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'''''Mythodea — Music for the NASA Mission: 2001 Mars Odyssey''''' is a 1993 [[choral symphony]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.vangelismovements.com/mythodeabooklet.htm |title= 2001 concert program |accessdate= 2006-08-15}}</ref> by Greek electronic composer and artist [[Vangelis]]. Originally premiered in concert in 1993,<ref name="1993program">1993 concert program.</ref> it was published in 2001 by Vangelis' new record label [[Sony Classical]], which also set up the [[NASA]] connection and promoted a new concert.<ref name="klem">{{cite web |url= http://www.elsew.com/data/klem107.htm |title= ''KLEMblad'' magazine, issue 107 |date= October 2001 |author= Vangelis |accessdate= 2006-08-15}}</ref>
 
The 2001 version of ''Mythodea'' was recorded and played on-stage by: Vangelis on synthesizers and keyboards, the [[London Metropolitan Orchestra]] augmented by two [[harp]]ists, sopranos [[Kathleen Battle]] and [[Jessye Norman]], the chorus of the [[Greek National Opera]], and, for the concert only, the Seistron and Typana percussion ensembles. The concert was held in Athens, Greece on June 28, 2001, and the record was officially released on October 23, 2001, to coincide with the [[2001 Mars Odyssey]] spacecraft entering the orbit of planet [[Mars]]. A video of the concert was released in early 2002.<ref name="elsewconcerts">{{cite web |url= http://www.elsew.com/data/concerts.htm |title= "Elsewhere": Vangelis' Concerts |author= Lodewijks, Dennis |date=Jan 2005 |accessdate= 2006-08-15}}</ref>
 
== First concert: 1993 ==
The world premiere of ''Mythodia'' (first spelling) took place on July 13, 1993 as a public performance at the [[Odeon of Herodes Atticus|Herodes Atticus Theater]], in [[Athens]], [[Greece]], for charity purposes. On stage were: Vangelis, who provided the full musical score accompanied by two [[harp]]ists; [[mezzo-soprano]] Markella Hatziana, [[soprano]] Lucienne Deval, and the [[choir|chorus]] and [[percussion]] of the Greek National Lyric Stage, conducted by Yvan Cassar.<ref name="1993program" />
 
''Mythodia'' was then a piece in seven movements.<ref name="elsewconcerts" /> Vangelis not only composed the music, he also wrote the lyrics<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.newbrain.gr/mythodea/text.htm |title= Lyrics of ''Mythodea'' in Greek |author= Vangelis |accessdate= 2006-08-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070930104735/http://www.newbrain.gr/mythodea/text.htm |archivedate= September 30, 2007 }}</ref> in [[Ancient Greek]].<ref name="movements">{{cite web |url= http://www.vangelismovements.com/mythodea.htm |title= Album review |author=de Vries, Ivar |publisher= Movements |accessdate= 2006-08-15}}</ref> In a 2001 interview with ''KLEMblad'' magazine, Vangelis stated,
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The premiere of the new version of ''Mythodea'' was held on June 28, 2001.<ref name="Billboard25"/> By this date, the album had already been recorded and was finished. The concert was a live performance of the album, with everyone involved in the recording reprising their roles plus additional performers. The setting was the ancient (6th century BC) [[Temple of Olympian Zeus (Athens)|Temple of Olympian Zeus]] in Athens, Greece, featured on the album and video covers. Vangelis commented on the selection of location in an interview: "The record company wanted to promote this work and asked me 'where [...]?' and I thought that [...] Greece was really appropriate. And at the same time I had a proposition from the Minister of Culture [...] and this is what happened."<ref name="klem" />
 
