Fans of Vangelis' exquisite synth soundtracks for Chariots of Fire, Blade Runner and "L'Enfant" from The Year of Living Dangerously, among others, or his '70s collaborations with Yes lead singer Jon Anderson, are likely to be disappointed with Mythodea (subtitled "Music for the NASA Mission: 2001 Mars Odyssey"). Filmed at the Temple of Zeus in Athens, Greece, Vangelis on electronic keyboards is backed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra and the National Opera of Greece Choir (decked out like a Greek choir, in keeping with the Greek mythology meets NASA space photos motif), in what looks to be a mostly black tie affair on a gorgeous night. Divided into 10 movements, Mythodea opens with John Williams' Star Wars-like march music, a stentorian metronome-like barrage that builds for about the first quarter hour, after which opera heavyweights Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman take center stage to engage in a bout of dueling sopranos. After an hour-plus of this forced-sounding exercise in running the scales, the Chariots of Fire main theme encore is like a generous dollop of ear balm. Of course, if your idea of a good time includes lorgnettes and box seats, your mileage may vary. Featuring Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, the disc also includes a rather uninspired "making of" comprised in the main of speeded-up footage of the set being built. Optional. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)
Vangelis: Mythodea
(2001) 76 min. DVD: $24.99. Sony Classical (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. ISBN: 0-7389-1937-3. Volume 17, Issue 3
Vangelis: Mythodea
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