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Andreas Vollenweider - Treasures of the Archives – Part 41 🎵Treasures of the Archives – Part 41: Memories of ✨Tales of Kira Kutan | Warsaw, Poland, 2001✨ "This is another excerpt from the symphonic novel ‚Tales of Kira Kutan‘ performed live at the Warsaw Congress Hall in June 2001. It was my second symphonic project, which I realised together with the fantastic orchestra Sinfonia Varsovia @SinfoniaVarsoviaSV. The conductor was André Bellmont who — as he had already done with ‚Wolkenstein‘ — supported me with the orchestrations also for this project. The soloist and collaborator is Xiaojing Wang wang on the erhu, the Chinese violin, while I play the gu-cheng, a Chinese harp." – Andreas

This page lists all known live performances by Vangelis, in reverse chronological order. Vangelis has never been prolific at performing on live occasions, and the intervals between these rare events have become bigger as time passes. Some of the descriptions on this page are based on audience recordings, often in bad quality, as this is now the only way to have an idea of the kind of music that was played at these events. Should you have memories of actually attending a concert, please consider submitting an eye witness report (elsew.com@gmail.com), in order to more accurately represent the spirit of the occasion. Opening the Katara Amphitheater in Qatar (Doha, Qatar, December 11, 2011) In a rare and special one-off event, Vangelis composed and performed at a concert that simultaneously opened Qatar's new giant amphitheater on the grounds of the Katara Foundation, while celebrating the occasion of the gathering of the United Nations' Alliance of Civilizations in Doha. Participants of the forum were invited to witness the concert, which, due to its connection to the convention and a large number of high placed dignitaries (ranging all the way up to Ban Ki Moon) attending, was not open to the general public. Security was tight, even for those who were invited. Vangelis performed from behind his synthesizer setup, together with Qatar's Philharmonic Orchestra, the Yurlov Russian State Academic Choir who were flown in from Russia for the occasion, and appearances by master of ceremonies Jeremy Irons, tenor Roberto Alagna and a major role for the soprano vocals by Rumanian opera star Angela Gheorghiu. The spectacular light show was conceived by the legendary Gert Hof, whose sad and unexpected passing shortly after the concert unfortunately made this his last light show spectacle. High resolution moving imagery was projected onto a specially build screen of almost 50 meters high and 150 meters wide, of which a section could open up. This allowed a well timed view of the Gulf, revealing a fleet of traditional Qatari ships and additional lights to seriously expand the concert venue beyond it's own confines. The concert was filmed by Chariots of Fire director Hugh Hudson, and recorded for a release, but as of yet, this remains only a promise: No date or release details have been announced on either CD or DVD, even though both are in the pipeline. So far, only a few short scenes from the concert were released to the media, as seen in the Al Jazeera television interview that Vangelis gave in Doha, some time after the event. Musically, the concert was divided into three acts, where the opening act gave a lead role to a group of traditional musicians, brought in from around the world, performing and improvising to the backdrop of Arabic music. The second acts involved the performance of a new Choral symphony by Vangelis called "Hope", an orchestra and synthesizer based work, classical in sound and somewhat in the tradition of Mythodea, with Angela Gheorgiu performing soprano vocals on roughly half of the tracks. Finally, the Third acts consisted of an instrumental version of the new "Child of Hope", a duet by Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorgia ("Piccola Boheme"), as well as refreshing new performances of Chariots of Fire and Conquest of Paradise, both combining the orchestra with synthesizers, shifting the light show spectacle in its highest gear. Finally, "Child of Hope" was performed with a children's choir as well as the Russian choir, proving that music can be both cute and moving at the same time. Lyrics for this track were composed by the great Tim Rice. Please follow this site's news section for any upcoming information on the release of the concert, or the "Hope" album. Mythodea (Athens, June 28, 2001) How do you improve on an already memorable 1993 concert? Easily, by teaming up with Sony Classical, the Greek government, NASA, the London Metropolitan Orchestra, the Athens Opera Choir and sopranos Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman. Then, by perfecting it to the last small detail into an audio visual treat to overwhelm but also tantalize its audience. The first project Vangelis worked on when he signed with record label Sony was a reworking of his 1993 concert Mythodia (the Greek spelling leaves some room for interpretation in