sean Connery. From now on, the box containing both these items is available for sale at the Cultural Center as well as the "Eleftheroudakis" bookstores. Although no sales are available through web sites, some people have already managed to order the box by exchanging emails with the bookstore. Find their web site at www.books.gr.

The price of the item is Euro 104, but if you succeed in ordering it, there will be extra charges for shipping to your particular country.

For more details, see the June 1 update. A review of the music with photographs can found here as soon as possible.

Velvet Mythodea box auctions end

The "We Are The Future" charity auctions of the two Vangelis donated and signed Mythodea boxes have ended. The first box went for a stunning $1525, the second for a wonderful $910. Money that will be well spent on education of children in war torn regions in the world.

Congratulations to both the winners!

"Ithaca": limited CD, collaboration with Sean Connery

On June 8, a special event at the Athinais Cultural Centre in Athens will celebrate the release of a very special recording. The CD, titled "Ithaca", has living legend actor Sean Connery reading the poem by Constantinos P. Cavafy, accompanied by new music composed by Vangelis.

On the same day, Micheline Roquebrune Connery, painter - and indeed Sean's wife - presents a book of her paintings, called "A Journey in Colour". Both these unique objects combined - the CD and the book - will be offered for sale to the general public, packaged together into one beautiful box reading:

There will be a limited number of copies available: The CD was pressed in a one-time-only run of 3000 copies. Neither the book nor the CD will be commercially exploited. The book is sponsored by Dewar's Special Reserve and the Private Banking of Novabank. The CD is sponsored by the Athinais Cultural Centre. All the proceeds of sales are being donated to a charity project called "Friends of the Child", who will use this to support the building of a kindergarten.

The box will be sold in Greece exclusively, at the "Athinais" as well as the historical Athens bookstore chain called "Eleftheroudakis". They have a web site in Greek at www.books.gr but you can also find a list of addresses in English here: www.books.gr/e-gener.htm. Sadly there will not be any on-line sales available.

The book consists of 128 pages, showcasing paintings by Micheline Connery, with a preamble, an art critic's interview with Mrs. Connery and the full text of Cavafy's "Ithaca". Not much is clear yet about the CD and the music, except that it's a 4 minutes and 26 seconds recording.

More news here, when it becomes available!

Reminder

• cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4015164674
• cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4015152797

"Alexander" trailer: no Vangelis music The first trailer for Oliver Stone's "Alexander" has been released and is available for viewing on the web. The big question on everyone's mind, both before and after seeing the trailer reads: Is it using music composed by Vangelis? Sources close to Vangelis reveal that unfortunately none of the music heard in this trailer is his work. That includes the opening and closing parts, that some fans thought to recognize as such. Although it's not unusual for trailers to use music that's completely different from the music in a film, in the case of an artist as high profile as Vangelis, it is confusing at best, misleading at worst if other music is used in the early advertising efforts. Perhaps any upcoming trailers will feature Vangelis' music more appropriately. For your first impression of the movie - but not the music - visit www.apple.com/trailers/wb/alexander/. Thanks to Hotte for the first alert, and to everyone else who also mailed on this topic...

Velvet box auction has started

The auction of two rare collectable "Mythodea" blue velvet boxes has started today on the internet auction site ebay.com. As announced here earlier, Vangelis submitted these boxes for the "We Are the Future" charity auction (see the May 14 update), representing an abolutely unique chance to obtain this rarity. The auctions can be found here:

• cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4015164674
• cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4015152797

A 10 day window to put out your bids has started earlier today, and the clock is ticking. Don't hesitate to try your luck, with the proceeds going to such a good cause. Note that the organization has a pre-qualifying policy for bids over $500. In case anyone would like to try and bid a higher amount, it would be advisable to go through this simple procedure in due time, before the deadline comes too close. Please fill out the form at www.bidprequalify.com/bpqt/f.php?wid=8.

A big "good luck" to everyone who will be bidding, and especially to the charity cause the proceeds will be going to.

Vanessa Mae album title

The title of Vanessa Mae's upcoming album has been changed to "Choreography", replacing the earlier mentioned "Dances with Time". She will be performing one new piece composed by Vangelis, for which a title has yet to be decided upon.

