Product Notes
The long deleted Vangelis and Irene Papas album, Odes, was originally recorded at Vangelis' Nemo studios in London back in 1978 and was released the following year in only a few European territories. Odes is based mostly on traditional Greek Folk songs with additional poems and lyrics written by Irene Papas and the Greek author and politician Ariana Stassinopoulos. Vangelis arranged, wrote and produced all of the music on the album. This digitally remastered version of the album was also remastered by the maestro himself at his home studio in Greece. Universal. 2007.
Product Reviews
Odes features the most inspired collaboration imaginable. It is a collection of compositions by Vangelis with vocals by the great operatic singer Irene Papas. The vocals, in Greek, become an important instrument of Vangelis' sound design. He has a knack for knowing when to push the instrumental and when to allow Papas' vocals to dominate -- even to the point of some a cappella renderings. Papas is as sharp as ever; Vangelis is always right there. The atmospheres are strong and the soundscapes are dramatic and dynamic. This hard-to-get classic is essential. It is worth every effort to procure it. The only logical comparisons are Vas, Sheila Chandra, Lisa Gerrard, Natacha Atlas, and Yungchen Lhamo. ~ Jim Brenholts, Rovi