Alexander (album)
Encyclopedia
The original film score
of Alexander
(2004) 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. Alexander the Great was a Macedon
ian that spread the Greek culture
with his conquests on the 4th Century BC; Vangelis, himself a Greek, was already famous for his scores to Chariots of Fire
, Blade Runner
and Conquest of Paradise
.
Unlike the usual process of scoring the film after it is shot and edited, Vangelis started composing right away, especially for the scene that featured the choreographed "Bagoas' Dance" danced by Francisco Bosch
. A documentary directed by Suzanne Gielgud, titled "Dancing For Oliver", took an in-depth look at the creation of that scene, including interviews with Vangelis.
.
The CD was released in each market with one of three different covers. In some markets, a bonus track (not used in the film) was included, titled "Bizarre Bazaar".
Vangelis composed, arranged, produced and performed the music, accompanied (although recorded separately) by conductor and orchestrator Nic Raine, violinists Vanessa-Mae
and Dominique Lemonnier, harpist Maria Bildea, the Epris Polyphonic Ensemble, tenor Konstantinos Paliatsaras
, and singer Irina Valentinova Karpouchina.
Two of the tracks on the album – "Roxane's Veil" and "Tender Memories" – sound differently from their corresponding versions on film, as if Vangelis had continued working on them. He ended up with music for more than one CD, which he would not mind to see released by the record company – however, considering the tepid performance of the film at the box-office, as of January 2008 that idea seemed to have been abandoned.
Some of the additional music that is not present in the album can be heard in the Director's Cut DVD release of the film, in the menus of the German DVD release of the original theatrical version, in the documentary Fight Against Time, directed by Sean Stone (the director's son), and on a promotional CD-R by Warner Bros. that featured an untitled new track and the film version of "Tender Memories".
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
of Alexander
Alexander (film)
Alexander is a 2004 epic film based on the life of Alexander the Great. It is not a remake of the 1956 film which starred Richard Burton. It was directed by Oliver Stone, with Colin Farrell in the title role...
(2004) was composed by Vangelis
Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
and released on audio CD
Red Book (audio CD standard)
Red Book is the standard for audio CDs . It is named after one of the Rainbow Books, a series of books that contain the technical specifications for all CD and CD-ROM formats.The first edition of the Red Book was released in 1980 by Philips and Sony; it was adopted by the Digital Audio Disc...
.
The film, directed by Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
, portrays the life of Alexander the Great in an epic
Epic film
An epic is a genre of film that emphasizes human drama on a grand scale. Epics are more ambitious in scope than other film genres, and their ambitious nature helps to differentiate them from similar genres such as the period piece or adventure film...
style that is also reflected in the score. Alexander the Great was a Macedon
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
ian that spread the Greek culture
Hellenistic civilization
Hellenistic civilization represents the zenith of Greek influence in the ancient world from 323 BCE to about 146 BCE...
with his conquests on the 4th Century BC; Vangelis, himself a Greek, was already famous for his scores to Chariots of Fire
Chariots of Fire (album)
Chariots of Fire is a 1981 musical score by Greek electronic composer Vangelis for the British film Chariots of Fire, which won four Academy Awards including Best Picture and Original Music Score....
, Blade Runner
Blade Runner (soundtracks)
The Blade Runner soundtrack was composed by Vangelis for Ridley Scott's 1982 film Blade Runner. It is mostly a dark, melodic combination of classical composition and synthesizers which mirrors the futuristic film noir envisioned by Scott. Several different albums have been made, some including...
and Conquest of Paradise
1492: Conquest of Paradise (album)
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...
.
- "I tried to remember how it was to live at the time, to be there. At the same time, I must speak the music language which is understandable today, because we're addressing thousands, millions in the audience." - Vangelis in documentary Vangelis Scores Alexander
Unlike the usual process of scoring the film after it is shot and edited, Vangelis started composing right away, especially for the scene that featured the choreographed "Bagoas' Dance" danced by Francisco Bosch
Francisco Bosch
Francisco Bosch is a Spanish actor and dancer. He was born in Valencia.His interest in dance began when his grandmother took him to a meeting of her flamenco group when he was five years old...
. A documentary directed by Suzanne Gielgud, titled "Dancing For Oliver", took an in-depth look at the creation of that scene, including interviews with Vangelis.
Track listing
All songs written by VangelisVangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
.
- "Introduction" – 1:32
- "Young Alexander" – 1:36
- "Titans" – 3:59
- "The Drums of Gaugamela" – 5:20
- "One Morning at Pella" – 2:11 (not used in the theatrical cut but used in Alexander Revisited: The final cut)
- "Roxane's Dance" – 3:25
- "Eastern Path" – 2:58
- "Gardens of Delight" – 5:24
- "Roxane's Veil" – 4:40
- "Bagoas' Dance" – 2:29
- "The Charge" – 1:41
- "Preparation" – 1:42
- "Across the Mountains" – 4:12
- "Chant" – 1:38
- "Immortality" – 3:18
- "Dream of Babylon" – 2:41
- "Eternal Alexander" – 4:37
- "Tender Memories" – 2:59
The CD was released in each market with one of three different covers. In some markets, a bonus track (not used in the film) was included, titled "Bizarre Bazaar".
Vangelis composed, arranged, produced and performed the music, accompanied (although recorded separately) by conductor and orchestrator Nic Raine, violinists Vanessa-Mae
Vanessa-Mae
Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson , known professionally as Vanessa-Mae , is an internationally known British violinist. Her music style is self-described as "violin techno-acoustic fusion", as several of her albums prominently feature the techno style...
and Dominique Lemonnier, harpist Maria Bildea, the Epris Polyphonic Ensemble, 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...
, and singer Irina Valentinova Karpouchina.
Two of the tracks on the album – "Roxane's Veil" and "Tender Memories" – sound differently from their corresponding versions on film, as if Vangelis had continued working on them. He ended up with music for more than one CD, which he would not mind to see released by the record company – however, considering the tepid performance of the film at the box-office, as of January 2008 that idea seemed to have been abandoned.
Some of the additional music that is not present in the album can be heard in the Director's Cut DVD release of the film, in the menus of the German DVD release of the original theatrical version, in the documentary Fight Against Time, directed by Sean Stone (the director's son), and on a promotional CD-R by Warner Bros. that featured an untitled new track and the film version of "Tender Memories".