Morandi in the cinema (Rome)

As part of the "Festival Di Palazzo Venezia", dedicated to films and documentaries about art, a 35 mm print of Frederic Rossif's "Morandi" will be shown at the "Metropolitan" cinema in Rome. This documentary about the famous painter is one of Rossif's movies to be graced with music by Vangelis. Although the score seems compiled from themes that Vangelis wrote for earlier Rossif films, none of the music found in the movie has ever been released on any album.

The screening will take place on Tuesday June 1, starting at 16:00. Find more information here:
www.docfest.it/PDF_programma_def/03_flyer_FILMAREARTE.pdf

"Mythodea" velvet boxes on charity auction

Vangelis has submitted two copies of the rare velvet box edition of "Mythodea" to a celebrity auction organized by Quincy Jones' "We Are The Future" foundation.

The box in question was made in very limited quantities and was given away only to performers and VIP guests at the 2001 Mythodea concert in Athens. No copies were ever officially sold, making this one of most desirable rarities for Vangelis fans and collectors. These two auctions will provide an absolutely unique chance to obtain this box. For the occasion, Vangelis has personally signed each copy: "Vangelis, May 2004", making them even more unique.

Celebrities from all over the world have submitted items to be auctioned for this charity. The organization has teamed up with Ebay.com, where the items will be listed in two waves, one starting May 15, the other starting May 24. It's not clear yet in which wave(s) Vangelis' boxes will be included.

The "We Are the Future" (www.wearethefuture.com) foundation was formed by Quincy Jones hoping to be able to give hope to millions of children living in war-ravaged cities around the world:

We Are the Future is launching Child Centers in six pilot cities to bring refuge, education, clean water, technology and primary care to a generation of children that have known nothing but conflict and neglect. The need is great and time is of the essence. According to a recent UN statistic 30,000 children under the age of five die every day in developing countries, most of which are in conflict or post conflict situations. As appalling as this number is, there is hope. We Are the Future opened its first Child Center in Kigali, Rwanda, on April 8, 2004 and is already making a difference in hundreds of lives.

The launch of the first wave of auctions coincides with a live concert / fund raiser in Rome on May 16, with appearances from icons in music, sports and entertainment, including Sting, Nora Jones, Alicia Keys, Usher, Muhammed Ali, Angelina Jolie, Sharon Stone and Oprah Winfrey and many others. A live TV broadcast will reach the Middle East, Asia, Europe, the Balkans, Africa and Latin America through networks such as MTV Network, Al Jazeera, etc.

This news page will feature alerts with links to both of the Mythodea velvet boxes, as soon as they appear.

Track with Vanessa Mae

Vanessa Mae, the young, popular and world famous violinist is currently working on her new album, titled "Dances with Time". . One of the tracks for this album has been composed by Vangelis. The composition's working title is "Dance of the Seven Veils". No other details are out, at this point.

The album is scheduled for a release in September 2004, on Sony Classical.

False news paper reports

Some Greek news papers caused quite a few hearts to beat a bit faster this week, by claiming that the new Greek government has approved for a Vangelis concert to take place in Athens, late in June this year. These reports however, turn out to be false. Sources close to Vangelis explain that Vangelis is involved in other projects and will not be performing any concert during that time.

Paintings in Brazil

For the next step in Vangelis' South American painting exhibitions, the canvasses will moved to the Museu de Arte Moderna da Bahia (www.mam.ba.gov.br), located in Brazil's Salvador de Bahia. The exhibition will be open on May 21 until July 4.

Cavafy DVD set

The first two copies of Alexandros Films' limited (not for public sale) DVD of "Cavafy" (see the February 2 update) have been auctioned at Internet's leading auction site www.ebay.com. A third will be auctioned very soon. These special luxuriously boxed disks are in principle only given out to crew who worked on the movie, but some have decided to offer theirs on this auction. Keep checking Ebay, for the third to appear. Although possible, it has so far not been decided if the movie will ever be issued as a commercial DVD release.

Collectors will also be interested in finding out about "Silent Portraits", a Vangelis recording that managed to escape the attention of most Vangelis fans and collectors for about 20 years now. Check the news report on www.vangeliscollector.com.