English spelling), this time enhanced to use a full blown symphonic orchestra, in addition to the harpists, giant choir, timpanists and 2 sopranos. So now, even before the album has been released Greece has seen been shaken by this historic event. Initial local hesitations over the high budget and use of an archaeological site where quickly forgotten when both audience and press hailed the concert as an artistic masterpiece as well as a wonderful promotion of Greece to the outside world. The concert, performed at the historical Temple of Zeus in the center of Athens, was witnessed by 2000 people in a seating construction set up especially for the event, while another 30000 people watched a free live cast of the concert on a giant screen in the nearby Panathinaiko stadium... Behind the stage of the concert itself a giant screen was erected behind the temple to allow images and colors to be projected behind the stage that held the choir, timpanists, orchestra, the two soprano's (Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman) and Vangelis in his centralized synthesizer island. The music performed was the same as is going to be released on the Mythodea album, except not all movements were segued into each other, so there was some time for audience reaction and probably also for a few seconds of rest for the orchestra, choir and other performers. After all the Mythodea movements finished, the ovation called for the three planned encores, being orchestrated versions of Chariots of Fire and Conquest of Paradise, and finally - at which point the press was allowed in to film and take pictures - a reprise of Mythodea's last 2 (connected) movements. The entire concert was filmed by Sony Classical and released on VHS and DVD. A slightly different edit of the registration was broadcast on many TV stations throughout the world. Realmedia (video): Download euronews_mythodea.rm (2796 KB, 2:30) or stream euronews_mythodea.ram (150 KB/s, 2:30). Also see the: Eyewitness reports from spectators. The Mythodea DVD (and VHS) release was the first time a Vangelis live event was made into a consumer release. The concert is beautifully filmed, and the concert is interesting, both as reminder of the event and as an experience on its own. Sadly, the sound of the concert (which in reality was almost entirely an authentic live performance) was replaced by the studio recording that we know from the CD, probably because Sony intended the TV broadcasts as promotion to sell the album. The only exception is the "Chariots Of Fire" performance at the end, which indeed uses the sound as recorded on the event. "The Conquest of Paradise" and the reprise of Mythodea's last two movements were omitted. The concert begins with a short introduction by NASA's Scott Bolton. The DVD's extra's involve the video clip for Mythodea's "Special Edit" and a "Making Of featurette" which includes interview snippets and behind the scenes footage. Opening ceremony Athletics WC (Athens, August 1, 1997) This big spectacle which opened the World championships in Athletics which was held in Athens, the initial cradle of the sport. Vangelis was chosen to organize the show, which was extra important in light of Greece's bid to organize the Olympic Games in 2004. Organizing in this case meant total control over the show, the dances, the lights, the music, etc... The event took place in the Panathinaikon Stadium where more than a hundred years ago the first modern Olympic games had been held. The biggest part of the show was only organized by Vangelis. He did not yet show up himself. It started with parades of the athletes carrying flags. It was accompanied by a symphonic orchestra playing Vangelis music, including new pieces and new arrangements. It was followed by the formal opening, including some speeches. At this point the anthem for the IAAF, a new composition by Vangelis was heard for the first time. The third part of the event started the real show. It existed of dancing, combined with a mix of computer graphics on 5 huge screens, spectacular lighting effects projected on surroundings and the entire arena and of course the new music by Vangelis. Finally Vangelis himself entered and performed two famous pieces: Chariots of Fire and Conquest of Paradise. They were followed by the entrance of Montserrat Caballe and here daughter Montserrat Marti. All together they performed a new track called "A Prayer". Then without Marti "March with Me" was performed (or rather, playbacked). Officially the show now ended with a spectacular display of fireworks, but after the fireworks Vangelis sat down at his synths again and started performing the Greek national anthem. The show had two programs, one was a booklet with amongst others a new picture (b/w) of Vangelis and a text (upper picture). The other was a little foldout brochure to welcome people to the event, and it featured 4 pictures of Vangelis (lower picture). The entire event was broadcast live on TV, on stations like the Greek ET1 and all over Europe at Eurosport. For visitors there were two program books, one