Starry ‘Mythodea,’ in Ancient Digs

With staging drawn from ancient Greece and music inspired by NASA’s Mars Odyssey expedition, composer Vangelis takes high-concept entertainment to a grandiose new level tonight in “Mythodea” (10 p.m., KCET).

The concert, taped June 28 at the Temple of Zeus in Athens, employs a cast of hundreds as well as special-effects wizardry to wring every ounce of drama out of Vangelis’ choral symphony.

A high-tech slide show of mythological images and NASA star-scapes are projected above and to the rear of the massive stage as phalanxes of singers and musicians keep the crescendos coming.

Featured are the London Metropolitan Orchestra, the 120-member chorus of the National Opera of Greece and 28 percussionists, whose martial rhythms drive the piece.

But while the sheer scale and flashy spectacle of “Mythodea” is engaging, the inclusion of sopranos Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman was a wise move. The opera luminaries bring an intimate human dimension to the program, both sharing the stage and as soloists.

The Academy Award-winning Vangelis (1982’s “Chariots of Fire”), who conceived the wildly ambitious production, is almost lost onstage amid the tumult. Surrounded by banks of keyboards, he is content to remain a background player for most of the concert until he brings the audience to its feet by rolling out “Chariots” for the encore.

Credit should also be given to director Declan Lowney, whose smooth but sure hand helped capture much of the energy on stage that night.