Vangelis Electronic music artist Date of Birth: 29.03.1943 Country: Greece

Biography of Vangelis

Vangelis, whose real name is Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou, is a renowned electronic music artist. He was born on March 29, 1943, and from the age of four, he began composing his own music. He taught himself to play the piano and soon became proficient in the instrument. In the early 1960s, Vangelis became one of the founding members of the group "The Forminx". The band performed songs in the style of The Beatles and gained significant popularity in their home country. Many of "The Forminx" compositions were written by Vangelis, but he also composed music for other artists. In 1967, Papathanassiou formed his own project called "The Papathanassiou Set," which later evolved into the famous art group "Aphrodite's Child". Despite their success, Vangelis felt creatively limited within the group and began working on his own projects in the early 1970s. In 1970, he composed the soundtrack for the film "Sex Power," although it went unnoticed. However, his second attempt in the film industry, in collaboration with French film director Frederic Rossif, proved more successful with the film "L'Apocalypse Des Animaux".

After the disbandment of "Aphrodite's Child," Papathanassiou embarked on his solo career. In 1974, he briefly joined the band "Yes," but after two weeks of rehearsals, he was released. During these sessions, Vangelis befriended vocalist Jon Anderson, and they subsequently released several albums together under the name "Jon and Vangelis". In the mid-1970s, Papathanassiou settled in London, where he built his own studio, "Nemo," and signed a contract with "RCA Records". On this label, he released a series of intriguing electronic albums, including "Heaven And Hell," "Albedo 0.39," "Spiral," and "Beaubourg". From the late 1970s, Vangelis began collaborating extensively with other artists, including Greek singer Irene Papas and Italian pop vocalist Milva. Additionally, Papathanassiou made notable contributions to albums by his former bandmate from "Aphrodite's Child," Demis Roussos.

Vangelis achieved commercial success in 1981 when the film "Chariots Of Fire," featuring his music, was released. The film received numerous awards, including an Academy Award for Original Music Score for Vangelis. The main theme of the film, released as a single titled "Titles," briefly topped the Billboard charts. Subsequently, Vangelis continued to work on soundtracks, with his most famous ones being "Blade Runner" and "The Bounty". However, his involvement in the film industry brought not only accolades but also some problems. In 1987, he faced a plagiarism lawsuit brought against him by fellow Greek musician Stavros Logarides. The lawsuit claimed that the main theme from "Chariots of Fire" was a copy of Logarides' composition "City of Violets". Papathanassiou had to bring his synthesizers to court and defend his right to his own creative work. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Vangelis continued to release solo albums, but he also explored new genres beyond electronic music and soundtracks. He collaborated with Englishman Wayne Eagling on ballet productions and later composed repertoire for opera diva Montserrat Caballé. In 2001, with the support of NASA and the Greek Ministry of Culture, Vangelis organized a concert at the Temple of Zeus in Athens, where he presented his choral symphony "Mythodea". Three years later, he returned to the film industry and composed the soundtrack for Oliver Stone's film "Alexander". In 2002, Vangelis became the composer of the official anthem for the FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea. After a 20-year absence, Vangelis returned to Greece, where he was entrusted with creating music for significant events such as the opening of the Olympic Games in Athens. His ballets are widely successful on stage, although they remain inaccessible to most of his fans outside of Greece.