Cheap Vangelis: Mythodea - Music for the NASA Mission, 2001 Mars Odyssey (DVD) (Vangelis, Kathleen Battle) Price

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Customer Reviews of Vangelis: Mythodea - Music for the NASA Mission, 2001 Mars Odyssey

In truth, besides a brief speech @ the beginning by an astrophysicist, this video has precious little to do with the NASA Mars mission. Except for a brief view of what looks to be a computerized animation of the Valus Marinarus in movement 6, one would never guess that this production had anything whatsoever to do with Mars.

That said, I'm am not implying that this is a bad DVD - it's just not what I surmised it would be. What it IS is a concert given in Greece with a full orchestra, the noteworthy opera singers Jessye Norman and Kathleen Battle, harpists, a full choir and none other than Vangelis himself in the middle of it all. All the while, there is spectacular imagery of ancient Greek and celestial motifs that are sure to dazzle the viewer.

The music, while innovative, is not among Vangelis' best works (in my opinion). Aside from the 1st and 3rd movements, the concert is bereft of the vivid, memorable themes for which V is so famous for. Of course, the visual effects certainly enhance the value of the music; I may or may not purchase the CD. As a bonus, there is a full-orchestra rendition of V's popular theme to CHARIOTS OF FIRE at the conclusion of the concert.

All in all, this is worth purchasing for all who enjoy audio / visual spectacles once in awhile. I've always had the greatest amount of respect for V, and since he rarely performs in public, a chance to see him in concert is enough to offset the price of the DVD all by itself. For Mars (or perhaps more fittingly, the innate human desire to explore the universe)...For Greece....For Vangelis - if any of these topics interest you, this production is a can't-miss.

Great music, but a disappointing DVD debut
I'm thrilled to finally see and hear Vangelis on DVD, but this really could have been better. The music and the quality of the concert is amazing, and for this reason alone, the DVD is worth purchasing, but the peripheral apects of the DVD itself are lacking in my opinion. The music of Mythodea continues in the vein of Vangelis' tribute to El Greco in the sense that it sounds more like Classical music. But while I felt that the El Greco album told an epic story on a very intimate level, Mythodea tells an epic story in Mythic proportions. The music didn't at first resonate with me as well as El Greco, but it is growing on me. To hear Vangelis' music performed by a real orchestra and two world-famous sopranos is a real treat and to see this mysterious press-shy genius work his artistry on stage is something I've been dreaming of for a long, long time. That said, I have some issues with the production quality of the DVD. Yes, this DVD is mixed in Dobly Digial 5.1 surround. But it sounds like stereo! Vangelis' music, especially his synthesizer works, would be perfect for surround sound, and I really hope to see some of his earlier works remixed for DTS or DVD Audio some day, but this one doesn't fit that bill. Still, if I want to listen to Mythodea, I pop in the DVD because the sound quality is better than the CD. It's a very nice mix if you're not expecting to be surrounded by the music. My biggest complaint is with the extra content. From the out of place introduction by the Nasa guy, whoever he is, to the making of, etc, the production quality of this stuff looks like a glorified home-made video. I really expected more from Sony. On a positive note, the production quality of the concert is top-notch. The picture, presented in letter-box is beautiful. I would rate the music and concert at 4 and a half stars. Overall though,I give this DVD 3 stars because sadly it's just average.

only a little bit good...
because of the movement 2 and the encore (chariots of fire). The ladies singing sounded creepy and almost the entire thing was boring, i was only able to watch up until movement 4 (out of 10 movements), and the encore. The encore however almost makes it worth buying, the piece is so awesome to listen to, and you can finally see it performed.