Remember the 60s Volume 4 A note about the earlier (March 13 update) anounced DVD "Remember the 60s Volume 4": Contrary to BR Music's claim, this TV appearance has been released before, on the "Demis Roussos Greatest Hits" DVD. It does however appear here in a slightly longer version, showing the band being anounced with the band members waiting to start performing.

Reference to Alexander

"I also had to collaborate closely with the 'Oscar winning' composer Vangelis who is fabulous to work with. All his music for Alexander is incredible. I think it will eclipse anything he has done before. Working with him on the music for the dances was a unique and altogether mind blowing experience."

More on: www.alexander-the-great.co.uk/news.htm

New Interview in Brazilian magazine

The new issue of Brazilian Keyboards magazine "Teclado & Áudio Magazine", available in stores (Brazil and Portugal) as of today, has a new interview article with Vangelis, printed along with some exclusive photographs.

The article, written in Portuguese, can also be read online at www.tecladoeaudio.com.br, but for those who want to buy or track down the copy in print (large photographs, cover story), look for issue nr. 90 of this monthly magazine.

"Alexander" web site

Warner Bros has opened up an official web site for Oliver Stone's upcoming "Alexander" movie. Visit at www.alexanderthemovie.com. For now, there is only a synopsis of the story, but as time progresses we should be able to find more and more info, about the next movie to contain a new Vangelis score.

Argentine Exhibition

There's only 4 more days to go, before Vangelis' Exhibition in Argentine will close. The "Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes" is Argentine's most important museum and is located facing the "Plaza Francia". The exhibition was featured in TV news and well published. A large banner in front of the museum notes the exitence of the exhibition.

The paintings, a selection of 73 (from the 75 that are on tour) are all shown in one special hall of the museum. Visitors are presented with a special free flyer introducing the exhibition, depicting Vangelis at work on a painting. The catalog is on sale, being the same as in Valencia, only presented with an extra cover to fold around the hard cover of the book.

Next up is Brazil. Find locations with opening and closing dates here, as soon as they are available.

Special thanks to Alberto De Magistris and Martín Alejandro Carmona Selva for information and photographs!

Mythodea on Canadian TV

The concert registration of Mythodea will once again appear on Canadian television, Monday evening March 15, starting at 8:00 PM local time, showing on public station arTV.

One more Aphrodite's Child appearance on DVD

BR Music will soon release a number of new volumes of the "Remember the 60s" (and 70s) series. Fans of "Aphrodite's Child" will be pleased to hear that one more television appearance will be included, showing the band playing or miming to "End of the World". More information as soon as the disk comes out.

Article in Dutch "Ode" magazine

Dutch opinion magazine "Ode" has published in their current issue a Dutch translation of the recent "New Scientist" magazine article, originally called "The Power of Music". This interview - presented as something of an essay - was originally published in December 2003.

This Dutch version of the article can also be read online at Ode's web site (www.ode.nl), but this comes without the picture accompanying the printed version. "Ode", issue 65, April 2004 can currently be found in the Dutch shops. The Vangelis article is mentioned on the cover.

Short news

Other bits that might be of interest: NASA recently published in a report that their Mars Rover "Spirit" woke up to the sound of "Chariots of Fire" to inspire its morning run, on February 24...

Also related to space exploration, Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers regularly mentions in the Dutch media how he was inspired by Vangelis' music to pursue the dream of becoming an astronaut, and a selection of Vangelis' music will indeed accompany him on his trip to the international space station, a few weeks from now.

Finally, fans of "Antarctica" (the legendary Vangelis scored Japanese movie) might be pleased, or indeed displeased, to hear that an American remake is being prepared by Disney and associated production companies. No composer has been assigned, so far, and the project currently seems to have been put on hold.

Limited edition "Cavafy" DVD set

Iannis Smaragdis' "Cavafy" - at this moment still the most recent film to feature an original score by Vangelis - is soon going to be put out on DVD, in the shape of a very limited release of only 20 copies. All of these copies are reserved for key people who worked on the movie's production, but is seems that some recipients intend to auction theirs to the general public.