of the show itself, and one to welcome people to the championships. Both had pictures of Vangelis. Little more than a month later the Olympic committee made the decision to award the organizing and hosting of the 2004 Olympic Games to the city of Athens. Also see: Athletics '97 pictures for a collage of photographs from the live TV broadcast. And also see the: Eyewitness reports, where various spectators who attended the event itself share their experiences. For more information you can browse backwards in this site's latest news section from the late '90s. Mythodia (Athens, July 13, 1993) The music performed at this concert remained a mystery for most fans for a long time, until it was spectacularly re-performed at the Temple of Zeus and released as an album in 2001. The original Mythodia was a piece in 7 movements, performed at the Herodium theater of the ancient Acropolis in Athens. Amongst the performers were Markella Hatziana, Luccienne Deval and a chorus, directed by Yvan Cassar. It was organized by the famous Elpida foundation, to benefit children with cancer. The music was sensitive - but also majestic - in Vangelis' synth-orchestra fashion, featuring enigmatic opera vocals, thundering timpani sounds, fierce cymbal crashes and choirs to support it all. All elements combined, in tasteful balance. At the end Vangelis played a selection of his well known tunes including La Petite Fille De La Mer, Chariots of Fire, Pulstar, Hispanola, City of Isabel and Conquest Of Paradise, before finally finishing the event with a glorious performance of the Greek national anthem. In the audience some of Vangelis' famous friends (Roman Polanski, Emmanuele Seigner and Irene Papas) turned up as VIP, receiving a painting of a mother with a child in her arms and the following words written inside it: Also see the: Report on Mythodia, as Diego Lugon witnessed this concert in person and shares his experience with us. The Night Of Poetry/"Antigone" de Sophocle (Athens, October 3 1991) In October 1991 the "Night of Poetry" was held for "the World Society of Poetry, Drama and Literature" at the "Herrod Atticus" in Athens. Vangelis played sensitive background music over which guests recited poetry in various languages (Greek, French, English). Those guests included Alan Bates and actress Fanny Ardant. The poetic performances were intense and overwhelming. Vangelis' music brought a very special touch to them and the combined effect was undeniably strong. Sadly the audience didn't show much respect to the music by cheering loudly at the end of each recital while Vangelis, who played all music purely live (unlike for instance Eureka, earlier that year), was still trying to finish his music. From his appearance he seemed most unpleased by this. The style of the music can be compared to the music in the "Musiques Au Coeur" television interview, but also with El Greco and Rapsodies. Especially "Asma Asmaton" on this last album is a good example since it has comparable emotional reciting. The second part - after the break - was a short opera, "Antigone", featuring Markella Hatziano (Glorianna from "Direct") her powerful soprano voice. Support came from the "Athens Opera Choir" conducted by Guy Protheroe (H&H, Mask, 1492) in the form of their singing and some artistic banging with sticks. The entire event was broadcast live on Greek television on the ET1 channel. For an impression you can download three soundfiles in the MP3 format (22KHz, mono, 32kbits/s). MP3: poetry.mp3 (215KB 0:54 sec), excerpt from a thundering poem in Greek with Vangelis playing. MP3: antigone.mp3 (244KB, 1:02 sec), Excerpt from soft opera song from Antigone. MP3: antigon2.mp3 (967KB, 4:07 sec), A dark opera song from Antigone, with ovation. "Eureka" (Rotterdam, June 18 1991) This concert was organized by the Dutch ministry of Economic affairs to promote and celebrate the "Eureka Project"; an initiative to stimulate international scientific cooperation between European companies. Vangelis was asked to provide the highlight of the event. The concert took place at the docks in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. A floating stage was constructed. Vangelis was seated in the middle, surrounded by his synths and some classically Greek styled props. He was backed up by a choir. To accompany the music some buildings in the neighborhood were used for projections with colors and laser animations. Furthermore there were participating choppers, boats and movable cranes. Jon Anderson appeared as guest for the track "Italian Song" and Markella Hatziano (who reportedly tripped over the wiring afterwards) appeared for "Glorianna". Sadly much of the music was not actually performed live. Vangelis played played along with pre recordings, but most of his playing was mixed so soft it was hard to catch. Most of the tracks were shortened versions of famous tunes (like Chariots of Fire, Pulstar, Spiral) as well as tracks from "Antarctica" and "Mask". The performance ended with a spectacular choral version of Hymne, which was later released in a slightly different