1492: Conquest of Paradise (album)
Encyclopedia
1492: Conquest of Paradise is a 1992 music score by Greek electronic composer and artist Vangelis
. The film
, a recount of the voyage to America in 1492 by Christopher Columbus
, was directed by Ridley Scott
, for whom Vangelis had previously composed the music score for Blade Runner
, in 1982. The album and the single "Conquest of Paradise" enjoyed a revival in 1995 for various reasons and broke many sales records.
A number of pieces can be identified in the film, but it is clear that Scott preferred "Hispañola" (track 9) to set the tone of the film, rather than "Conquest of Paradise" (track 2).
The CD was released in each market with one of two different covers.
An EP
disc was released with four tracks, two of which were not included in the album:
guitar
ists and vocalists, violin, mandolin and flutes. As on a number of previous albums by Vangelis, the English Chamber Choir, directed by Guy Protheroe, performs the choral parts.
The sound engineering and coordination was done by French musician Frederick Rousseau
(also known for his collaborations with Jean Michel Jarre
), who has been Vangelis's studio partner since 1980s till the recording of the Alexander
soundtrack.
Vangelis plays all synthesizer
s, using mainly string patches but also several ethnic ones, to reflect the character of the film, and electric piano
and harp
patches. Some calmer, atmospheric pieces (tracks 3, 7, 11 and 12) are entirely performed by Vangelis, using pianos, strings and harp.
For the ethnic music, Vangelis consulted with French specialist Xavier Belanger, who has advised other artists on similar issues, including Jean Michel Jarre.
A video clip was shot in Paris with Vangelis in his Epsilon Studios (since dismantled), with the choir performing.
" and "Dies Irae
, respectively"). In "Conquest of Paradise" Vangelis used a pseudo-Latin invented language.
, local boxer
Henry Maske
used "Conquest of Paradise" as his introduction theme during boxing bouts. When he became national champion, the piece received wide coverage and a single was hastily released. In Portugal, the local Socialist Party
also used "Conquest of Paradise" as its theme for the general election campaign (it won). The song has also been used as a theme for the Crusaders, a Super 14 Rugby team based in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The song is also used as English
rugby league
team Wigan Warriors
enter the field.
The single Conquest of Paradise also reached #1 position in a number of countries, including 10 weeks at #1 in the Netherlands
and Germany, where it sold 1.5 million copies, 8 weeks at #1 in Belgium and Switzerland. Worldwide sales of the single - over 4 million copies.
Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
. The film
1492: Conquest of Paradise
1492: Conquest of Paradise is an epic 1992 European adventure/drama film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Roselyne Bosch, which tells the story of the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus and the effect this had on the indigenous people...
, a recount of the voyage to America in 1492 by Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
, was directed by Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
, for whom Vangelis had previously composed the music score for Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
, in 1982. The album and the single "Conquest of Paradise" enjoyed a revival in 1995 for various reasons and broke many sales records.
Track listing
- "Opening" – 1:21
- "Conquest of ParadiseConquest of Paradise (song)-See also:*Con te partirò, another song that became a hit single through Henry Maske's popularity in Germany...
" – 4:47 - "Monastery of La RábidaLa Rabida MonasteryLa Rábida Monastery is a Franciscan monastery in the southern Spanish town of Palos de la Frontera, in the province of Huelva and the autonomous region of Andalucia...
" – 3:39 - "City of Isabel" – 2:16
- "Light and Shadow" – 3:46
- "Deliverance" – 3:28
- "West Across the Ocean Sea" – 2:53
- "Eternity" – 1:59
- "Hispañola" – 4:56
- "Moxica and the Horse" – 7:06
- "Twenty Eighth Parallel" – 5:14
- "Pinta, NiñaNiñaLa Niña was one of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage towards the Indies in 1492. The real name of the Niña was Santa Clara. The name Niña was probably a pun on the name of her owner, Juan Niño of Moguer...
, Santa MaríaSanta María (ship)La Santa María de la Inmaculada Concepción , was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage. Her master and owner was Juan de la Cosa.-History:...
(Into Eternity)" – 13:19
A number of pieces can be identified in the film, but it is clear that Scott preferred "Hispañola" (track 9) to set the tone of the film, rather than "Conquest of Paradise" (track 2).
The CD was released in each market with one of two different covers.
An EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
disc was released with four tracks, two of which were not included in the album:
- "Conquest of Paradise"
- "Moxica and the Horse"
- "Line Open"
- "Landscape"
Instrumentation
On this soundtrack, Vangelis plays together with a number of performers, including two FlamencoFlamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ists and vocalists, violin, mandolin and flutes. As on a number of previous albums by Vangelis, the English Chamber Choir, directed by Guy Protheroe, performs the choral parts.
