Iannis Xenakis La déesse Athéna Vidéos
Dernière mise à jour
2024-04-26
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Iannis Xenakis Edgard Varèse Mellon Larson Pierre Boulez 1921 1969 1982 1992 1993 1994
Xenakis, Iannis - Dämmerschein +••.••(...)) from "Xenakis Edition 3: Xenakis & Varèse" (mode58) The Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic Juan Pablo Izquierdo, conductor Xenakis was invited by Izquierdo and Carnegie Mellon University for an extended visit featuring a festival of his music. All three works were prepared and recorded with the composer's supervisionl. Dämmerschein ("Rays of Twilight") is one of the latest large orchestra works by Xenakis. An energy-charged, volcanic composition from the first note to the last, its massive contrasting blocks of sound give the aura of light through music. AllMusic Review by Dan Warburton (http•••) "Dämmerschein" ("Rays of Twilight") is an 11-minute orchestral piece from 1994 which, despite its title, never quite manages to shine. Iannis Xenakis' trademark clusters sound heavy and soggy, whereas in earlier works ("Kekrops", "Jonchaies") they were vicious blows; the glissandi which sounded like music from another planet in the late 1950s are now weeping apologies. Similarly, "La Déesse Athéna," (1992) despite virtuoso falsetto shrieks from Philip Larson and fine solo percussion from Timothy Adams, stays comfortably inside well-charted territory / the extreme register wind writing (here recalling more than ever Edgard Varèse's "Octandre") is predictably gruff and user-unfriendly, but, in comparison, a blast of 1969's "Anaktoria" will make your hair stand on end. Fortunately, there is a piece of vintage Xenakis included here: a new recording of 1969's percussion classic "Persephassa." The fact that this was written and scored from thousands of mathematical calculations makes no difference / it's still going strong after more than 30 years. "I don't need the calculations anymore," Xenakis said in a 60th birthday interview in 1982. Comparing "Dämmerschein" to "Persephassa" leads to the conclusion that maybe he does after all. Instead of filling up the disc with other Xenakis orchestral music, Juan Pablo Izquierdo opts for Varèse's 1921 classic "Amériques," thereby inviting comparison with the mighty Pierre Boulez's New York Philharmonic recording of the work. The Carnegie Mellon students equip themselves rather well, and the mix brings out some odd pockets of hitherto hidden instrumental activity, though one suspects this is due more to good luck: the mic placing is strange and the performance is occasionally marred by clicks and rustlings. That said, the ending knocks Boulez out of the ballpark, thanks to the apocalyptic baritone fire siren from Pittsburgh's Mount Lebanon Fire Station.
Iannis Xenakis Sylvio Gualda Savage Ensemble Basse Normandie
Oresteïa, for children's chorus, chorus & 12 musicians (1966) I. Agamemnon II. Kassandra (1987) III. Agamemnon (suite et fin) IV. Les choephores V. Les Euménides Spiros Sakkas, baritone Sylvio Gualda, percussion Ensemble Vocal d'Anjou Ensemble de Basse-Normandie Robert Weddle From the time of his youth, Xenakis found solace and inspiration in the writings of the ancient Greeks, and his handful of stage works draw on these sources exclusively. One of the composer's earliest commissions came from Alexis Solomos, originally of the Greek National Theater, who had been engaged to direct a series of performances of Greek dramas in Ypsilanti, Michigan in the summer of 1966. Xenakis was hired to provide the music for Aeschylus' tragic trilogy, Oresteïa. Evidently, he provided almost two hours of music for this production; as it was not recorded nor ever again presented, little is known about the original score. Soon after the premiere, though, Xenakis produced a concert suite which was subsequently published and performed. The suite is in three parts, following, in abbreviated fashion, the outline of the original trilogy: "Agamemnon," "The Libation Bearers," and "Eumenides." In fashioning the suite, Xenakis used only excerpts from the choruses, setting them in the original Greek and attempting to follow the rhythmic and melodic contours of the language as much as possible. The instrumental writing, while more restrained than that in Xenakis' other works, is nonetheless adventurous, incorporating various textural trademarks such as glissandi, microtones, and clusters. The choral parts, too, call for a range of sonorities, including shouting, chanting, and massed percussion sounds. This is sophisticated, at times savage, music, quite appropriate to the drama. Xenakis' Oresteïa suite has proven to be quite popular and has even been staged on its own, the truncated text somehow retaining its coherence and dramatic trajectory. For a 1987 production at Gibellina, Sicily, not far from Aeschylus' burial place, Xenakis inserted a new section into the "Agamemnon" portion of the work. Kassandra: Oresteïa II, scored for solo baritone and percussion, incorporates dialogue between Cassandra, the prophetess who foresees the tragedies about to befall Agamemnon and his family, and the chorus of elders. The music is radically different from the choruses that surround it, highlighting the dramatic nature of the text. The range and dexterity required of the vocalist are incredible; Kassandra calls for both the extreme falsetto range and low chanting. This timbral and registral dichotomy allows the single vocalist to portray both Cassandra and the elders. In addition to his vocal