The box includes two DVDs, one is to feature the movie, including a 5.1 mix of the sound, and sub titles in English, French, German and Spanish. The second disk contains the special features, including documentaries, interviews, trailers and reviews.

The disks are presented in a beautiful box, which also included a booklet with photographs from the movie. The disks are region free, which means that they can be played on any DVD player in the world, as long as it is able to play the PAL format on your TV. That means all of Europe and Africa, plus most setups in the States, Japan, Canada, South America, etc..

A possible wider release of the movie on DVD might be considered in the future. More information on any of this, when it becomes available...

Buenos Aires Exhibition dates

  Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
  Av Libertador Gen. San Martín 1473
  1425 Buenos Aires 
  Argentine

Various

This year's Grammy for the "Best New Age Album (Vocal or Instrumental)" category went to Pat Metheny for "One Quiet Night". Michael Hoppé's album "Solace" was nominated, catching our interest more specifically because it ended with a Vangelis performed rendition of "The Parting".

As for those of us who like to surf the internet, the good news is that Don Fennimore has announced that his recently frozen site on Vangelis collecting will continue to exist and be updated after all, keeping this amazing resource available and up-to-date for public use. (www.vangeliscollector.com)

Japanese remasters - review

Remasters
Remastering is a process where, in general, the process of creating the digital sound recording for use on a CD or other medium, is recreated from the music's original master tapes. Early CD releases were sometimes made in a hurry or with cheap equipment, when conversion from analog tapes to the digital format was not yet as much a routine as it is now, and many albums were transferred in a hurry by people who did not know exactly what they were doing. By redoing the process now, theoretically, the sound could be better and closer to the artist's original intentions. Sometimes (often) these recordings are also slightly tweaked with equalizers and similar subtle post production techniques to update the sound and make it a bit more attractive to CD listeners of modern times.

A problem is that somewhere along the way, the remastering term became a hype, and was sometimes used more as a marketing term than a technical necessity.

For Vangelis, especially the early albums, like RCA's Heaven and Hell, Albedo and Spiral were mastered for CD very poorly, which is one reason that for those albums those LPs used to sound warmer, brighter, clearer and more alive, so many fans have hoped for proper remasters of those albums. Japan once already saw the release of a "20 bit" remaster of Heaven and Hell which indeed improved with a clearer, more dynamic sound, and better channel separation. Polydor (now Universal) also once proved that even their albums could see improvements in mastering when they released Vangelis' own remaster of "Chariots of Fire", just in time for Sydney's Olympics in 2000.

Now, Japan's famous "Rock Legend Series" decided to try it once more, releasing a total of 8 albums from Vangelis' catalog dating back as far as Aphrodite's Child.

Sound quality
First, the bad news. None of the Vangelis or Jon & Vangelis albums sound any better. In fact, they don't seem to sound different at all. The recordings have been amplified, so that they sound louder when played at the same volume. But this actually makes them clip at the louder parts. The frequencies are the same, noise is the same, recordings do not sound sharper, there is no difference. It's speculation whether this means that the originals were simply mastered as good as the new ones, and no further improving was attempted, or perhaps the original digital masters were simply amplified without any further remastering activities.

The albums that did undergo changes in their sound however, are the three Aphrodite's Child albums. Comparing them to the Greek Polygram releases of the first two albums, and 666's usual European CD release, it's easy find subtle differences in tape speed and the overall character of the albums' sound.

In the remastered form, 666 seems to have a little less highs and - perhaps because of that - it feels like there is less reverb on the recording. This loses some of the clarity of the sound, but it does on the other hand sound warm and punchy, with more presence. Which master is preferred over the other is a very personal matter, but it can be concluded that it's hard to justify speaking of a definite improvement.

"It's Five O Clock" has lost a lot in the high end of its spectrum. This might also be the cause of the absence of much of the original's noise. However, with this removal, also the sharpness and clarity went out of the window, and it's easy to conclude that the original Greek release of this album sounded better in all aspects except for the noise.

It's therefore a delight to listen to the "End of the World" album, which has clearly improved. The recording sounds brighter, clearer, more sharp. With its revamped high tones, it may sound a bit less warm to some, but with the musical elements more easy to distinguish, this album shows what most of us who buy remastered releases are really after.

