Vangelis exclusive for LightPool!
Perhaps best known for his film scores to movies such as 'Chariots of Fire' and 'Blade Runner', Vangelis has produced over thirty albums.
He is putting the finishing touches to his latest album and has given Blackpool the exclusive opportunity of being one of the first places that this new work will be heard prior to its launch in late September.
Called ‘Rosetta’, it is a musical evocation of the twelve-year journey of Rosetta and Philae to the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
Drawing from this album and exclusive to Blackpool, he has provided the music that is used as the soundtrack to ‘Chasing Stars’.
Vangelis said; “Mythology, science and space exploration are subjects that have fascinated me since my early childhood. And they were always connected somehow with the music I write.”
‘Chasing Stars’ is one of three new digital mapping projections created for the 2016 LightPool show which sees spectacular 3D animations projected on the Blackpool Tower buildings during the Illuminations.
Ross Ashton, Creative Director, and Karen Monid, Audio Artist, from The Projection Studio were commissioned last year to create two shows and this year have created ‘Chasing Stars’ based on the pioneering work of European Space Agency (ESA).
‘Chasing Stars’ is an eight-minute galactic tour to entertain and inspire the next generation of astronauts and engineers.
Cllr Gillian Campbell, Deputy Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “This is a fantastic coup for Blackpool.
“Each night during the Illuminations spectators can watch the Chasing Stars show and hear this magnificent piece of music.”
‘Chasing Stars’ is one of three new eye-catching 3D projection shows that have been designed specifically for LightPool this year and are funded by a £2m grant from the Coastal Communities Fund alongside a further investment by Blackpool Council and LeftCoast.
Coastal Communities Minister Andrew Percy said: “Blackpool’s illuminations have always been a star attraction but now thanks to our £2million Coastal Communities Fund grant they are set to be stratospheric.”
“The ‘Chasing Stars’ projection will be a huge draw for tourists providing a real boost for the local economy. It will also be a fantastic spectacle and I’d encourage everyone in the area to head down to Blackpool to see it.”
The other two shows are ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ by Czech digital art collective The Macula and ‘Enchanted Blackpool’, which has been created by film-maker Cecile Llewelyn-Bowen, using designs by her father, international designer and friend of Blackpool, Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.
All three of the films, along with two popular shows from last year’s LightPool, will be available to watch for free from the Comedy Carpet several times every night, with extra performances at weekends and over the October half term.
For more details on this year’s LightPool, go to www.visitblackpool.com/lightpool.
For more information on Blackpool Illuminations, visit www.visitblackpool.com/illuminations
Blackpool Illuminations light up from Friday 2 September to Sunday 6 November.