mix/edit on the compilation album "Portraits {So long ago, so clear}" (1996). An encore was planned to be performed (and announced in the TV broadcast) but it had to be canceled because the bad weather had made it impossible. The concert attracted an audience of more than 150,000 spectators. There was a program with a picture of Vangelis and texts in Dutch and English. See the picture of the cover. Also on sale were T-shirts with "Eureka" and "Vangelis" printed on them. There was a live broadcast by Dutch television station Veronica, while RTP Madeira broadcast it on Portuguese TV a few years later. Also see the: Eyewitness reports, from people who were there to attended the concert. This big concept sketch, with a visual diagram of the concert's setting was printed in Dutch newspaper "De Telegraaf". Translated by Dennis Lodewijks. "Song For Athens", Olympic Promotion Concert (Athens, 1990) In September in 1990 Vangelis performed a concert in front of 80,000 spectators at the Olympic "Panathinaikon" stadium in Athens. The goal of it was to promote the election of Athens as host for the 1996 Olympic games. As it turned out Athens was passed in favor of Atlanta in the USA. The most notable theme played was a bombastic melody, in a way perhaps reminiscent of "Hymne". Performed in an orchestral style, using lots of choir, harp and orchestral percussion this gave a fresh new sound to the Olympic spirit. Except for some recordings during the opening, no 'greatest hits' where performed, only new and probably (partly) improvised music, most of it bombastic, triumphant and romantic of nature. A tape recording of some sound checks of this concert is known to circulate among fans and collectors. It includes two short appearances of classical pieces including Beethoven's 9th symphony, quickly transcending into Vangelis' own music. This was however not performed on the concert, Vangelis was just playing around. The event was broadcast live on Greek television, but a commentator tried to spoil it by talking over almost all the music. Terme di Caracalla (Rome, July 17 1989) Vangelis performed a beneficial concert for research against cancer in Rome. Some of the preparations for this concert can be seen at Polydor's promotional video for Themes, and roughly the same material plus some other cuts was broadcast by Superchannel as an impressive special about Vangelis. The concert's style was comparable to the Los Angeles concert, in that Vangelis improvised a lot of music, incorporating some famous melodies in totally new ways. He played solo in the middle of the stage, with layers of sound, using his Direct technique. The familiar tunes that were played include Alpha, Pulstar, Memories of Green, Long March (in a particularly moving version with piano sounds), Missing, Love Theme from Blade Runner and To The Unknown Man. Some tracks where total new improvisations while all the existing piece were considerably different with long new parts. All performed in one go without any breaks. Following the main concert, Vangelis played three encores: all new renditions of Chariots of Fire, Hymne, and Italy's very own "O Sole Mio". Also see the: Eyewitness report, with more info about this concert from a fan who was there to attend. Olympic Flame ceremony (Athens, August 25, 1988) Vangelis performed live music in the Panathinaiko stadium, to accompany the lighting of the Olympic Flame in 1988. He composed and performed a lot of new music for the occasion, in the semi symphonic style he used for most of the concerts he performed in Athens. He ended the ceremony with a new instrumental version of the Greek traditional that appeared on "Odes" as "Les 40 Braves". The event was broadcast live on Greek national television. Acropolis Preservation Fund concerts (Athens, September 25 and 27, 1987) In 1987 Vangelis performed live for two evenings in his homeland Greece, to raise money for the Acropolis Preservation Fund, benefiting the Acropolis museum that can be visited on the top of this historic rock in Athens. The concerts where both performed at the Herodium theater, the most intact of the two ancient theaters that pride on the south side of the Acropolis. This venue later became world famous because of Greek pianist Yanni's performances, and Vangelis returned there later again also for his Night of Poetry / Antigone (1991) and Mythodea (1993) performances. Live in Los Angeles (November 7 1986) During Vangelis' stay in the US he unexpectedly gave a concert at the Royce Hall on Los Angeles' University campus. He set up his synths so he could single-handedly play live versions (in new improvised versions) of his famous works and improvise some new material. Sometimes the sound was a bit dry compared to his albums, because of the solo nature of his performance, but it certainly gave a special feeling to the proceedings. Vangelis' talent to variate on his melodies in unexpected fashion was displayed here in full glory. The music included Pulstar, Missing, To The Unknown Man, Memories Of Green, Blade Runner Love theme, Abraham's