Mythodea: Music for the NASA Mission -- 2001 Mars Odyssey

Performer: Vangelis
Artist: Kathleen Battle; Jessye Norman
Engineer: Nikos Espialidis; Frederick Rousseau; Andreas Mandopoulos; Philippe Colonna
Producer: Vangelis
Distributor: Sony Music Distribution (

Notes: Personnel includes: Vangelis (electronic keyboards); Kathleen Battle, Jessye Norman (vocals); Blake Neely (conductor); The London Metropolitan Orchestra, The National Opera Of Greece Choir. Recorded at Athens Concert Hall and Megaron Recording Centre, Athens, Greece. Includes liner notes by Dr. Jim Garvin, Laurence Bergreen, and Vangelis. Personnel: Vangelis (keyboards). Audio Mixers: Fredrick Rousseau; Philippe Colonna. Recording information: Air Studios, London, England; Athens Concert Hall, Athens, Greece; Megaron Recording Centre. Photographer: Stathis Zalidis. Arranger: Vangelis. Mythodea is subtitled "Music for the NASA Mission: 2001 Mars Odyssey," and it's certainly an epic work. If its aspirations were any higher, it wouldn't even need NASA to break earth's gravity. In essence, it's the focus of Vangelis' symphonic ambitions, utilizing not only an orchestra, but two sopranos and a full choir to go alongside his banks of keyboards. With an everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink attitude, "Movement 1" shows its Mars intentions by borrowing the 5/4 rhythm from Holst's "Mars" and overlaying it with symphonic stabs of melody and voices galore. Synth space noises, pomp, and afew circumstances. ~ Chris Nickson Mythodea is subtitled "Music for the NASA Mission: 2001 Mars Odyssey," and it's certainly an epic work. If its aspirations were any higher, it wouldn't even need NASA to break earth's gravity. In essence, it's the focus of Vangelis' symphonic ambitions, utilizing not only an orchestra, but two sopranos and a full choir to go alongside his banks of keyboards. That itself isn't a problem. Epic can certainly be a good thing, and its roccoco grandeur can have its appeal. The problem, and it's certainly one here, comes when things are overblown, and the everything-plus-the-kitchen-sink attitude becomes wearying. After synth space noises, "Movement 1" shows its Mars intentions by borrowing the 5/4 rhythm from Holst's "Mars" (without credit) and overlaying it with symphonic stabs of melody and voices galore. But, and this is true of the entire disc, it goes nowhere. There's no sense of journey, and certainly no sense of the mythic in the title. It becomes bombastic, even in the quieter moments, which act as mere preludes to more pomp without circumstance. The original concept might have been great, but along the way it became horribly overblown. ~ Chris Nickson

NAPRA Review (03-04/02, pp.84-85) - "...This symphonic/operatic-feeling work transports listeners on a mythic astral journey..."

Greek electronic composer Vangelis's first taste of fame was as a founding member of the 1960s rock group Formynx, who enjoyed wild acclaim in their home country of Greece. In 1968, Vangelis left Greece for Paris, where he formed the prog-rock group Aphrodite's Child, whose main legacy is a long-form concept album called 666, based on the book of Revelations. In 1974, after a tentative foray into film scoring, Vangelis released his first solo album, the synthesizer-laden EARTH. He continued to record both as a solo artist and as a member of the duo Jon & Vangelis, with Yes's Jon Anderson, but didn't hit it big in the U.S. until the early '80s, with his smash hit film score for CHARIOTS OF FIRE. He followed this with the critically loved BLADE RUNNER score, and has continued to craft well-loved electronic/New Age solo albums and film scores notable for their expansive, dramatic lushness.

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