Vangelis: The Unknown Man

by Mark J.T. Griffin, Vangelis (Subject)

"Vangelis - The Unknown Man" is a chronological biography of the renowned Greek keyboard wizard. Vangelis' creed has always been to explore sound through electronics, to push back the bounds of musical knowledge and understanding. In this quest he has created a remarkable fusion of acoustic and electronic instrumentation, a pioneering style which has gained global acclaim and given him an international reputation for diversity and originality."The Unknown Man" tells the story of his prodigal beginnings in southern Greece, writing his first compositions at four and making his first public performances at six. We follow the formation, in his teens, of the group Formynx and the accomplishments of its chart-topping successor, Aphrodite's Child.It examines his work in television, including his contributions to the Carl Sagan "Cosmos" series and his scores for the late French naturalist and director Frederic Rossif on the "Sauvage" series of wildlife films. It investigates his relocation to London in 1974 to build Nemo Studio, his music laboratory and subsequent invitation from "Yes" lead singer Jon Anderson to join the band.The work details his platinum selling collaboration with Anderson,producing Jon and Vangelis albums such as "Short Stories" and "Friends of Mr Cairo" and his other collaborations with artists as diverse as Demis Roussos, Milva, Irene Papas and Roman Polanski.The biography focuses on his stirring Oscar winning score for the hugely successful "Chariots of Fire" and his other acclaimed sound-tracks for "Bladerunner", "Antarctica", "Bounty" and the recent Ridley Scott epic "1492 - Conquest of Paradise".We examine Vangelis' work in the classical sphere, writing scores for ballet such as "Frankenstein" and "Beauty and the Beast",for theatre, "Medea" and "Electra" and symphonic scores. It reviews his rare but, spectacular live performances such as the multimedia concert on the banks of the River Maas in Rotterdam, watched by an estimated 200,000.We inquire into the trial in 1987 when Vangelis was accused and cleared of using another composer's melody for his own "Chariots of Fire" and consider Vangelis himself, quiet and introspective, private and a recluse, an unlikely star, who lists painting, sculpture and cookingamongst his hobbies.We study his studio, synthesizers and unique recording technique, a keyboard based combination of orchestral and electronic textures creating an impressive world of sound and we explore the mass appeal of Vangelis' music that contains many elements and global denominators such as African drums, Chinese cymbals and western harmonies.The biography reviews his work on over twenty five albums, an area he regards as one segment in his musical sphere of influence, always awaited with expectancy by a world-wide following. Albums as ground breaking as "Heaven and Hell" and "Albedo 0.39", through the avant garde of "Beaubourg", to the "new music" albums "Direct" and "The City".We see Vangelis as a multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist who is the composer, arranger andproducer of all his work. We find how he has created an instantly recognisable, distinctive style which, although widely imitated, has never successfully been copied.In his own way, Vangelis' summarises his prime directive, the focus of his work, to experiment, discover and progress, "..the most important thing is to try and expand the brain.

189 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2009

About the author

Mark J.T. Griffin is an author know for having written the acclaimed biography, “Vangelis: The Unknown Man.

Reviews

[Roger L. Boyes]

Excellent read. I have researched Vangelis as best I could through various media previously, but this contains many facts and stories I hadn't heard before. Highly recommend for any fans of this one-of-a-kind composer. Sadly this only chronicles to 1996 and his Oceanic release. I would love to see a second edition that completes the biography. Recommended 👍👍