MARCH 26, 2019 5 AM
Vangelis, the Oscar-winning composer of “Chariots of Fire” and “Blade Runner” lives in Paris — unless he lives in London, or his native Athens. He won’t say exactly.

As nebulous as the clouds of electronic notes for which he’s known, Vangelis is also elusive when it comes to romantic relationships or anything else to do with his personal life.

“I don’t give interviews, because I have to try to say things that I don’t need to say,” he said by phone from Paris, in an exclusive interview with The Times. “The only thing I need to do is just to make music — and that’s it.”

The occasion for the conversation was the release of his album “Nocturne,” a departure from the bank of synthesizers that normally surrounds the composer. It’s a collection of new works for mostly solo piano, with a little synthy accompaniment here and there.

“Maybe it’s a little bit strange,” he said of the stripped-down approach. “But almost every day I play my piano. See, mainly my life is quite simple. I jump from one thing to another. We say that [there are] too many styles and differences in music — but, for me, music is one.”

Vangelis leaves the impression that he would be content never releasing another record but that he’s coaxed into doing so by the industry, which he doesn’t hold in the highest regard.

“I always said to the record companies, for years, ‘One day you’re going to be in big crisis, because the way you do it is wrong,’” he said, noting what he sees as insatiable greed. “They say, ‘Oh, you are an artist; you understand nothing.’ ”