Opéra sauvage

Opéra Sauvage is a soundtrack album by the Greek electronic composer Vangelis, released in 1979. It is the score for the nature documentary of the same title by French filmmaker Frédéric Rossif. It is considered one of Vangelis' best albums and is his second most successful album in the USA, reaching #42 in the album charts.^[1]

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Overview

Vangelis produced this album during his electro-acoustic period, which was one of the most productive in his musical career. Opéra Sauvage is more akin to his classic sound than his earlier nature scores for the same director, Frédéric Rossif, such as L'Apocalypse des animaux and La Fête sauvage. A later collaboration with Rossif in the style of Opéra sauvage was Sauvage et Beau.^[3]

"Hymne" was re-recorded in choral version for the 1991 Eureka concert by Vangelis in Rotterdam.^[4]

Release

The album reached #42 in the Billboard 200, and stayed in the charts for 39 weeks.^[5]

Instrumentation

Vangelis plays several synthesizers, piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano (featured extensively on "Rêve"),^[6] drums, percussion, xylophone, as well as acoustic and bass guitar ("Chromatique"). Jon Anderson is credited with playing harp on "Flamants Roses".^[1]

Composition

The album is full of classical-based and warm melodies, orchestrated with Yamaha CS-80 sounds.^[6] "Hymne", "L'Enfant", "Mouettes" and "Irlande" build on fairly simple themes that are developed instrumentally. "Rêve" is, indeed, as the title suggests, a dreamy calm piece with the hint of jazz in the climax. "Chromatique" has a chromatic instrumental line with chords on an acoustic guitar. "Flamants Roses", finally, consists of several parts, from slow to upbeat, and finishing off with a bluesy finale; Jon Anderson features prominently on harp.^[1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[2]

In the Allmusic review it is described as "rich, electronic orchestrations range from grandly symphonic to simple and serene" and as an "excellent introduction to his music".^[2]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hymne"	2:40
2.	"Rêve"	12:26
3.	"L'Enfant"	4:57
4.	"Mouettes"	2:28
5.	"Chromatique"	3:25
6.	"Irlande"	4:43
7.	"Flamants Roses"	11:50

Personnel

Vangelis – synthesizers and all instruments
Jon Anderson – harp on "Flamants Roses"

Production

Vangelis – producer, arranger, artwork and cover design
Keith Spencer-Allen, Raphael Preston, Marlis Duncklau – engineers
Raphael Preston, Marlis Duncklau – assistant engineers
Hitoshi Takiguchi – mastering engineer
Veronique Skawinska – photography
Tokiwa Kinoshita – art coordinator
Minoru Harada – product manager

Other appearances

A documentary on the Chariots of Fire (1981) special-edition DVD video relates that director Hugh Hudson intended to use the 7/4 piece "L'Enfant", which he was particularly fond of, as the opening titles over the first scene on the beach, until Vangelis talked him into letting him compose the iconic Chariots of Fire theme.^[1] The director then had "L'Enfant" being played in the film by a brass band as source music. A re-recorded version of "Hymne" was used as the score cue for Eric Liddell's first race in the Scottish Highlands.^[1]
"L'Enfant" was included in the soundtrack of the film The Year of Living Dangerously (1982) by Peter Weir.^[7]
It was also used as the theme for the 1980 Winter Olympics in USA.^[4]
"Hymne" was the tune of Barilla pasta television advertisements aired in Italy throughout the 1980s.^[8] In the US, it was the tune for Ernest & Julio Gallo wine advertisements.^{[citation needed]}
"L'enfant" was the main title music of the Hungarian TV program "A Hét" (The Week) in the late 1980s and the early 1990s.^{[citation needed]}
A sample of "Rêve" was used in the 2002 single "Solarcoaster" by Solarstone.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1987)	Peak position
US Billboard 200^[9]	42

Year-end charts

Chart (1987)	Position
US Billboard 200^[10]	98

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Rediscovered Gem – Opéra Sauvage". uDiscover. 27 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c Allmusic review.
^ Griffin 1997, p. 19.
^ ^a ^b Griffin 1997, p. 43.
^ "Vangelis Chart History – Billboard 200 chart". Billboard. Retrieved 19 August 2016.
^ ^a ^b "Vangelis – Opera Sauvage". Synthtopia. 22 November 2003. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
^ Griffin 1997, p. 43, 66.
^ "Archivio Storico Barilla – Spot "Gattino" 1986". Retrieved 14 November 2018.
^ "Vangelis Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1987". Billboard. Retrieved 6 March 2021.

Mark J. T. Griffin (1997). Vangelis: The Unknown Man : an Unauthorised Biography. Lulu. ISBN 9780952318729.

External links

Opera Sauvage at Vangelis Movements

v t e Vangelis
Discography
Studio albums	Fais que ton rêve soit plus long que la nuit Earth Heaven and Hell Albedo 0.39 Spiral Beaubourg Hypothesis The Dragon China See You Later Soil Festivities Mask Invisible Connections Direct The City Foros Timis Ston Greco Voices Oceanic El Greco Mythodea Rosetta Nocturne: The Piano Album Juno to Jupiter
Soundtracks	L'Apocalypse des animaux Entends-Tu Les Chiens Aboyer ? La Fête sauvage Opéra sauvage Chariots of Fire Antarctica Conquest of Paradise Blade Runner Alexander El Greco
Compilations	Themes Portraits (So Long Ago, So Clear) Reprise 1990–1999 Odyssey: The Definitive Collection The Collection
Songs	"Rain and Tears" "It's Five O'Clock" "I Hear You Now" "Chariots of Fire" "I'll Find My Way Home" "State of Independence" "Conquest of Paradise" "Anthem"
Other collaborations	Odes Rapsodies
Related	Aphrodite's Child Jon and Vangelis
Category

This page was last edited on 18 March 2024, at 05:40

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