Presentation
The true appeal of these releases then comes in the form of their presentation, the packaging. This makes them appeal to collectors, who were never so much after the subtleties of the sound quality that the audiophiles are looking for.

The charm about these issues is that they are presented like they are miniature versions of LPs. They come in a cardboard sleeve as their vinyl predecessors did. The printing on the CD is a recreation of what was printed on the old LPs, including the 33 rpm indications. The disks are protected in the plastic antistatic sleeves that some LPs were sold in. Where it applies, the original inserts are also recreated, like for Private Collection and See You Later, as these were integral parts of the album's art designs. It's cute to see those sheets as they were, printed in a smaller form.

Another aspect of the artwork is that the original LP sleeve designs have been preserved. Most of the CDs normally found in the shops have covers that look like the originals, but with enlarged texts, artist names, etc. Those would otherwise be considered too small for the CD layout. However, on these mini LPs they look again like they were. For Short Stories and Private Collection for instance, they look again exactly the way Vangelis and Alwyn Clayden conceived them at the time. "It's Five o Clock" and "666" are presented in gatefold sleeves, as they were in the UK upon their initial release.

Each album also comes with an OBI (the paper info strip that comes around the spine of every Japanese release), plus an insert with more historical and track related information, of course in the Japanese language. Another plastic sleeve keeps it all together, again reminiscent of the way LPs were stored.

Conclusions
Summing it up: Except for the Aphrodite's Child albums, it cannot be recommended to buy all these albums for improved sound quality. Only "End of the World" is a definite improvement, if that's what you're after. For completist collectors however, the cute packaging and surrounding nostalgia - plus of course the limitation of 5000 copies on these editions - will be more than enough reasons to try and obtain these editions from Japan.

Japanese remasters - selling out

For now, no review of these remastered albums yet, but the general conception from Japan is that the CDs have indeed improved their sound quality, with more base and a more clear overall sound. Proper comparisons will soon follow...

Something to note is that the series, which is limited to 5000 copies per disk, seems to be selling very quickly. In fact, some of the disks have already been declared "out of print" by the record company, only 2 days after their release. Many shops in Japan still have them in stock but some titles, according to Universal's supplier database, can no longer restocked. This includes Aphrodite's Child's "666" and Jon & Vangelis' "The Friends of Mr Cairo" and "Short Stories" albums. The major Japanese on-line stores have also sold out some of the titles they had earlier in their stock. Some collectors might not want to await reviews, risking to find themselves unable to order all albums.

Perhaps one of the reasons that these releases are selling so quickly is that these type of "mini-LP" styled releases and remasters are very popular among Japanese collectors, regardless of which artist is being released.

Anyone who wants to try and order them might appreciate these Japanese on-line stores, which have optional English ordering interfaces. The stock these stores have left differs per album, best try them all for your particular selection.

The new issues can be recognized by their January 2004 release date.

Remasters - Roussos DVD - Anderson concerts

A few small updates. First off, the series of Japanese remasters (Vangelis, Jon & Vangelis and Aphrodite's Child albums) has been released this week. The CDs are now available in the Japanese shops, while internet stores have been dispatching pre-orders since Saturday. More details - including comparisons on sound quality - will soon follow on this site.

A correction on the Demis Roussos "Greatest Hits" DVD: An earlier review on this page mentioned that "It's Five O Clock" was the same material that appeared earlier on "Remember the 70s Volume 2", the band's appearance on the "Pop Match" TV show, but in fact this is *another* appearance on this series, with the band playing the same song in a similar setting. Thus, this is a different clip after all and another good reason to buy this DVD. Another intersting part not mentioned here before is the extra called "Een fenomeen", where Vangelis can frequently be seen while attending a festive, in a sequence about Roussos's son being christened in traditional Greek fashion.

Finally, Jon Anderson has announced that he is going to venture on a solo tour along the East Coast of the USA. According to Jon's web site and remarks he made in interviews, the project entitled "Work In Progress Tour" [Corrected January 15] will include one or more Jon & Vangelis songs.

Pictures of the Exhibition (Uruguay)