Foros Timis Ston Greco
Encyclopedia
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
electronic composer and artist Vangelis
Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
(as Vangelis Papathanassiou/Βαγγέλης Παπαθανασίου). The title is an allusion to the man who inspired the composition, Dominikos Theotokópoulos
El Greco
El Greco was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El Greco" was a nickname, a reference to his ethnic Greek origin, and the artist normally signed his paintings with his full birth name in Greek letters, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος .El Greco was born on Crete, which was at...
(Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος, 1541–1614), the Cretan
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
-born painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and sculptor
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
better known as El Greco
El Greco
El Greco was a painter, sculptor and architect of the Spanish Renaissance. "El Greco" was a nickname, a reference to his ethnic Greek origin, and the artist normally signed his paintings with his full birth name in Greek letters, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος .El Greco was born on Crete, which was at...
.
The album was published in 1995 as a limited edition of 3,000 CD-audios and sold exclusively at the National Art Gallery and Alexandros Soutzos Museum in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, which was raising funds to buy El Greco's painting "St. Peter". The luxurious packaging, in a dark-blue velvet box, included a 128-page coffee table book
Coffee table book
A coffee table book is a hardcover book that is intended to sit on a coffee table or similar surface in an area where guests sit and are entertained, thus inspiring conversation or alleviating boredom. They tend to be oversized and of heavy construction, since there is no pressing need for...
, about El Greco's paintings, dedicated to Vangelis, and a digipack
Digipak
Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...
containing the CD. Each CD carried Vangelis' personal signature and a unique serial number. For such a special edition, the price was 30,000 drachmas (US $127), or, adjusted for Greek inflation , 45,000 drachmas (€132/$176).
Vangelis composed and arranged the album, and performed all the instruments, accompanied by a choir conducted by Ivan Cassar. The music is in a Byzantine
Byzantine music
Byzantine music is the music of the Byzantine Empire composed to Greek texts as ceremonial, festival, or church music. Greek and foreign historians agree that the ecclesiastical tones and in general the whole system of Byzantine music is closely related to the ancient Greek system...
style yet sounding contemporary due to his use of synthesizers. Soprano Montserrat Caballé
Montserrat Caballé
Montserrat Caballé is a Spanish operatic soprano. Although she sang a wide variety of roles, she is best known as an exponent of the bel canto repertoire, notably the works of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and Verdi....
and tenor Konstantinos Paliatsaras
Konstantinos Paliatsaras
Konstantinos Paliatsaras is a Greek operatic tenor.-Early life and education:Born in Athens, Greece, Paliatsaras was attracted to Opera immediately after hearing Maria Callas at the age of 7. He was taught at the National Concervatoire in Athens by Professor Maggie Karatza and at the Royal Academy...
make guest appearances on one movement each.
The image on the album is a section of "Madonna and Child with St. Martina and St. Agnes" by El Greco
A regular edition of the album was released worldwide in 1998, with three new tracks and a new title: El Greco
El Greco (album)
El Greco is a 1998 classical album by Greek electronic composer and artist Vangelis . The title is an a reference to the man who inspired the composition, Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος , the Cretan-born painter and sculptor better known as El Greco.This album is an expansion of an earlier album by...
.
Track listing
- Μέρος/Movement I
- Μέρος/Movement II
- Μέρος/Movement III
- Μέρος/Movement IV
- Μέρος/Movement V
- Μέρος/Movement VI
- Μέρος/Movement VII
Movements III and V were included in Vangelis' compilation Reprise 1990-1999 (2000).