Vanessa-Mae - Choreography

Introduction

Vanessa-Mae (Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson, Singapore 1978) is a renowned British violinist known for her crossover style combining classical and electronic music, which she calls ‘violin techno-acoustic fusion’. In 1995 the young musician made a break-through with her album "The Violin Player", an instant success selling millions of copies worldwide. Next to a career in music Vanessa-Mae participated as a skier in the 2014 Winter Olympics as Vanessa Vanakorn (the name of her biological father), representing Thailand.

In 2004, while Vangelis was working on the score for Oliver Stone’s “Alexander”, Vanessa-Mae worked with Vangelis on the track ‘Roxane’s Veil’. The composition is an instrumental piece that appeared on Vanessa-Mae’s album “Choreography” on the 6th of September 2004 on the Sony Classical label. The album is a collection of pieces from various composers such as Bill Whelan, A.R. Rahman and Jon Cohen, inspired by dance rhythms from cultures around the world and performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

The title ‘Roxane’s Veil’ is a reference to the name of one of the wives of Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), a character in the film “Alexander”. The track was also included on Vangelis’ soundtrack album of the film in November 2004. An alternate version of ‘Roxane’s Veil’, without Vanessa-Mae’s violin, can be heard in the film during a scene with Alexander and Roxane.

Tracklist and credits

Roxane’s Veil

Composed, arranged and produced by Vangelis.
Performed by Vangelis with Vanessa-Mae.
Vocals by Konstantinos Paliatsaras and Irina Valentinova-Karpouchina.

Discography

2004 Sony Classical SK 90895 Europe, US, Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Russia, Taiwan.
2004 Sony Classical CDSONY 6862 South Africa
2004 Sony Classical CCK-8317 South Korea
2004 Sony Classical SAMPCD 14162 2 Austria (advance CD)
2004 Sony Classical 5-track sampler UK (promotional CDR)
2004 Sony Classical XPCD2979 5-track samplerSony Classical XPCD2979 5-track sampler UK (promotional CD)

Recording studio

Vanessa-Mae recorded her album in London at Sarm Studios, CBS Whitfield, Metropolis Studios and Abbey Road Studios. The track ‘Roxane’s Veil’ was probably recorded in one of Vangelis’ home studios in Athens.

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