1492, the Conquest of Paradise (1992)

1492, the Conquest of Paradise (1992)

This is the soundtrack to Ridley Scott's epic film about Christopher Columbus. The story focuses on Columbus' motivations and the reaction on that by the people around it. All this is brought to life by stunning visuals and a remarkable sense of detail. This movie needed 21521h78v an epic soundtrack, and Vangelis skillfully forfilled this task.
The music on the album however differs greatly from that in the film. Some episodes are identical indeed, but much of the music on the album is not actually in the movie, or appears in an entirely different form. Even more music appears in the film but not actually on the album. This makes the album sound more like a studio album than like a soundtrack. Many character themes as well as some passages for major turningpoints in the film (like the storm near the end) are not represented on the album.
What remains of the album is however not less desirable. A magnificent collection of melodic music, filled with choruses as well as appropriate synthesizers and native sounds this album sounds relaxing and exciting at the same time. This can be counted as one of the favorites amongst the fans.
It is also his greatest commercial success until now. Three years after its initial release it was used as personal theme by German boxing champion Henry Maske and re-released on CD single. This triggered a huge hype in Europe hitting the nr. 1 charts positions in Germany, Austria, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and other countries, breaking many sales records (both single and album).

Opening 1:21

Conquest Of Paradise 4:30

Monastery Of La Rabida 3:24

City Of Isabel 2:08

Light And Shadow 3:31

Deliverance 3:20

West Across The Ocean Sea 2:44

Eternity 1:53

Hispanola 4:39

10 Moxica And The Horse 6:42

11 Twenty Eighth Parallel 4:47

12 Pinta, Nina, Santa Maria (Into Eternity) 12:37

Because the album was being awarded with many platinum records East West organized a celebration party for Vangelis, who wanted to receive the awards in Greece. In February 1995 the ceremony took place in "Hotel Grande Bretagne", a luxurious hotel at the Constitution Square in Athens. Present were many famous people including Irene Papas, Milva and Mikroutsikos.
The score itself had already been nominated for a Golden Globe award. Too bad he didn't get it, since Vangelis collects globes for his hobby.