Opera Sauvage

Infobox Album |
Name = Opera Sauvage
Type = Album
Artist = Vangelis


Released = 1979
Recorded = 1978–1979, Nemo Studios, London
Genre = Electronica
Length = 43:06
Label = Polydor
Producer = Vangelis
Reviews =
*Allmusic ({1|4.5}/5) [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:tlanqj2bojda link]

Last album = "Odes"
(1979)
This album = "Opera Sauvage"
(1979)
Next album = "See You Later"
(1980)

"Opera Sauvage" is a 1979 album, by Greek composer and artist Vangelis, of the score for the nature documentary by the same title by French filmmaker Frédéric Rossif. The album sleeve design is by Vangelis himself.

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

The album became #42 in the Billboard top 200, and stayed in the charts for 39 weeks.

__NOTOC__

Track listing

# "Hymne" – 2:40
# "Rêve" – 12:26
# "L'Enfant" – 4:57
# "Mouettes" – 2:28
# "Chromatique" – 3:25
# "Irlande" – 4:43
# "Flamants Roses" – 11:50

"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. "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.

Vangelis plays several synthesizers, piano, electric piano (featured extensively on "Rêve"), drums, percussion, xylophone, and acoustic guitar ("Chromatique"). Jon Anderson is credited with playing harp on "Flamants Roses".

The music was recorded at Vangelis' Nemo Studios in London, U.K, in 1978 and 1979, with engineering by Keith Spencer-Allen, assisted by Marlis Duncklau and Raphael Preston.

Other appearances

"L'Enfant" was included in the soundtrack of the film "The Year of Living Dangerously" by Peter Weir.

"Hymne" was the tune of Barilla pasta commercials aired in Italy throughout the 1980s. It was also the tune of another commercial in the U.S.A, for Ernest & Julio Gallo wines.

A documentary on the "Chariots of Fire" special-edition DVD-video relates that director Hugh Hudson intended to use "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 "Titles" theme. The director then had "L'Enfant" being played in the film by a brass band [http://www.elsew.com/data/trivia.htm] as incidental music. A re-recorded version of "Hymne" was used as the score cue for Eric Liddell's first race in the Scottish highlands.