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jazzy_daveMore of the Greek architectonic sound sculpturer -
Iannis Xenakis - Electro-Acoustic Music
Bohor I 1962
Concret P-H II 1958
Diamorphoses II 1957
Orient-Occident III 1959-1960
Iannis Xenakis - Ikhoor
Members of the Arditti String Quartet
The string trio may be a delicate, Classical ensemble, but the opening of Xenakis' Ikhoor (1978) sounds more like The Rite of Spring than a work of Haydn. The title means "nectar of the gods": these are not, however, the genteel gods of "evolved" civilizations and this is not tea they are drinking. This is powerful, gritty music, taking the primal pulsations of rhythm as a starting point and in turn building a series of evocative episodes; it is no accident that Ikhoor was conceived in close proximity to Xenakis' percussion work Pléïades.
Iannis Xenakis - Mists
Composed in 1980 for Roger Woodward, Mists is the third of Xenakis's mature piano solo compositions.
The linear material which alternates with the "mists" is frighteningly complex rhythmically. Unlike evryali, where the melodic curves "snap" to a grid of 16th notes, the lines are carefully notated in free-flowing rhythmic values. Incredibly enough, there are several errors in the score; it would seem at times even Xenakis set the bar a little too high, or it could simply be an engraver error. This came to light when in sequencing, we didn't arrive at our bar line, or whatever. If anyone is interested, let me know.
The "mist" material abandons rhythmic notation, and in ways is similar to Cage's "star chart" composing style; "splatter" music.
Iannis Xenakis -Tetras
Tetras, for string quartet (1983)
Arditti String Quartet
Tetras stands as one of the very finest chamber compositions of Greek composer Iannis Xenakis. It is also one of the most original, profoundly challenging contributions to the string quartet genre. "Tetras" means "four" in ancient Greek, and the composer treats the four players as a single entity throughout most of the sixteen minutes of the piece. This multi-bodied, many-stringed organism vibrates with intense energy, the strings oscillating at lightning speed as glissando contours take shape across the registral continuum. It is no coincidence that Tetras was written for the Arditti String Quartet, a group that sealed its reputation as the leading proponent of challenging new repertoire with its exhilarating, awe-inspiring performances of such demanding works.
Enjoy.
Iannis Xenakis - Electro-Acoustic Music
Bohor I 1962
Concret P-H II 1958
Diamorphoses II 1957
Orient-Occident III 1959-1960
Iannis Xenakis - Ikhoor
Members of the Arditti String Quartet
The string trio may be a delicate, Classical ensemble, but the opening of Xenakis' Ikhoor (1978) sounds more like The Rite of Spring than a work of Haydn. The title means "nectar of the gods": these are not, however, the genteel gods of "evolved" civilizations and this is not tea they are drinking. This is powerful, gritty music, taking the primal pulsations of rhythm as a starting point and in turn building a series of evocative episodes; it is no accident that Ikhoor was conceived in close proximity to Xenakis' percussion work Pléïades.
Iannis Xenakis - Mists
Composed in 1980 for Roger Woodward, Mists is the third of Xenakis's mature piano solo compositions.
The linear material which alternates with the "mists" is frighteningly complex rhythmically. Unlike evryali, where the melodic curves "snap" to a grid of 16th notes, the lines are carefully notated in free-flowing rhythmic values. Incredibly enough, there are several errors in the score; it would seem at times even Xenakis set the bar a little too high, or it could simply be an engraver error. This came to light when in sequencing, we didn't arrive at our bar line, or whatever. If anyone is interested, let me know.
The "mist" material abandons rhythmic notation, and in ways is similar to Cage's "star chart" composing style; "splatter" music.
Iannis Xenakis -Tetras
Tetras, for string quartet (1983)
Arditti String Quartet
Tetras stands as one of the very finest chamber compositions of Greek composer Iannis Xenakis. It is also one of the most original, profoundly challenging contributions to the string quartet genre. "Tetras" means "four" in ancient Greek, and the composer treats the four players as a single entity throughout most of the sixteen minutes of the piece. This multi-bodied, many-stringed organism vibrates with intense energy, the strings oscillating at lightning speed as glissando contours take shape across the registral continuum. It is no coincidence that Tetras was written for the Arditti String Quartet, a group that sealed its reputation as the leading proponent of challenging new repertoire with its exhilarating, awe-inspiring performances of such demanding works.
Enjoy.
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