Theme, Hymne, Chariots of Fire and the Tao of Love as well as some new material; most of which transformed gently into the next track. Jon Anderson came on stage at some point and sang a few famous J&V songs, to Vangelis' spontaneous new arrangements. This unique display was enthusiastically greeted by the overjoyed audience. They began with a stunning new rendition of "Long Ago, So Clear" from the Heaven and Hell album. It was followed by "Italian Song" and "One More Time". At the end Vangelis came up with a totally restyled version of the famous "Singing in the rain", which was one of the rare occasions were Vangelis publicly performed music that was not composed by himself. He made it his own though by rearranging it, pushing its flexibility to absolute limits. Also see the: Eyewitness report, by Wade Major, who was present and attended the event. Sophia Antipolis (August 17 1980) This is a concert held at Sophia Antipolis, a place in the south of France, near Nice. Vangelis displays his remarkable one-man-orchestra techniques again playing almost everything himself, while making it sound like a complete setup of musicians, using only a limited amount of sequenced cues. A drummer was present for the rhythmic support and the occasional triggered sound effects. Many different musical styles are represented. Besides Vangelis' usual improvisations (including "Beaubourg" style passages) he plays a wide spectrum of musical styles. A funny and entertaining jazz tune on organ sounds for example. And "Pulstar", which starts here as a dark slow-motion synthesizer combination, than evades into a contemporary piano piece, after that into some moody blues (still being recognizably "Pulstar") and finally into a typical "baroque string quartet" kind of thing. Other well known compositions performed here are "The Long March" (China) and "Petite Fille De La Mer" with some nicely inserted "new" pieces with synthesizers and piano. Royal Festival Hall (London, April 12, 1980) A concert with a bigger backing section than usual. There was percussion by Vassilis Constantinides as well as a string ensemble ("Spectrum string ensemble") conducted by Guy Protheroe. Vangelis wrote in the concert program: "MEMORY OF THE FUTURE I believe that every human being, plant or animal carries a memory cell containing the imprint of the cycle of creation. Sound has always been parallel to the sequence of changes, as a code carrying the dimensions of the Universe. It takes one second to conceive but a lifetime to explain... and maybe more. Vangelis" The Pavillion (Paris, June 19, 1979) At this concert, performed at the Pavillion concert hall in Paris, Vangelis improvised most of his performance, but it sounds surprisingly full, considering the era it was performed in. Although there was no way yet to work with MIDI setups and smartly split and layered multi-settings Vangelis managed to give a broad and lively performance with layered sounds. The piano had a rather dominating role but was mostly accompanied by a wide variety of synthesizer sounds. Vangelis triggered some sequenced cues to accommodate the music. Only a few small parts feature other musicians. The most important of these is the appearance of violist Michel Ripoche, who performs "The Plum Blossom" from the China album. Some parts of the new music are reminiscent of Ignacio (especially the piano part some 10 minutes into its first part) and China. Although a lot familiar cues appear, like the sequence of "I hear you now", very few actual pre-existing compositions were included. Among those that did appear were "Alpha" and of course "Pulstar", which Vangelis used to play every time he could, each in a different way. Note: The year of 1979 is not a mistake. Many sources thoughout the years have erroneously suggested this took place in '78, and as sites and books are sourced partly from eachother, the mistake perpetuated. We were contacted by someone who attended the event and insists this happened in 1979, not 1978. The inclusion of tracks from China (1979), which was still to be in the pipeline for another year certainly backed up his story. Recently, a photograph of a ticket was posted on the web, confirming the date, but omitting a year. The omission of the year may account for the origin of the mistake, but more importantly, the ticket lists a day of the week: Tuesday. In 1978, June 19 was a Monday. In 1979, June 19 was a Tuesday. The concert happened in 1979. Cirque Royale (Brussels, May 17 1979) This concert featured Vangelis accompanied by a symphonic orchestra with choirs. It was organized by BRT2 (Belgian public broadcasting organization), "Omroep Brabant" (Belgian local broadcast service), "dienst schone kunsten" (an art organization) and the Belgian Royal Circus. It was broadcast live on the radio. The music opened with Pulstar. It started as the usual version (except some synths replaced by the orchestra) and gradually transformed into a nice symphonic reworking with all sorts of variations on the theme. After that most of the China album was played, followed by some new