The sound engineering and coordination was done by French musician Frederick Rousseau
Frederick Rousseau
Frederick Rousseau belongs to the generation that witnessed the beginning of New Age music and the explosion of technologic applications to the entertainment world...
(also known for his collaborations with Jean Michel Jarre
Jean Michel Jarre
Jean Michel André Jarre is a French composer, performer and music producer. He is a pioneer in the electronic, ambient and New Age genres, and known as an organiser of outdoor spectacles of his music featuring lights, laser displays, and fireworks.Jarre was raised in Lyon by his mother and...
), who has been Vangelis's studio partner since 1980s till the recording of the Alexander
Alexander (album)
The original film score of Alexander was composed by Vangelis and released on audio CD.The film, directed by Oliver Stone, portrays the life of Alexander the Great in an epic style that is also reflected in the score...
soundtrack.
Vangelis plays all synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s, using mainly string patches but also several ethnic ones, to reflect the character of the film, and electric piano
Electric piano
An electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
and harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
patches. Some calmer, atmospheric pieces (tracks 3, 7, 11 and 12) are entirely performed by Vangelis, using pianos, strings and harp.
For the ethnic music, Vangelis consulted with French specialist Xavier Belanger, who has advised other artists on similar issues, including Jean Michel Jarre.
A video clip was shot in Paris with Vangelis in his Epsilon Studios (since dismantled), with the choir performing.
Lyrics
Three tracks of this album contain lyrics. In "Monastery of La Rabida" and "Deliverance", the choir sings Latin hymns ("De ProfundisPsalm 130
Psalm 130 , traditionally De profundis from its Latin incipit, is one of the Penitential psalms.-Commentary:...
" and "Dies Irae
Dies Irae
Dies Irae is a thirteenth century Latin hymn thought to be written by Thomas of Celano . It is a medieval Latin poem characterized by its accentual stress and its rhymed lines. The metre is trochaic...
, respectively"). In "Conquest of Paradise" Vangelis used a pseudo-Latin invented language.
Revival and popular culture
Both the album and the EP had poor sales upon their release in 1992, but success came three years later, in 1995, for disparate reasons: In GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, local boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
Henry Maske
Henry Maske
Henry Maske is a German boxer, one of Germany's most popular sports figures.-Amateur career:Maske was an Olympic Gold Medalist 1988 in Seoul for East Germany...
used "Conquest of Paradise" as his introduction theme during boxing bouts. When he became national champion, the piece received wide coverage and a single was hastily released. In Portugal, the local Socialist Party
Socialist Party (Portugal)
The Socialist Party , abbreviated to PS, is a social-democratic political party in Portugal. It was founded on 19 April 1973 in the German city of Bad Münstereifel, by militants from Portuguese Socialist Action ....
also used "Conquest of Paradise" as its theme for the general election campaign (it won). The song has also been used as a theme for the Crusaders, a Super 14 Rugby team based in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The song is also used as English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
team Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
enter the field.
Charts and Sales
The album went on to climb to #1 on the sales charts of several countries. It was certified gold or platinum in over 20 countries, including Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, the UK and Canada. The album became the biggest selling record in Germany's chart history, remaining in the charts for over a year, with Vangelis winning that country's Echo Award for International Artist of the Year 1995, as well as the Golden Lion for Best Film Soundtrack. In France the album was certified double platinum in 2001 for sales over 600,000 copies.The single Conquest of Paradise also reached #1 position in a number of countries, including 10 weeks at #1 in the Netherlands
Dutch Top 40 number-one hits of 1995
These hits topped the Dutch Top 40 in 1995 ....
and Germany, where it sold 1.5 million copies, 8 weeks at #1 in Belgium and Switzerland. Worldwide sales of the single - over 4 million copies.
Certifications
| Territory | Certifier | Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | IFPI IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
2× platinum | 40,000 |
| Argentina | CAPIF | Platinum | 40,000 |
| Belgium | IFPI | Gold | 10,000 |
| Brazil | IFPI | Gold | 50,000 |
| France | SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
2x Platinum | 645,000 |
| Germany | BVMI | 5× Gold | 1,250,000 |
| Netherlands | NVPI NVPI The NVPI is the Dutch tradeassociation of the entertainment industry... |
2x Platinum | 140,000 |
| Norway | IFPI | Platinum | 40,000 |
| Spain | PROMUSICAE | 2× platinum | 160,000 |
| Switzerland | IFPI | 2× platinum | 100,000 |
| United Kingdom | BPI British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
Gold | 100,000 |