EktaktiEkdosiStill01Introduction

On the 9th of September 1990 the Greek television series “Ektakti Ekdosi” ("Special Edition”) on channel ET1 dedicated an episode to Vangelis. A crew with host Dimitra Gountouna visited Sound Studio on Mesogeion street in Athens, where Vangelis had set up his instruments at the time.

The episode includes interviews with Vangelis and his sound engineer Nikos Despotidis, and shows Vangelis playing in the studio, working on a project inspired by the traditional music from the Greek region of Epirus. As this project never resulted in an official release the broadcast presents unique music and a rare insight in Vangelis’ method to compose, arrange and produce his music, all at the same time.

In the interview Vangelis talks about about Greece and the way in which he himself perceives music. He refers to the totality of music and the role of technology in human creation, the importance of his experiences, the privilege of having been born in Greece and his relationship with music as something beyond love: ‘You love something other than yourself. Music for me is not something else’. Regarding musical creation, he underlines the importance of readiness, that he tries to be ready for inspiration and composition without thought and logic and drawing from his personal experiences.

Halfway the 22-minute broadcast the episode switches to images from the ‘ Song For Athens’ concert at the Panathenaic stadium in Athens, performed by Vangelis on the 3rd of September 1990. The concert was organised in order to present Athens as a candidate to host the 1996 Olympic Games, 100 years after the start of the modern Olympic Games. Ultimately the effort did not win and Athens was passed fo Atlanta, but later, with the help of Vangelis, Athens did win the bid to host the Olympic Games of 2004.

Switching back to the studio Vangelis is shown while improvising several compositions, an effort that clearly leaves him exhausted.

 

EktaktiEkdosiStill02Details and credits

  • Title: Ektakti Ekdosi (Special Edition)
  • Year: 1990
  • Country: Greece
  • Length: 22 minutes
  • Channel: ET1
  • Presented by Dimitra Gountouna.
  • Music by Vangelis.
  • Sound engineer: Nikos Despotidis
  • Recorded at Sound Studio, Athens.

 

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