material announced as "Vangelis solo 2". After that the crowd wouldn't stop cheering and Pulstar was played again as an extra. BBC Conductor John Pool conducted "Philharmonisch Orkest van Brussel" and the choirs "Leuvens universitair koor" and "Zing het samen (Antwerpen)". Michel Ripoche also appeared playing a violin solo. There was a program for the show, with texts in Dutch and one fuzzy picture of Vangelis in black and white. The picture shows the cover of this program. Drury Lane (London, April 22, 1979) (not April 28!!) This concert in London mainly featured a lot of new improvised music. The inevitable "greatest hits" like "Pulstar" from the Albedo 0.39 album pop up only very briefly. The new music is often rather expressionistic, consisting of strange sounds and atonal structures kind of like the album "Beaubourg". Yet some very melodic pieces are included like a romantic sounding piano piece. It starts softly with its main theme, than develops into a sequence part, featuring a "Multitrack Suggestion"-like sequence with an ever changing "Spiral"-like sound. On top of it Vangelis improvises on the piano. After that the piano theme start again with some gentle synthesizer sounds added. Vangelis shows himself a master in minimizing the needed parts, so that he can play as much as possible all by himself. Also played were a number of Chinese styled pieces. Note that it was performed around the time the album "China" was recorded. You can download a zipped MP3 file London.zip (176KB) with a 62 seconds excerpt from an audience recording of this concert. The strange "electronic" sound is the result of denoising technique to get rid of the original ambiance / tape noise. Also see the: Eyewitness report, from a person attended the concert himself. Royal Festival Hall (London, April 12???, 1977) Vangelis gave a concert in London again, this time in the legendary hall where many of the greater classical performances were staged. Who can help with any more information on this concert?. Royal Albert Hall (London, February 11, 1976) Pictured to the right is an ad for this concert published in British music paper "Sounds" (Feb 7, 1976). The show was staged right after the release of "Heaven and Hell". Vangelis himself said about this concert: "We made a concert in Royal Albert Hall... and it was a very, very difficult thing. Difficult because you have to consider that you have a kind of music that is pure electronic, but doesn't sound electronic. And you have the mixture of keyboards and choir and percussions." "There are so many many different things involved that it takes two days to set up all the gear. It is so difficult to make a balance because if you play pure electronically you have to balance that. We talk about electronic things today, we imagine always space sounds, but as you see this particular piece sounds like a symphony orchestra so sometimes I thought that it was much easier to use a symphony orchestra if than to play myself all the parts of the symphony orchestra! But it was a very good experience for me to do it." "I play the symphony orchestra with my keyboards and I use two percussion players, seven African percussion players- about one hundred and fifty people on stage. It was very good, their job." Taken from "Vangelis the man and his music - Radio Special Self Portrait" (RCA), a 1975 promotion LP for Heaven and Hell, with excerpts from the album intercut with bits of a recorded interview. Olympia (Paris, February 25, 1974) The first big concert Vangelis performed as a solo artist was organized at the "Olympia" in Paris, to promote his "Earth" album. A French music magazine ("Best", nr 69, April 1974) at the time wrote the following raving review: At the Olympia - Impressive Vangelis Just one word is sufficient to describe the show that Vangelis O Papathanassiou gave the 25th of February at the Olympia: A super-production! The show was befitting to the impressive Greek's appearance with his magnificent talent. Just consider: Thirty two chorus members, excellent ones that is, chanting the music with their voices but also banging a staggering set of timpanis. Six diabolical percussionists producing the wildest rhythms, full of richness. Robert Fitoussi, his base and particularly his pleasant voice. And right there in the middle of that, like Neptune the King Vangelis surrounded by his keyboards, running his fingers from piano to synths, spreading over these incredible rhythmic ensemble waves of enchantment. All of this for music that is truly magnificent, both imposing and bewitching, matured from "Earth" of which only two titles where performed (a splendid "My Face in the Rain"). Just beyond symphonism & diabolism, all of it directed by a major Mister showbiz who didn't forget the "Aphrodite's Child" lesson. We will soon be writing more about the musician that Vangelis is. A truly big man. Herve Picart (translated by Antas and Dennis) Queen Elizabeth Hall (London, May 27 1973) Vangelis gave a concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, shortly after the release of the "Earth" album. The concert was part of a short festival of concerts, billed as "Peter Bowyer Presents", with two sets performing every night. Vangelis' performance preceded John Hiseman's Tempest, who were then a very popular act, while Vangelis as a solo artist was a new name in the British music scene. An article in a UK music paper (Sounds, in March 9, 1974), written during the preparations of the Olympia concert in Paris, notes: "Vangelis has been to Britain before, but his concert last summer at the Festival Hall supporting Tempest was, by his high standards, a failure. Nevertheless, two of his fans who inquired about 'Les Apocalypse des Animaux' recalled the concert fondly. One hopes that Polydor will see fit to release such a beautifully serene composition with underlying hints of Schonberg in Britain, if only for the beautiful 'Creation Du Monde'". The concert was performed on Sunday evening, starting at 7:15. Mark Lyons was one of the few people to attend this event, but still recalls it well enough to share some details: The hall was pretty much empty. Vangelis was joined on stage by Silver Koulouris. I did not recognise what they played. It seemed to be improvisation. The concert was like a one off. It is hard to imagine that these days, when everything is done for a reason, to promote a specific release etc. There was nothing to be sold on the back of the QEH gig. The hall was full for John Hiseman but I doubt if there were even 100 people there when Vangelis played. If I remember rightly it was part of a four or five day festival at the QEH over a bank holiday weekend. - Mark Lyons Before... Of course Vangelis already had a lot of experience on stage, especially performing with the group "the Forminx", in which he played in the mid sixties. A band he had casually started with some friends at college in Greece, which became very popular in that country. Another performance that is notable was at the age of six, performing in front of some 3000 people (according to reports) while improvising his own music on the piano. Żródło: https://elsew.com/data/concerts.htm

PART I PART II HYMNE

Kitaro - Reimei (Remastered)

2026/01/17 ＜インタビュー＞喜多郎　世界中で音楽を奏で続ける理由「音楽は国境も宗教も超えて、人と人をつなげてくれる」 喜多郎 Interview & Text：黒田隆憲 Photo：森好弘 　喜多郎が歩んできた「音の旅」が、再び現在形で響きわたる。 　昨年6月には福井・越前大仏での奉納演奏を収めた『Zen : Live in Katsuyama』、7月には空海生誕1250年を記念した香川・善通寺での奉納公演『Kukai 1250 Live in Zentsuji』を発表。そして2025年9月、NHKドキュメンタリー『シルクロード』放送から45周年を記念したリマスター盤『Best of Silkroad』をリリースした。 　3作はいずれも、シンセサイザーと和の音楽、そして「祈り」を軸に据え、半世紀にわたり世界を舞台に活動してきた喜多郎の集大成であり、次章への序章でもある。宗教建築と音を融合させた立体的なライブ・アートから、映像と音が呼応する新たなステージ演出まで、彼の音楽は時代とともに形を変えながら深化を続けている。 　パンデミック以降、人々が再び心の拠りどころを求めるようになった今、喜多郎の音楽は新たな世代にも届き始めている。その現在地と、これから見据える「音のシルクロード」の行方を聞いた。 宗教や言葉が違っても、 人々が音楽に抱く感情は共通している ――NHKドキュメンタリー『シルクロード』放送から45周年を記念したリマスター盤『Best of Silkroad』がリリースされました。喜多郎さんにとってこのプロジェクトは、どのようなものだったのでしょうか。 喜多郎：当時の僕は、すでに『天界』『大地』『オアシス』と3枚のソロアルバムを出していました。それらは“ニューエイジ” “マインドミュージック”といった言葉で紹介されることも増えていて、少しずつ注目され始めていた時期だったんです。そんななか、NHKによるドキュメンタリー番組『シルクロード』が放送されたことで、音楽と映像が融合する力の大きさを改めて感じましたね。とりわけ映像が持つ影響力というのは、本当にすごいものだと思います。 ――ちょうど長野に拠点を移された頃でもありますね。 喜多郎：それまで僕は鎌倉に住んでいたのですが、春から夏になると海水浴シーズンでうるさく、作曲に集中できなくなってしまって……（笑）。そんな頃、たまたま友人が長野に住んでいたので訪ねたことがあったんです。帰る道すがら、山の中にポツンと一軒家が建っているのを見かけて。気になったので近寄って見てみたところ、どうやら誰も住んでいない。隣の方に聞くと「大家さんは近くにいるよ」と教えてくれたので、酒屋で一升瓶を2本買って手土産にして、「あの家を貸してください」と直談判したんですよ、その足で。その場で「いいよ」とおっしゃっていただき、鎌倉に戻ってすぐ荷造りを始め、1週間後にはもう引っ越していました。 ――「シルクロード」は、その長野の家で制作されたんですね。 喜多郎：テーマ曲だけは鎌倉で作りましたが、それ以降のほとんどの曲は長野で作りました。映像と結びついた音楽づくりは初めての経験で、それまでの3作とは作り方も大きく変わりましたね。NHKから映像素材をビデオで受け取り、それを観ながら音をつけていく。当時は映像と音楽を同時に制作すること自体が珍しく、とても勉強になりました。石坂浩二さんのナレーションが入る構成だったので、彼の声に合わせて音をどう配置するか、タイミングを考えるのが重要でした。特別な打ち合わせはほとんどせず、僕は自分の感覚で音を作っていったのですが、石坂さんが僕の音楽に合わせてナレーションのテンポを考えてくださって。結果的に、完璧にシンクロした。あれは本当に貴重な体験でしたね。 ――テーマ曲「シルクロード」は日本だけでなく、アジア全体にも広がりました。 喜多郎：NHKが世界各国に番組を配信していて、たしか関連作品を含めると100か国以上で放送されたのだと思います。国によってはナレーションを英語や現地の言語に差し替えていましたが、音楽はすべてそのまま。今回のアジアツアーでも実感しましたが、いまも「シルクロード」を聴き続けてくれている人が各地にいることを強く感じます。 ――「シルクロード」にまつわる海外公演で、何か印象に残っているエピソードはありますか？ 喜多郎：音楽には、政治の枠を越えて人と人をつなぐ力があるということ。例えばイランで、『シルクロード』が放送された直後に政府から正式な招聘の話がありました。ご存知のように国際情勢の関係でなかなか実現できず、実際に行けたのは十数年後でしたが。ただ、僕自身、『シルクロード』の制作後に作品の舞台となった地域を自分の目で確かめたくて、イランの国境近くまで旅をしたことがあって。その過程で旧ソ連圏、ウズベキスタンやカザフスタンなどを巡り、イスラム文化の息づく土地を実際に歩くことができました。 その旅で強く感じたのは、宗教や言葉が違っても、人々が音楽に抱く感情は共通しているということ。コンサートでも、最初の一音で会場全体の空気が変わる瞬間があるんです。政治の境界線ではなく、心の共鳴でつながっていく。音楽家としては、それがいちばん嬉しい瞬間ですね。 ――なぜ「シルクロード」は、国や文化を越えて多くの人の心に響いたのだと思いますか。 喜多郎：当時は、シンセサイザーを使った音楽自体がまだ珍しかったんですよ。一般的な作曲手法とは違い、シーケンスを取り入れた構成も新鮮でしたし。「シルクロードのテーマ」でも、本来ならオーケストラのハープで演奏されるようなフレーズをシーケンサーで作っていた。そうした音の組み合わせが、当時の人々にはとても珍しかったのだと思います。 何より大事なのはメロディーでしたね。ドキュメンタリー音楽というと、背景に流れるBGM的なものとして扱われがちですが、僕はそれぞれの地域にテーマを設け、その土地に合った旋律をしっかり立たせようとしていました。取材が進むごとに「この地域はこのテーマ」「このシーンはこの音色」と、自分でメロディーを決め、そのイメージに合う楽器を選んでいく。さらに、ライブで演奏する際には、メロディーをシンセではなく二胡やバイオリンで奏でることもありました。ほんの小さな音の要素でも、その土地らしい響きが加わるだけで、全体の雰囲気がぐっと変わるんです。 ――音楽を聴く人たちの変化は感じますか？ 喜多郎：僕のコンサートに来てくださる方は、昔からずっと聴いてくれている人が多いんです。日本では特に年齢層が高く、長年のファンの方が中心ですね。僕たちが“ニューエイジ”と呼ばれる音楽を作り始めた1980年代には、そうした音楽が一種のムーブメントとしてメインストリームにあった時期もありました。いまの日本では依然としてジャンルの壁が強く、ポップスがメインストリームにあり続けています。 その一方で、東南アジアやヨーロッパでは若い世代が増えており、今はむしろ20〜30代が中心になりつつある印象です。