duties, the baritone also improvises on a psaltery in imitation of the ancient Greek lyre. The percussionist contributes brittle punctuation to the dialogue. For an Athens production of Oresteïa in 1992, Xenakis inserted yet another piece into the work, this time in the final section. La déesse Athéna (The Goddess Athena) again turns the spotlight on an individual character. In this portion of the text, Athena establishes a tribunal, a council of judges. After all the violence and tragedy of the drama to that point, this act marks to some extent a resolution of the drama. Xenakis brings back the baritone and percussion of Kassandra, but this time incorporates the duo into the instrumental ensemble of the surrounding passages. The vocalist again makes use of an extremely wide range, this time portraying the "godliness" of Athena, or her transcendence over human limitations. Altogether, the final version of Xenakis' Oresteïa is an hour in length, and it remains one of the composer's major works. The addition of the solo pieces provides moments of dramatic and musical contrast, and the work has been successful both in concert and on the stage. While the different portions of the suite comprise a stylistically varied whole, Xenakis' highly original music has proven itself a worthy complement to the intense drama of Aeschylus' great work. [allmusic.com]
Iannis Xenakis Sylvio Gualda Savage Ensemble Basse Normandie 1966 1987 1992
Oresteïa, for children's chorus, chorus & 12 musicians (1966) I. Agamemnon II. Kassandra (1987) III. Agamemnon (suite et fin) IV. Les choephores V. Les Euménides Spiros Sakkas, baritone Sylvio Gualda, percussion Ensemble Vocal d'Anjou Ensemble de Basse-Normandie Robert Weddle From the time of his youth, Xenakis found solace and inspiration in the writings of the ancient Greeks, and his handful of stage works draw on these sources exclusively. One of the composer's earliest commissions came from Alexis Solomos, originally of the Greek National Theater, who had been engaged to direct a series of performances of Greek dramas in Ypsilanti, Michigan in the summer of 1966. Xenakis was hired to provide the music for Aeschylus' tragic trilogy, Oresteïa. Evidently, he provided almost two hours of music for this production; as it was not recorded nor ever again presented, little is known about the original score. Soon after the premiere, though, Xenakis produced a concert suite which was subsequently published and performed. The suite is in three parts, following, in abbreviated fashion, the outline of the original trilogy: "Agamemnon," "The Libation Bearers," and "Eumenides." In fashioning the suite, Xenakis used only excerpts from the choruses, setting them in the original Greek and attempting to follow the rhythmic and melodic contours of the language as much as possible. The instrumental writing, while more restrained than that in Xenakis' other works, is nonetheless adventurous, incorporating various textural trademarks such as glissandi, microtones, and clusters. The choral parts, too, call for a range of sonorities, including shouting, chanting, and massed percussion sounds. This is sophisticated, at times savage, music, quite appropriate to the drama. Xenakis' Oresteïa suite has proven to be quite popular and has even been staged on its own, the truncated text somehow retaining its coherence and dramatic trajectory. For a 1987 production at Gibellina, Sicily, not far from Aeschylus' burial place, Xenakis inserted a new section into the "Agamemnon" portion of the work. Kassandra: Oresteïa II, scored for solo baritone and percussion, incorporates dialogue between Cassandra, the prophetess who foresees the tragedies about to befall Agamemnon and his family, and the chorus of elders. The music is radically different from the choruses that surround it, highlighting the dramatic nature of the text. The range and dexterity required of the vocalist are incredible; Kassandra calls for both the extreme falsetto range and low chanting. This timbral and registral dichotomy allows the single vocalist to portray both Cassandra and the elders. In addition to his vocal duties, the baritone also improvises on a psaltery in imitation of the ancient Greek lyre. The percussionist contributes brittle punctuation to the dialogue. For an Athens production of Oresteïa in 1992, Xenakis inserted yet another piece into the work, this time in the final section. La déesse Athéna (The Goddess Athena) again turns the spotlight on an individual character. In this portion of the text, Athena establishes a tribunal, a council of judges. After all the violence and tragedy of the drama to that point, this act marks to some extent a resolution of the drama. Xenakis brings back the baritone and percussion of Kassandra, but this time incorporates the duo into the instrumental ensemble of the surrounding passages. The vocalist again makes use of an extremely wide range, this time portraying the "godliness" of Athena, or her transcendence over human limitations. Altogether, the final version of Xenakis' Oresteïa is an hour in length, and it remains one of the composer's major works. The addition of the solo pieces provides moments of dramatic and musical contrast, and the work has been successful both in concert and on the stage. While the different portions of the suite comprise a stylistically varied whole, Xenakis' highly original music has proven itself a worthy complement to the intense drama of Aeschylus' great work. [allmusic.com]
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