The concert was filmed by a 20 members of camera crew, and taped for later broadcast on TV in November, and release on DVD.<ref name="Billboard25"/> The budget was set at US $7 million, split in half between the record company, Sony Classical, and the Greek government,<ref name="telegraph">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2001/10/18/tlvang.xml|title=A symphony for alien ears|publisher=''Telegraph.co.uk''|date=2001-10-18}}</ref> which considered the concert a good promotion for Greece abroad and included it as part of the Greek Cultural Olympiad leading to the [[2004 Summer Olympics]].<ref name="Garcia">{{cite book |title=Secrets of the Olympic Ceremonies |author=Myles Garcia |year=2014 |url=https://books.google.hr/books?id=g1g1wLMSZv8C |publisher=eBookIt |isbn=9781456608088}}</ref> There were some objections raised, mainly by fellow musician [[Mikis Theodorakis]], over the use of both public money and an archaeological site.<ref name="elsew">{{cite web |url= http://www.elsew.com/data/concerts.htm#myth2001 |title= "Elsewhere": Vangelis' concerts/''Mythodea'' |author= Lodewijks, Dennis |date=Jan 2005 |accessdate= 2006-08-15}}</ref> Vangelis himself, like in 1993, waived payment for his performance.<ref name="telegraph"/><ref name="status2">{{cite web |url= http://www.elsew.com/data/status.htm|author=Manolopoulou, Fouli (Vangelis production manager) |publisher= ''Status'' magazine |date= June 2002 |title= Vangelis Papathanasiou, the International Greek |accessdate= 2006-08-15}}</ref>
 
The spectacle involved 224 musicians on stage, the same involved in the recording: Vangelis, two harpists,s), the 75-person<ref name="blake" /> [[London Metropolitan Orchestra]], the 123-person chorus of the [[Greek National Opera]], plus 20 newcomers Greek [[percussion ensemble]]s Seistron and Typana, that provided 24 [[timpani]].<ref name="Garcia"/><ref name="Billboard25"/><ref name="houtert">{{cite web |url= http://www.elsew.com/data/mthwitn2.htm|title="Elsewhere": Concert review |author=Van Houtert, John |accessdate= 2006-08-15}}</ref> The performances also included Sony Classical soprano artists [[Kathleen Battle]] and [[Jessye Norman]]. In the back, a projection screen measuring {{convert|180|m|ft|abbr=on}} in length and {{convert|24|m|ft|abbr=on}} in height<ref name="klem" /> showed images of Mars supplied by NASA, combined with elements of ancient [[Greek mythology]].<ref name="elsew2" />
 
The number of attending spectators to the ticket-paid event was between 2,000,<ref name="elsew" /> 2,500,<ref name="blake" /> and 3,000<ref name="Billboard25"/> with another 30,000 people watching for free on a giant screen at the nearby [[Panathinaiko Stadium]].<ref name="elsew" /><ref name="Garcia"/><ref name="Billboard25"/> The concert lasted just over one hour, after which three encores were played: ''[[Chariots of Fire (album)|Chariots of Fire]]'', ''[[1492: Conquest of Paradise (album)|Conquest of Paradise]]'', and a combination of Movements 9 and 10.<ref name="elsewolder2">{{cite web |url= http://www.elsew.com/data/older2.htm|title="Elsewhere": News |author= Lodewijks, Dennis |date=June 2001 |accessdate= 2006-08-15}}</ref> Mars itself made a special appearance at the concert as an announcer told the spectators to look for an orange spot shining in the clear sky above the orchestra.<ref name="gomez">{{cite web |url= http://www.elsew.com/data/mthwitn2.htm|title="Elsewhere": concert review |author=:Gomez, Samuel |accessdate= 2006-08-15}}</ref> The concert was repeated the following day without an audience, to get extra camera angles. Despite not having been announced, around 50 people who showed up at the venue were admitted for free, authorized by Vangelis himself.<ref name="houtert" /> ''Mythodea'' was expected to be performed by other orchestras, without Vangelis' participation,<ref name="blake" /> but {{As of|2019|lc=on}} that had not happened.
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# "Movement 9" – 5:00
# "Movement 10" – 3:03
# "[[Chariots of Fire (instrumental)|Chariots of Fire]]" – 3:32
 
Two CD-singles were also released, both featuring a track called "Mythodea Special Edit" (3:57) which combined parts of "Movement 9" and "Movement 1", plus either "Movement 1" or "Movement 7". They were not widely available, so their original purpose may have been purely promotional, as were specifically a number of other CD-single releases.<ref name="elsew2">{{cite web|url=http://www.elsew.com/data/albums.htm|title="Elsewhere": Vangelis' albums|author=Lodewijks, Dennis|accessdate=2006-08-15}}</ref>
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