Vangelis: Chariots Of Fire and Blade Runner composer dies aged 79

 

Vangelis, composer of the Chariots Of Fire music - one of film's most famous scores - has died aged 79.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted "Vangelis Papathanassiou is no longer among us".  

Media in the country said he had died on Wednesday in a French hospital.

Born Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou, he also composed the music for many other films and TV shows, including Ridley Scott's Blade Runner.

It was 1981's Oscar-winning best film, Chariots Of Fire, that gave him his breakthrough.

He won best original score for the iconic music, which accompanies the famous slow-motion running sequences.

Its opening piano lines and use of the synthesizer are instantly recognisable to millions of movie fans. 

Vangelis had no formal music training and after playing with rock bands in Greece, he left for Paris at 25 in the wake of a coup in his home country.

He developed a passion for electronic synthesizers - which were new at the time - and used them to fashion the melodic sounds that became his trademark.

Vangelis had success in the early 70s with a prog rock band called Aphrodite's Child, but grew disillusioned with the commercial pressures and retreated to a studio in London.

It was there the Chariots Of Fire music was created.

His Oscar for the hit film followed, as well as chart success; the score was partly a tribute to his father who had been a keen amateur runner.  

However, he once referred to it in an interview as "only another piece of music" and it would overshadow his later work.

Among his other highlights was the score for dystopian sci-fi classic Blade Runner in 1982, and music for the Palme d'Or-winning Missing, by Greek director Costa-Gavras.

Vangelis also composed for advertising campaigns and formed a duo, called Jon and Vangelis, with Jon Anderson from prog rock group Yes.   

https://news.sky.com/story/vangelis-chariots-of-fire-composer-dies-aged-79-12616842