Legendary soundtrack composer, Vangelis, aka Evángelos Odysséas Papathanassíou, has died at the age of 79.
Vangelis wrote over 40 albums in his lifetime, but will no doubt be remembered for his contributions to popularising electronic music with Hollywood classics Blade Runner (1982), Chariots Of Fire (1981). But I will always fondly remember his low key classic album, L'Apocalypse Des Animaux (1973) which accompanied a tv documentary series of the same title. This mesmerising piece of work lovingly combined acoustic and electronic instruments with a light, deft touch, and a haunting melancholy that permeates the classic track ‘La Petite Fille De La Mer.’
You can hear the album below:
Vangelis enjoyed a long career, but in later years, he rejected his own overblown orchestral Hollywood scores and returned to his first love, electronic music, composing the wonderful ambient album, Rosetta (2016). The album celebrated the European Space Agency mission, Rosetta, which successfully landed a probe on a moving comet for the first time in history.
You can hear the album below:
R.I.P Vangelis.