Vangelis's music was the my first ...
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Product Description
MYTHODEA - MUSIC FOR THE NASA MISSION - DVD MovieSimilarProduct
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Customer reviews
Lift-off to DVD Heaven ! 
by .. (Inverness,Scotland.)
Stunning ! I got this about a week ago now and have played it through every evening since then,and I'm still held spellbound by the sound (glorious,by the way) and spectacle (truly a visual feast) of it all.
Vangelis's music was the my first audio love in my teenage years and I must profusely thank the late,great Carl Sagan for been the conduit that brought this composing colossus to my attention.I'll never forget how I was absolutely transfixed by the opening theme ("Symphony to the Powers" from "Heaven & Hell") of his wonderful "Cosmos" series,when it aired on the BBC back in 1981,and from been a rather musically indifferent 16 year old,I was immediately transformed into a rabid Vangelis aficionado,who could not get enough of music that was imbued with such deep passion and profundity and yet at the same time touched me on almost a spiritual level.It wasn't until I got heavily into classical music in my mid-20's that I discovered the same intrinsic qualities in things like Bach's Passions,Haydn's Masses,the great Requiem settings and Handel's oratorios.With that kind of cultural hindsight,I understand now that he has inherited much of the qualities that made these composers great.Mind you,I've always felt that Vangelis has the unique way of making you feel that he is taking the very pulse of the Universe through his work and,via his keyboards,liberating themes that have been frozen in time and space for eons.So,you can well imagine that this "Mythodea" of his which marries all that is unique and special in him and allies that to the classical idiom,is sheer serendipity to me and a union made in music Heaven.
The concert setting of the Temple of Zeus in Athens could not be more atmospheric if it tried and those cosmic and Hellenic artefact images projected onto the backdrop are superbly integrated with the music.Whoever edited the footage deserves an oscar,because every fade,cut-away and image-meld is executed with a supremely expert eye and ear,and more than one image will stun you with it's breathtaking beauty.Very well done to all concerned !
Aside from the man himself dominating centre stage at a most imposing keyboard "altar;the other forces involved are the London Metropolitan Orchestra (excellent band,and I'm really developing a crush on the nymph-like harpist,whom the camera obviously loves,and with her partner [they are placed either side of Vangelis] make such an important contribution to the texture of the piece),The National Opera of Greece Choir (bravo ! to you,ladies and gentleman),two timpani ensembles (very dramatic in both a sonic and visual sense) and two sopranos (none other than the world-renowned Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle;both of whom clearly relish their respective roles,and this constant delight in the gorgeous parts written for them is apparent on their faces throughout ).All these brilliant performers are held on a tight rein by the slim,dapper figure of the conductor Blake Neely who is a most charismatic figure on the podium and his baton seems more akin to a magic wand at times,the way it appears to conjure up musical enchantment at will.Also,kudos to him for a superb orchestral transcription of the original score,that is more than successful in conveying all it's inherent power and majesty.
If you come to this work as an established fan of Vangelis,but with no real experience of the classical repertoire;you may struggle to fully appreciate what is so wonderfully achieved here and I strongly recommend that you watch it through at least twice before passing judgement (or hasty reviews to Amazon !) on it.Although not derivative in the least of any single composer's work,I do hear echoes of Haydn in such things as the magnificent "sunrise" (or "water-rise" on Mars,according to the visuals) crescendo that deservedly gets a standing ovation from the audience.Also,the very fine string and woodwind parts summon up the ghosts of Mozart and Berlioz at times.Verdi's robust spirit also hovers near,and in some of the mightily impressive choral sequences,the "Libera me" from his Requiem is easily brought to mind.The ravishing soprano aria executed so perfectly by Jessye Norman in "Movement 6" has echoes of such sacred gems as Schubert's "Ave Maria" and indeed Mythodea as a whole has a very sacred feel about it,and shorn of the Mars connection could easily be perceived as a modern oratorio in every respect,apart from that of scale and a merciful abscence of tedious recitative ! I wonder,could the great man ever be persuaded to set the text of the Latin Mass ? There is a libretto that would fully exploit his talent to the utmost and on the merits of this current outing,with all it's blatant excellence in the writing for instruments,soloists and choir:we have all the necessary elements already in place that make him eminently suited to been just the man who could whip-up a modern,liturgical firestorm.I'll keep my fingers crossed in the meantime and will take heart in the fact that Haydn didn't write his greatest settings of the Mass until his late 60's,and I think I'm right in saying that our Greek maestro doesn't turn 60 until next March.Plenty of time for us to get up our petition to him !
Whatever your background or taste in music;whether new age or classically conservative,I strongly urge you to buy this DVD immediately.In terms of artistic and production values it has set a benchmark that I don't expect to see surpassed anytime soon,and it is wonderful to finally see in action one of the most exciting composers that the planet Earth can boast in the 21st Century.
P.S:The single (shame !) encore is marvellous and the shout of recognition that goes up as those oh-so familiar horn motifs sound out is magical .
Wonderful, Amazing, Brilliant... by .. Young Seok Park (Seoul, Korea)
The concert was so exciting and mesmerising that I couldn't stop watching until it finished. I really liked the new music by Vangelis, a true genius. The picture was great and sound was very clear and magnificient especially on PCM stereo. The stage on Zeus Temple was spectacular. Oh... watching two amazing sopranos, Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman, was also true pleasure. They made the concert brilliant.
As the previous reviwer mentioned, Vangelis performed "Chariots of Fire" as encore, which is a great bonus.
This doesn't contain a liner note, which is inconvenient to know track information. However, it would be easily forgiven because the real content is really fabulous....
Really tops by .. Jerry Snyder (Reading, PA United States)
I've had the DVD for a while and finally got the CD. It's thrilling and exciting. It shakes me to the core. It's beautiful.
Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle here take you to the beyond. Are there words to use to describe what these two singers do during the performance ?
I happened to see Audrey Hepburn's DVD "Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn" before seeing the MYTHODEA DVD for the first time. I would recommend viewing it before watching this otherworldly production with its exalted, supernatural background projections. This live concert music happens like a garden happens around you, even though it's been captured for viewing on DVD. The images become the actual things they represent, not just symbols.
If you are receptive and listen and watch attentively, you can experience what people mean when they use the words "god" or the "presence of god" -- the planets, space, the inhabitants of Oympus included.
I know I will listen to this time and time again and benefit every time. Before this DVD, we have only approximated "classic Greek". This really does it, this time ! A frontier crossed for the first time in history, too. Way out.
Overwhelming! by .. Gary Murphy ()
Vangelis (Chariots of Fire & Bladerunner) truly composed a magnificent work. Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman as the sopranos are nothing less than superior and dynamic in their performances. Blake Neely as the orchestrator and conductor of the London Metropolitan Orchestra deserves major credit for putting it all together so beautifully. This is a must see for anyone who enjoys any type of quality music.
Sonically fantastic by .. ()
This is really one to test out your Dolby Digital 5.1 sound system (what do you mean, you don't have one? Get one now!) Vangelis in Dolby Surround is an enticing prospect, but the reality surpasses all expectations. Truly galactic sound quality and size.
Highly recommended (even though it appears that the concert is mimed to a playback tape!)