Very good compilation

This was the second CD I've got from vangelis, the first one was "Friends of Mr. Cairo" which wasn't instrumental and included Jon Anderson in vocals. The first impression that Portraits gave me was the quality of the sound: "I'll find my way home" (and the others) sounds much better on Portraits than on Friends of Mr Cairo (it's the same song, but after listening to it a lot in the old CD you'll hear the difference in the quality on this CD). That's because Portraits is remastered, each and every single track were restored from the original master tapes: they just sound as if Vangelis recorded these tracks in a digital studio yesterday night. Or better, it's like if a sound engineer traveled to the past with modern digital equipment and he hiden it in the studio where vangelis recorded those tracks. As a result, the sound is crisp, as never, and I can say that not always a remasterisation gets that good.

The second impression it gave me was the music, and how did Vangelis evolved over the years, you will hear that on this CD. It starts with old(I really mean old) songs like "To the Unknown man" which may be repetitive but that's the deal, does someone ever hear how repetitive "Boléro" from "Maurice Ravel" is?
Then I really get impressed with "La petite Fille de la Mer"("the little girl from the sea"). Each and every time I hear to that song I wanna cry. I don't understand how can an instrumental song make someone cry. I don't understand how can that make me cry, it is that beautiful? Yes, it is. Absolutely. Just hear to it and find out.
Then, well, now that I know many Vangelis albums, I really can't say if this is a good compilation or not. Let's say it is a good compilation just to find out what is vangelis (before getting in), so this CD will help you at least to know which era of vangelis you'll like, the old, the modern, the soundtracks or the songs with Jon vocals. After I concluded that every era in vangelis is good, I felt this album is not needed anymore. To make a really good vangelis compilation, you'll need to buy each and every album, buy an MP3 CD player, a CD burner, and take 1 day of your time to rip all the songs you want to hear into One and mighty CD with vangelis MP3 inside. Actually, yes, Vangelis is that good. You'll maybe need to burn more than one mp3 CD....

So, so...

Personally, I think this a mixed bag of incompatible styles thrown together. I'd recommend you get Bladerunner's score, 1492's score, and Themes (for the Bounty tracks and a few other oddball ones here and there). Between the three of those you have what is, in my opinion, his best works. If you still want some of his more "new age" type electronic instrumentals and vocal tracks (with that odd-sounding singer), this one might be to your taste. I think if you're really into that stuff, though, you'll have a huge variety to choose from in his other albums and you should probably just start buying those. I mean, if you like that stuff, eventually you'll end up buying them anyway and this will just be redundant. The mastering on Portraits is top notch, at least.

Vangelis revealed

I don't know what Vangelis could possibly say in words that he hasn't said in music in this album. For a reputed recluse, this compilitation is very revealing, it's his statement to us, "Here I am". I don't think it coincidental that he begins with 'To the unknown man' and after he has taken us on a musical exploration of his life, he sends us on our way with a casual 'So long ago, so clear'.

In 'Portraits' the recordings are not organised chronologically. It's more like a developmental process beginning with his early work in sythesizers and electronic orchestration (see 'Pulstar' and 'Alpha'). There are selections hinting at personal growth also such as the childlike sounds of 'Italian Song' and the innocence of 'La Petite Fille De La Mer'. Collaborative works with Jon Anderson, who could be called the voice of Vangelis come next, and then we are treated to the grand and epic orchestral pieces. Tracks such as 'I'll find my way home' and 'State of Independence' no longer hint at personal development, they speak directly to self discovery, spiritual quests and growth. These themes are also woven into 'Conquest of Paradise' and 'Chariots of Fire' and tell me that 'Hymn' and 'Antarctica' don't make you contemplative.

I agree with the other reviewers who say that it is awkward to play individual songs out of sequence because of the bridging technique, but I think it's deliberate. To me the real enjoyment of this collection comes from listening to it in one sitting. Let Vangelis tell the story of his life in music without interruption. It's a beatiful story.