Opera Sauvage
click the image to get it in cd-cover size
| Release Date: |
November 30, 1978 |
| Label: |
Polydor / Pgd |
| Rating: |
4.5 |
Description: Noted film composer Maurice Jarre scored the soundtrack to
The Year of Living Dangerously, but the theme everyone remembers from that film is "L'enfant" by Vangelis. That track originally appeared on
Opera Sauvage, a Vangelis album that slipped in under the radar just before he scored
Chariots of Fire. The simple pentatonic theme of "L'enfant," with the piano chirping out the sparse melody over a two-note synthesizer ostinato, remains powerfully evocative. The cinematic expressiveness of "L'enfant" can be found on most of the music from
Opera Sauvage, including the mournful "Hymne," the tremulous "Mouettes" with its quavering thereminlike lead, and the surprising "Chromatique," one of the few times Vangelis uses an acoustic guitar. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of
Opera Sauvage is that the entire album wasn't co-opted for soundtrack music.
--John Diliberto
Tracklist of Opera Sauvage
Reviews:
antonio reino
pienso que estas equivocado... no es lo mejor, ni mucho menos.
ademas creo que es muy repetitivo, y se copia a si mismo.
chau trolazo!
This is music from Heaven
Every time I listen to either Hymne or Rêve, I'm simply speechless, exhilarated and transported to another world, another dimension, or whatever you want to call that place. And it happens with every Vangelis album I listen to, from L'Apocalypse des Animaux which dates back to 1973 (30 years!) to the more recent Fifa 2002 Anthem. Vangelis has produced one of the most beautiful works of electronic music, possibly the best ever.
I do believe that he started using synthesizers like no one else before, back in the late 60's. Opera Sauvage is no less enchanting than his other magnificent albums. Vangelis is a man who never advertises his products, we never see him, we know nothing about him or his personal life, but he still manages to touch us deep down with his truly heavenly music. I hope that this genius will stay with us for many years to come, always creating timeless music for us.
Vangelis, before "Chariots" made him big
The sleepy, drifty quality of the synthesizer sounds employed on this album, really do mark it as a product of the 70's. Younger or less experienced electronic music fans might not take to this kind of thing, seeing as how it utterly lacks anything even remotely approaching a break, cut, or a drum machine. But for electronic music classicists, it doesn't get much better. As is typical for most Vangelis, old or new, the artist applies a classical composer's skills to the electronic medium, with unique and savory effect. Track 7 is especially beautiful, with its extended length and delicate harp. Vangelis is (in my opinion) an oft-overlooked musical genius of the late 20th century, rivaling more traditional composers like John Williams in terms of ability and style. Get this album and experience his gift, prior to the world spotlight that shown down on the man with "Chariots of Fire".