MythodeaFrontIntroduction

“Mythodea” is a 2001 studio album by Vangelis, his first on the Sony Classical label. The music for Mythodea was originally composed in 1993, when Vangelis performed the choral symphony at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus theatre in Athens as part of a charity concert to raise funds for cancer patients. The idea to release Mythodea arose in the year 2000 when Peter Gelb, at the time head of Sony Classical, was instantly impressed after hearing the work.   

Released on the 17th of September 2001, the Mythodea album is an extended and newly arranged version of the original 1993 composition, with an added instrumental ouverture and one additional movement (9) inserted near the end of the symphony. In the new arrangement Vangelis plays together with the London Metropolitan Orchestra conducted by Blake Neely, sopranos Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman, the Greek National Opera Choir, two harpists and a group of percussionists.

To promote the upcoming album the music premiered at a special concert staged in Athens at the ancient Temple of Olympian Zeus on the 28th of June 2001. The performance was professionally recorded and televised in several countries, with a release on DVD following the next year. After the concert a dinner was organized at the nearby Zappeion building of Athens, where invited guests received a promotional blue velvet box containing an advance CD of the album.

Other promotional activities included a press conference on the 27th of June 2001, the dedicated website www.mythodea.com (archived) and the release of two CD singles, both of which include a track titled ‘Mythodea Special Edit’ which also appeared as a promotional videoclip on television. The Western European edition of the CD added the ‘Mythodea Special Edit’ as a bonus track (and messed up the naming of the movements on the tracklist).

As a choral symphony the music of Mythodea is reminiscent to other works by Vangelis, such as the albums "Heaven And Hell" (1975) and "Mask" (1985), as well as "Hope", the otherwise unreleased work performed in concert in Doha, Qatar in 2011. At time of the release the music of Mythodea was linked to Greek mythology, science, and space exploration through its connection with the 2001 NASA Odyssey mission to the planet Mars. In the album liner notes Vangelis explained:

‘Science and mythology were the topics which fascinated me since my early childhood. I listened to such stories from my family and the people around me. And that is how I started to remember. It is certain that inside us – all of human history, and at the same time all the codes of creation and the evolution of the universe – are ingrained. With the passage of time I realized how important it is to remember – to remember as deeply as you can. And each time I remember, I discover and I reveal something else. So then Mythodea is a small part of my connection with memory, which can be stronger than learning, whenever we allow it to be so’.

 

MythodeaInsideTracklist and credits

  1. Introduction (2:43)
  2. Movement 1 (5:41)
  3. Movement 2 (5:39)
  4. Movement 3 (5:51)
  5. Movement 4 (13:42)
  6. Movement 5 (6:35)
  7. Movement 6 (6:27)
  8. Movement 7 (4:58)
  9. Movement 8 (3:07)
  10. Movement 9 (5:00)
  11. Movement 10 (3:03)

 

  • Composed, arranged and produced by Vangelis.
  • Electronic keyboards by Vangelis.
  • Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman: sopranos
  • The London Metropolitan Orchestra conducted by Blake Neely.
  • Orchestral transcriptions by Blake Neely.
  • The National Opera Of Greece Choir, choir master: Fani Palamidi and Percussion Ensemble
  • Recorded at Athens Concert Hall/Megaron Recording Centre by
     chief sound engineer: Nikos Espialidis,
     sound engineers: Andreas Mantopoulos and Babis Blazoudakis, and
     assistents: Giorgos Mathioudakis, Nikos Tsoukas and Kyriakos Kyriakou.
  • Recorded at Air Studios, London, by sound engineer Geoff Foster.
  • Recorded at “Voyageur 1” by sound engineer Jerome Blondel.

 

MythodeaCDSingleDiscography

CD

  • 2001 Sony Classical, released worldwide.
  • 2001 Sony Classical ASK 89191 Europe (promotional blue velvet box)
  • 2001 Sony Classical SICP 58 Japan
  • 2001 Sony Classical SK 89191 Taiwan

LP

  • 2018 Music On Vinyl MOVCL038 (2LP black vinyl)
  • 2022 Music On Vinyl MOVCL038 (2LP orange vinyl)
  • 2025 Music On Vinyl MOVCL038 (2LP clear vinyl)

CD single

 

Recording studio

The music of "Mythodea" was recorded in August 2000 with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Air Lyndhurst studios, featuring Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle. Additional sessions took place at the Athens Concert Hall (Megaron Recording Centre).

 

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