Vangelis is featured in this new interview by NPR, which also features Paul Haslinger, Mac Quayle and Jóhann Jóhannsson:
Vangelis comments on his preference for composing and arranging in realtime, vs building tracks in the studio:
“I prefer to have the music as pure as possible,” Vangelis says. “I don’t want to say, ‘Oh yes, this is good, this is not good, I have to do it again.’ I don’t want to do it again. I want to do it once. It’s no good, I do another one.”
via NPR
Very insightful comments by several established composers indeed about what sets Vangelis apart.
Recently many electronic music composers produce scores that are
essentially dense textures that are neither melodic nor have a sense of space and “heart”
like Vangelis’ music.
Also his comment about not scoring the blade runner sequel that “you do these things
once in a lifetime” says it all. He knows that it cannot be matched or
surpassed. This soundtrack stands on its own genre-defining peak, not to be outdone!
Legend
If God exists, he looks and plays synths like Vangelis! 🙂
Master…genuis… one of my first source of inspiration the first time I try to create sounds in a synth decades ago…
I couldn’t agree more when he said “I want to do it once not over and over again” track after track after track is sometimes needed but nothing beats playing something and recording it straight off the bat. I don’t have his set up but I do have the pedal system set up the same to be able to control the sounds that I want when I want. Its about playing by feel not from a script.