''Rapsodies'' () is an album of

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

songs by

Irene Papas Irene Papas or Irene Pappas (, ; born Eirini Lelekou (); 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) was a Greek actress and singer who starred in over 70 films in a career spanning more than 50 years. She gained international recognition through ...

and

Vangelis Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou (, ; 29 March 1943 – 17 May 2022), known professionally as Vangelis ( ; , ), was a Greek musician, composer, and producer of electronic, progressive, ambient, and classical orchestral music. He composed ...

, featuring music and text based on (or inspired by) Greek Orthodox liturgical chant, with two tracks composed by Vangelis. Recorded in Nemo studios, London 1986 (the last year he used that studio), the entirety of the album is performed and produced by Vangelis with Irene Papas' lead vocals. First issue of the album on compact disc was in Greece only (Polydor 829413). A remastered edition was released by Universal Music in 2007.

Track listing

#"To My Champion and Commander" ( Gr: Τη Υπερμάχω Στρατηγώ) - 6:51 #"Oh, My Sweet Springtime" ( Gr: Ω! Γλυκύ Μου Έαρ) - 8:41 #"I See Your Bridal Chamber All Bedecked" ( Gr: Τον Νυμφώνα Σου Βλέπω) - 1:36 #"Rhapsody" ( Gr: Ραψωδία) (Original Composition) - 5:25 #"The Beauty of Your Virginity and The Splendor of Your Purity" ( Gr: Την Ωραιότητα Της Παρθενίας Σου) - 4:41 #"Resurrection" ( Gr: Χριστός Ανέστη) - 7:23 #"Song of Songs" ( Gr: Άσμα Ασμάτων) (Original Composition) - 11:12 * Tracks 4 & 7 composed by

* Track 7 translation of

Solomon Solomon (), also called Jedidiah, was the fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible. The successor of his father David, he is described as having been the penultimate ...

's poem by Lefteris Papadopoulous

Notes

The initial album release on CD and LP had a lot of clipping and distortion. The Philips CD eliminates some of this, whilst the 2007 remaster, overseen by Vangelis himself, eradicates it altogether. "To My Champion and Commander" was composed by the patriarch of Constantinople to commemorate the legendary appearance of the Virgin Mary during a siege of the city in the 7th century. "Oh, My Sweet Springtime" is a lament of the Virgin Mary upon seeing the body of her dead son, Jesus and is often sung the Friday before

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

. "I See Your Bridal Chamber All Bedecked" is taken from the parable of two sets of virgins, the foolish ones who used up all the oil in their lamps early in the evening and the wise ones who waited until the groom came, that relates to the second coming. "Rhapsody" is an original instrumental composition by Vangelis. "The Beauty of Your Virginity and The Splendor of Your Purity" is something the angel Gabriel said to the Virgin Mary, though the statement is incomplete. "Resurrection" is an Easter hymn, based on αληθώς ανέστη (alithós anésti, Truly he is risen). This song is sung on Easter Sunday, and for the Eastern Orthodox Paschal season.The Orthodox Faith, Easter Sunday: The Holy Pascha
/ref> "Song of Songs" is a poetic, modern Greek translation of a portion of the

Song of Solomon The Song of Songs (), also called the Canticle of Canticles or the Song of Solomon, is a biblical poem, one of the five ("scrolls") in the ('writings'), the last section of the Tanakh. Unlike other books in the Hebrew Bible, it is erotic poe ...

, set to an original composition by Vangelis.

References

External links

Lyrics in English
{{Authority control Vangelis albums Irene Papas albums 1986 albums Polydor Records albums