After the Rosetta album that took us into outer space, and returned to a uniquely epic and passionate version of space rock we last heard some decades ago on a Vangelis album, the new studio album Nocturne is eminently intimate and terrestrial. It contains 17 tracks, with the majority being new compositions.
The record company's initial information about the upcoming release may have wished to entice certain segments of the public, as Nocturne was everywhere stated to be a "solo piano album". As it became increasingly clear that it wasn't, various outlets have backpedalled on this...
Some sites to this day obstinately misinform with statements like "for the first time Vangelis plays a grand piano on this record", which is complete and factual nonsense, full stop.
Based on the first single to see the light of day, namely the track entitled Nocturnal Promenade, it became obvious that one will be treated to piano (and sometimes piano-like) sounds pushed through copious amounts of reverb, and synthesizers, too would make an appearance.
One of the major problems arises if one sees this album with nostalgia-tinted optics, or one does not treat it separately from all other Vangelis albums.
Why? Well, as it could be perfectly expected from the (overstated as it was) initial information, this was not to be an album of groundbreaking technical or musical wizardry. We have not had that for many years. Nor was it to be a dramatic and vastly orchestrated production, like some landmark albums from Vangelis's discography (note how some compared it to Rosetta and even El Greco...).
Also, Vangelis has made us quite used to changes in direction and large variations in genre and style from one album to another. As some have stated, this album feels extremely commercial, as if he had become what he criticised the most: a brand.
Well, another way to look at this is that Nocturne is actually true to a Vangelis ethos: he releases whatever he wishes, and without riding some fashion trend. We can recall how Oceanic or Portraits were received, and how much vitriol they gathered in reactions from some sections of the public.
It is interesting to hear, though, how the apparent weakness of some tracks is their key strength. One may find that Promenade has no concrete structure nor melodic direction, it is a quiet improvisation with little melodic motifs connected with musical wanderings. If one thinks of musically conveying an aimless and relaxed promenade, well, this improvised-sounding piece does exactly that... hence it is quite suggestive.
Calm renditions of tracks like the main theme from Chariots of Fire are the re-interpretations of a composer several decades after the original. It is striking that the relationship between the new and original version is quite similar to the one between the late and the original versions of e.g. Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now. The late versions, in both cases, are completely lifted out of their original context, are more intimate and highly personal.
The reworked version of To The Unknown Man, too is achingly beautiful and intimate in its stripped-down arrangement. Once again, comparisons with the original are, by definition, rather pointless.
Something that does not work terribly well on piano is Love Theme from Blade Runner - the long, sustained, and repeated notes of the original's melodic theme, now re-arranged to sparse piano notes suspended in the air (and occasionally connected up with little arpeggios) are having a hard time to keep that seamless flow and emotion that was present in the original. Re-arranging wind instrument-based pieces with long held notes to a piano or plucked instruments-based version, too present this classic problem - and this track is no exception.
New tracks like Moonlight Reflection are characteristic Vangelis: minimalist tiny motifs built from quick ascending/descending notes are instantly catchy and playful. The melody of Through The Night Mist puts the listener in a melancholic, but not dark or sad, mood - think of the piano-centric tracks on Mythodea or El Greco (the studio album, not the soundtrack of same title).
Early Years has innocence, longing, contemplation, simple beauty. Intermezzo stands apart in its arrangement, it is indeed a track that serves as a separator of sorts between the first and second parts of the album. Longing has again a remarkably simple and delicate rendition.
Unfulfilled Desire has perhaps the most chromatic adventures and passages of genuine harmonic tension that fit nicely with the title, quite unlike the other tracks' very comfortable sound. The closing track, Pour Melia, has a splendid arrangement with a superb purity, innocence and a gentle fairy tale-like feel, something to go to sleep with at a fragile young age.
From a technical viewpoint, there was considerable debate about what sounds from what period of synth making we hear on the album. The dissonance with Vangelis's own, and remarkably consistent, ethos is again notable. Maybe we should remind ourselves and appreciate what Vangelis has been saying throughout his entire career, and separate misleading marketing from that: he never cared, nor cares, about what makes the sound...As he put it countless times, the source of the sounds he chooses to use does not matter, but due to various features and possibilities of electronic instruments, he "happens" to use predominantly the latter...
Nocturne is, and will be, more enjoyable if we keep in mind not just what it is meant to be as an album, but also its creator's nowadays unusually consistent artistic credo... It is an album without sharp edges, dramatic contrasts, surprising turns and twists - and despite its length, it seems to stay self-consistent.
Does it reflect an "old-fashioned" credo of human being composing, improvising and playing the music with as little as possible automation or computer technology? Thankfully, for a personal and instantly recognisable touch, yes, it is unashamedly "old-fashioned". Again, it is true to Vangelis's long-held convictions on the relationship between the musician and technology, and also to his principles on what role technology plays in the creative process.
Ultimately, it is a personal contemplation rendered with trimmed-down, sometimes entirely sparse arrangements - therefore, after all this non-exhaustive review blurb, one can state the obvious: due to its intent and nature, it really, really will be a matter of taste and "old-fashioned" musical (not synth musical) sensitivity whether this is a loved or disliked point in Vangelis's considerable discography...