海外ではSpotifyなどのサブスクリプションやYouTubeを通じて音楽を知る人が多く、それが世代を超えて広がっている要因のひとつだと思います。 ――演奏スタイルという点でも、時代とともに変化してきた部分はありますか。 喜多郎：今は、オーケストラで演奏した音源をベーシックトラックとして使い、そこに僕とバンドメンバーが生演奏を重ねていくスタイルが多いですね。それに加えて、最近は『古事記と宇宙』のように、宇宙映像と音楽を組み合わせたステージも増えています。『シルクロード』の公演では、当時の映像を一部取り入れながら演奏することもあります。昔は照明演出が中心でしたが、いまは映像を積極的に取り入れたコンサートが主流になってきました。 どんな時代でも音楽が人の生活の中にあること、 それを大切にしていきたい ――2023年に福井・越前大仏（大師山清大寺）で行われた【Zen : Live in Katsuyama】（2024年6月リリース）も、プロジェクションマッピングを取り入れた公演でしたね。 喜多郎：プロジェクションマッピングの第一人者、長谷川章さんと一緒に制作しました。あの日はあいにくの雨で、観客は回廊の下にしか入れなかったんです。僕たちはオープニングのあとすぐ本堂に入ったので、外の映像がどうなっているのか実は見えなかった（笑）。あとで編集の際に映像を観て、「ああ、こんなふうに映っていたのか」と初めて知りました。大仏殿の外壁全体に投影された映像は圧巻でしたね。 ――まさに“音と祈りの融合”という印象でした。 喜多郎：あの空間には1,200体を超える仏像があり、まるで建物全体が共鳴体のようなんです。長谷川さんのデジタル掛け軸の光と、僕のシンセサイザーや太鼓、笛の音が交わることで、音楽そのものが祈りになっていくような時間になりました。演奏したのは「祈りの大地」「Mercury」「Silk Road」「Aqua」「Requiem」など全13曲。電子音と生楽器を融合させ、「仏教的瞑想空間」を音で描こうとした公演でした。 ――生楽器の使い方がとても印象的でした。 喜多郎：シンセだけでなく、エレクトリックシタールや和太鼓、笛を組み合わせるのは昔から好きなんです。最近は会場ごとの響きに合わせて、その場に最も合う音を選ぶようになりました。「どの楽器がその空間で一番響くか？」「どうすれば聴き手にインパクトを与えられるか？」を常に意識しています。 ――その前には、空海生誕1250年を記念した【Kukai 1250 Live in Zentsuji】（2024年7月リリース）が行われています。 喜多郎：僕にとって空海は特別な存在です。四国八十八ヶ所の巡礼を始めたのは2001年、アメリカで同時多発テロが起きた直後でした。そこから少しずつ歩き始めましたが、まだ全ては回りきれていません。今は49番目までで、残り39か所。「死ぬまでには必ず全部まわりたい」と思っているんです。 ――善通寺の公演は、音楽だけでなく映像や書が融合した総合芸術のようでもありました。 喜多郎：音楽家の岡野弘幹さん、書画家の小林芙蓉先生、四国八十八か所 善通寺の僧侶の皆様と共演しました。金堂の外壁にプロジェクションマッピングを投影し、法要と音楽、書のパフォーマンスが一体になるよう構成したんです。演奏したのは「慈悲」「The Wind From Heaven」「Silk Road」「Caravansary」「Matsuri」「Reimei」など。岡野さんの「Mother Song」「Starry Night」も加わり、「祈りと調和の宇宙観」を音で表現する試みになりました。 ――喜多郎さんにとって、空海とはどんな人ですか？ 喜多郎：思想家としても宗教家としても、空海はやはり「スーパーマン」です。唐の長安まで渡り、未知の世界に飛び込んで教えを学び、それを日本に持ち帰った。その行動力と精神力は本当にすごい。僕自身も八十八ヶ所の“鐘の音”をすべて録音したことがあるのですが、それだけでも10年かかりました。あのスケールを思うと、空海の生き方は今も僕の目標であり続けています。 ――世界を旅しながら文化を吸収して音楽を作り続けている喜多郎さんは、まさに「現代の空海」ともいうべきパワーの持ち主ではないかと… 喜多郎：ははは、そうですかね（笑）。確かに昔の空海も、あらゆる知識や文化を吸収しようとした人でした。僕にとっても、世界を旅しながら音楽を通して人の心をつなぐことは、それと同じように「新しい世界への探求」なんです。空海が宗教という形で人の心を導いたように、僕は音楽という形で平和や調和を伝えたい。どんな時代でも音楽が人の生活の中にあること、それを大切にしていきたいと思っています。 ――ご自身と空海の間に共通点を感じることはありますか。 喜多郎：ありますね。作品づくりは、まるで修験道のようです。精神的にも肉体的にも自分を追い込み、極限の先でしか見えない感覚といいますか……「もう一つの世界」がある。その瞬間に出会えたとき、「ああ、自分はまだこの道を歩いているんだ」と実感します。 ――ヨーロッパでも、さまざまな出来事に遭遇されたそうですね。 喜多郎：ロシアがクリミアに侵攻した2015年ごろ、ちょうどモスクワで公演していました。その翌日はウクライナ・キエフでのコンサートが予定されていたんです。モスクワの公演を終えてホテルに戻った瞬間、「キエフが攻撃された」とニュースで知りました。僕たちのコンサート会場の近くまで爆撃があり、結局公演は中止。楽器だけをトラックに積み、ポーランド経由でドイツまで運ぶことになりました。 ギリシャでも似た経験があります。13〜14年前、アテネで学生が警察に射殺されて暴動が起きた時期に、ちょうど僕たちのコンサートが重なってしまって。ホテルへ向かう途中でデモ隊の群衆を横目に見ながら、「この状況で本当に演奏できるのか」と思いました。それでも最終的には無事にステージをやり遂げることができた。世界を旅していると、こうした “非日常”に何度も出会いますが、そのたびに音楽の意味を深く考えさせられます。 ――今も世界中を飛び回りながらエネルギッシュに活動されている喜多郎さんは、12年前にお会いしたときと全く変わらない若々しさを保ち続けていらっしゃいます。日々心がけていることはありますか？ 喜多郎：いやあ、特別なことは何もしてないんですよ（笑）。ただ、「自分のために生きる」というよりは「作品のために生きている」という意識が常にありますね。自分の時間やエネルギーを作品づくりに注ぎ、その音楽を通して少しでも平和や癒しを伝えられたら。それが自分の使命、ミッションのように感じているんです。 ――音楽を広げていくための「媒介」として、ご自身が存在していると。 喜多郎：まさにその感覚です。「シルクロード」を作っていた頃とは時代が大きく変わり、世界では戦争や対立が続いています。第三次世界大戦になりかねない緊張もある。だからこそ、音楽や芸術に携わる人間が、別のかたちで「世界を落ち着かせる力」になれたらと思っています。 アメリカには長く拠点を置いてきましたが、最近は「本当にここでいいのか？」と考えるようになりました。むしろアジアの方が、音楽に込めたメッセージを深く受け取ってくれる人が多い。アメリカではニューエイジも一時ブームになり、ビルボードチャートにエンヤのようなアーティストが並びましたが、流行の移り変わりが早い国です。その点、東南アジアやヨーロッパではいまも精神性の高い音楽が息づいていて、演奏していても手応えがあります。 ――危険な場所でも演奏を続けてこられた。その原動力はやはり「音楽を通して世界にメッセージを届けたい」という思いなのでしょうか。 喜多郎：それがすべての出発点です。音楽は国境も宗教も超えて、人と人をつなげてくれる。だから、どんな状況でもステージに立つ意味があるんです。アテネに初めて行ったとき、ちょうどヴァンゲリス（2022年5月17日に死去）も滞在していて、一緒に食事をしながら「今度こういう作品をやろう」と語り合いました。その後も何度か会って交流を重ねましたが、そうしたレジェンドたちもみんな先に旅立ってしまった。だから今は、自分がその“灯”を受け継がなければという気持ちが強いです。 ――先ほどお話ししてくださった空海プロジェクト以外で、これから挑戦してみたいことはありますか。 喜多郎：まず、プライベートでは旅がしたいです。コンサートでいろんな国に行きますが、純粋に「旅人」として世界を歩くことはほとんどありません。最近もマレーシアやシンガポール、タイを訪れましたが、タイに初めて行ったのは50年前。その頃のバンコクはまだ舗装もされておらず、道は土のままでした。それが今では高速道路が張り巡らされ、東京とほとんど変わらない街並みになっている。でも、街角に積まれたゴミを見て「これだけは昔と変わらないな」と思ったりして（笑）。 そんななかで、つい昔の「匂い」や「名残り」を探してしまうんです。失われつつある風景のなかに、何か大切なものが隠れているような気がして。中国でも同じです。初めて行ったのは44年前。当時はみんな人民服を着ていて、街じゅうが緑一色。北京の繁華街では壁新聞を人々が囲んで読んでいて、それが情報の中心でした。それが今ではデジタル化がものすごく進み、世界でも突出しています。日本はいまアナログとデジタルの間で揺れていますが、中国は完全にデジタルに振り切った。ただ、それを「どう使うか？」という点では、まだ模索中という印象です。便利さと危うさが同居している、それもまた時代の姿なんでしょうね。 ――クリエイティブな面での目標は？ 喜多郎：今後は、もう少し「手の感覚」に戻るような表現を試してみたい。昔のようにシンセサイザーだけで、他の音源を使わずに、すべてアナログで演奏する。効果音も手作業で、片手で弾きながらもう片方で音を操作。全部マニュアルです。デジタルが進みすぎた時代だからこそ、人間の息づかいが残る演奏がしたい。それが今、いちばん楽しい挑戦ですね。 Żródło: https://www.billboard-japan.com/special/detail/5095

Another spectacular open-air concert! This time in Gdansk, with an incredible crowd that travelled from near and far. What an experience! See you next year, Poland! Check out the dates for our The Journey tour 2027: https://www.vollenweider.com/concerts/live Andreas Vollenweider – harps, gu-cheng, ethnic wind instruments, vocals Walter Keiser – drums, percussion, programming, sound effects Daniel Küffer – wind instruments, percussion, keyboards, accordion, vocals Isabel Gehweiler ‪– cello, vocals, keyboards, percussion Oliver Keller – guitars and string instruments of all kinds kathamusic GmbH https://www.facebook.com/reel/1401556435374897 #andreasvollenweider #andreasvollenweiderandfriends #liveconcert #cavernamagica #harp Żródło: https://www.facebook.com/andreasvollenweiderandfriends

15 lipca 2026 Z Archiwum KTK (7)