NEW ALBUM: Vangelis - Nocturne: The Piano Album

[Ruby]

VANGELIS ~ Nocturne: The Piano Album



What can I say? This is Vangelis’ ode to the night sky and by association, outer space, and by further association whatever else takes his fancy, which is fair enough! It is a simply beautiful listen and I mean that in the exact sense of the word. I wasn’t expecting to be enchanted by the theme from “Chariots of Fire”, for example, but what a sensitive touch and interpretation – fascinating - I love it. This is an album of gourmet musical deliciousness without being too slick and overly sentimental; he doesn’t get all frilly and gymnastic on the keys (with the exception of one or two tastefully placed trills) – just plays with heart and grace. 

It’s not actually solo piano as has been bandied about – there is synth orchestration backing up the gorgeous grand, one wholly synthesized track, and Irina Valentinova-Karpouchina plays the piano on Movement 9 from Mythodea – stunning piece of work. Altogether quite magical, IMHO. 

Track listing (six of the seventeen are new arrangements of tracks from previous works – the rest are brand new):-

1. Nocturnal Promenade 
   
2. To The Unknown Man (new arrangement - from Spiral)
   
3. Movement 9 (new arrangement - from Mythodea) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGdlMuxVwjo
   
4. Moonlight Reflections 
   
5. Through The Night Mist 
   
6. Early Years 
   
7. Love Theme (new arrangement - from Blade Runner)
   
8. Sweet Nostalgia 
   
9. Intermezzo 
   
10. To A Friend 
    
11. La Petite Fille De La Mer (new arrangement - from L’Apocalypse Des Animaux)
    
12. Longing - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7xl_vvW3aE (not from Blade Runner as per mistaken uploader)
    
13. Chariots of Fire (new arrangement) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKQjd9lK2ao
    
14. Unfulfilled Desire 
    
15. Lonesome 
    
16. 1492: Conquest of Paradise (new arrangement)
    
17. Pour Melia 
    
    
    
    
    

[Jerome]

Don't even have to listen to it. A definite buy for me. Man always delivers classy productions. And he just has the touch anyway. The kind of album you play when you have plenty of albums to choose from and you don't know which one to pick.

[Ruby]

^Sounds about right! Nothing not to love.