The title is Greek which translates into A Tribute to El Greco. Vangelis wanted to help the National Gallery of Art in Athens to purchase El Greco's (Dominico Theocopoulos) St. Peter from the British Art Gallery. Vangelis also took an opportunity to recognize the beauty of one of the most, well-known and well-loved artists. Vangelis believes that it was his Greek background and the Byzantine style of art which, merged with the frescos in cathedrals, created something unusual and different. This is his creation, from one artist to another.

(Vangelis only made 3000 copies for the fundraising attempt. Each CD is personally, hand autographed by Vangelis in gold ink and includes a book about El Greco. All is packaged in a nice, blue box. The price of this is 33,000 Greek drachmas (here is a nice currency converter for you) and can only be obtained at the National Gallery in Athens. There are bootlegs floating around for those who could spare a few bucks. It is great music but, until recently, a disappointment because it could belong only to so few). Now, a commercial, limitless version is released with three additional tracks.

[1] MOVEMENT I
The sound begins with a toiling bell (which was very familiar in the documentary, From Nuremberg to Nuremberg where Vangelis also did the score). It starts out very quiet and then, somewhat, gradually builds and changes themes and keys (from a minor to a major). The flute (along with the synthesizers) is very sad, which relates to the colors that El Greco uses throughout his great works. There is a constant flux of volume but the emotion remains the same... sadness. You hear, as you will throughout this album, a perfect blend of the Byzantine instruments with the modern instruments. To me, it illustrates sadness and mourning and I can almost visualize how El Greco used to lived. (El Greco was born in Crete. It was politically under the Venetian Republic but culturally had its Byzantine links. El Greco used to paint icons for the Greek Orthodox church which clearly shows in the faces of El Greco's portraits). This is excellent music which can accompany pictures of ruins or the aftermath of war.

[2] MOVEMENT II
This movement always reminds me of a Greek village. I can just imagine myself walking through the streets and seeing all of the activities and the life of a city. It seems that El Greco and Vangelis have enjoyed the atmosphere of a city and expressed that in their works. I can also see El Greco walking around Venice when he was a young adult, right before he went, for some strange reason, into Toledo, Spain where he lived for the rest of his life. Vangelis uses synthesizers and Byzantine percussion, namely the hammer dulcimer.

[3] MOVEMENT III
This is a symbol of El Greco. You have a Greek musician and a Spanish soprano which "unite" the two background that El Greco had. Monsterrat Caballé's voice has been well-known and well-received. She sung at the Opening Ceremonies at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and other places... Although she is a large woman (I don't mean that has an insult), her voice is fantastic. (My cello instructor, Elizabeth Kellogg Grauerholtz personally and professionally agrees!). For some people, they notice more of Caballé than Vangelis but I think there is an excellent blend between the two. I also think that Vangelis and Caballé enjoy each others company, despite possible creative differences or musical backgrounds. Caballé will later collaborate with Vangelis and perform with him during the Opening Ceremonies of the Athens '97 Games.

[4] MOVEMENT IV
This is one of those "visions of the future" type songs in my opinion. The recorder, the constant timpani beat in the background, the "string sounds" produced by the synthesizers and the frequent choral points gives the impression of looking at city ruins or the aftermath of a battlefield before the fields are cleared and washed from the blood and bodies. I also like the crescendos and diminuendos that occur throughout this track. (Actually, the historical event I can picture is the fall of Constantinople in 1453)

[5] MOVEMENT V
This one, to me, is like the routine life of a Christian. First, you enter into a sanctuary (when Konstantinos Paliatsaras, the Greek tenor, sings) and feel tranquil and calm. The voices of praise being heard, the comfort of seeing the paintings or watching the rituals being performed in front of your eyes bring a kind of personal relief. Soon, you leave the place, the wind blows on you again and back to the normal ways of the world. Soon, that good feeling you had has melted away and your old self re-emerges.

[6] MOVEMENT VI
This one remains constant, with no real, significant change. I think this one symbolizes El Greco in his life. El Greco was stuck with art, was stuck to helping the Church (among others) and the general idea of his paintings remain constant. This track can also interpreted with his homesickness or his frustrations or his sadness. El Greco might have been sad or lonely or depressed (look at the color choices!). Maybe, El Greco had this mental battle in his own mind about life and such. We can never tell. This music is just one interpretation and this interpretation is just what it is... an interpretation. (Of course, owing to the nature of the First Amendment, you don't have to agree!)

[7] MOVEMENT VII
This last one is strange. Throughout this whole album, I have been hearing constant, moody music that seems depressing. Now, you suddenly hear much calmer and much tranquil music. This one uses the piano to play the melody, which is obvious that Vangelis chose it. He is good at playing calm melodies using the grand piano, even though it sounds like a kid playing it. I think it is El Greco's death and his liberation from this earth. Now, he can finally be more into his paintings. His death could almost like his painting Burial of Count Goya, where heaven accompanies him to eternal peace in a calm, soothing way. ("What you fear would come as an explosion... is like a whisper."; -From the Twilight Zone episode, "Nothing in the Dark")