Iannis Xenakis

Xenakis is a redirect to this article. Further meanings are listed under Xenakis (disambiguation) .

Iannis Xenakis 1975

Iannis Xenakis ( Greek Ιάννης Ξενάκης , born May 29, 1922 in Brăila , Romania ; † February 4, 2001 in Paris ) was a composer and architect of Greek origin.

Xenaki's music is strongly influenced by his interest in mathematical and acoustic laws. Starting in 1954, he developed his own style of music from random ( stochastic ) phenomena such as rain, a crowd or a swarm of bees: stochastic music . In addition, Xenakis tried to implement methods and findings from game theory , set theory and number theory in his compositions.

In 1997 he received the Kyoto Prize and in 1999 the Polar Music Prize , which is regarded as the unofficial Nobel Prize for Music .

Life

Xenakis was born into a Greek family living in Romania. In 1932 his parents emigrated with him to Greece. He studied engineering in Athens from 1940 to 1946 , was involved in the resistance struggle against the Nazi occupation and in the subsequent civil war , suffered a severe facial wound and was imprisoned, was sentenced to death, fled and went to Paris as a political refugee in 1947 . Up to this point he had only devoted himself to music on an autodidactic basis. But then he took musical and composition lessons from Arthur Honegger , Darius Milhaud and Olivier Messiaen . At the end of the 1950s he was also sponsored by the conductor Hermann Scherchen , who in 1955 published Xenakis 'first essay on the crisis in serial music in his " Gravesaner Blätter " and premiered several of Xenakis' pieces.

The Philips Pavilion at the time of the 1958 World's Fair

Shortly after moving to Paris, he met the architect Le Corbusier , for whom Xenakis worked as an assistant for twelve years. He designed numerous buildings or oversaw their implementation, including houses in Nantes and Marseille , the Sainte-Marie de la Tourette monastery , the assembly building in Chandigarh and the stadium in Baghdad . In collaboration with Le Corbusier, he designed the Philips Pavilion at the Brussels World's Fair in 1958 based on hyperbolic curves, with the help of which he had previously written his first composition Metastasis for sixty-one instruments. The world premiere of this work at the Donaueschinger Musiktage in 1955 under the direction of Hans Rosbaud brought Xenakis to the top of the international new music scene .

In 1965, thanks in part to the support of Georges Pompidou , he received French citizenship. In 1966 the EMAMu (Equipe de mathématique et d'Automatique Musicales) was founded, and from 1972 Xenakis also taught at the University of Paris. From 1966 to 1977 Xenakis built a holiday home for himself on the island of Amorgos , the organic building represents a special interpretation of Cycladic architecture .

In the three decades that followed, he wrote numerous essays and analyzes of his own and others' works in addition to numerous compositions. Xenakis was closely associated with the Shiraz arts festival . In 1968 he was represented with Nuits , a choral work. The play was dedicated to all political prisoners. In 1969 the percussion composition Persephasa was performed, a commission from the French ORTF . Persephasa refers to stories about the Greek goddess Persephone that have intercultural references. The third commissioned work for the festival was Polytope de Persépolis , a multimedia performance that premiered on August 26, 1971 in the ruins of Persepolis . In 1983 Xenakis was elected to succeed Georges Auric in the Académie des Beaux-Arts . Also in 1983 he became an honorary member of the International Society for Contemporary Music ISCM ( International Society for Contemporary Music ) ernannt.Seit 1975 he was an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters .

Iannis Xenakis died in Paris in February 2001 after suffering from Alzheimer's for years and only being able to create his last works thanks to the extensive help of assistants.

Compositional method

The common denominator of almost all of Xenaki's compositions is the inclusion of ideas and methods that until then were less or not associated with the composition process; For example, he applies mathematical, geometric, architectural or philosophical principles to his composition. This approach also gives rise to his examination of the possibilities of digital computers. In the Paris studio CEMAMu (Center d'Etudes de Mathématique et Automatique Musicales), which he founded in 1966, graphic curves and drawings are translated into sound and sound sequences using the UPIC (Unité Polyagogique Informatique du CEMAMu) program.

Without knowing the respective formalization aspect for the listener and listening to Xenakis' music, the series of scientific laws and theorems used says something about the horizon of this compositional innovator: probability calculations, random distributions , including the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution , Gaussian distribution and Markov chains , mathematical game theory and set theory , Boolean algebra and chaos theory .

Reception history

Due to his criticism of the early seriality of Karel Goeyvaerts , Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Boulez , Xenakis' music was only performed very occasionally after his breakthrough in Germany in the 1960s - very much like that of Luigi Nono and John Cage . He never took part as a composition lecturer at the Darmstadt Summer Courses and only accepted an invitation as a guest of honor once in the late 1980s. The most famous living composer in France and other Romance countries, alongside Olivier Messiaen and Pierre Boulez, only received increased attention and representation of his works in Germany since 1974. For example through the large Xenakis Festival of the city of Bonn and the Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln, which over three days with numerous concerts, a lecture by Xenakis, an exhibition of music and architectural plans, films about him and electronic music in the subway station, as well as a Diatope project in a tent in front of the main train station, which brought Xenakis' music to public awareness. In 1977 Xenakis received the Beethoven Prize of the city of Bonn.

Since then, Xenakis and his extensive work have established themselves in Germany. His best-known compositions include his piano pieces Herma , Evryali and Mists , his percussion pieces Persephassa , Psappha and Rebonds , his ensemble pieces Eonta and Échanges and his orchestral pieces Metastasis , Pithoprakta and Terretektorh , which was played with eighty-eight musicians in the audience . His last commissioned work with the working title Prometheus for the opening of the Olympic cultural program in Athens was no longer possible. The director commissioned by him, Robert Wilson , used for this project from the complete works of the composer's forty-five extraordinarily productive years.

The total work of art Poème elèctronique (for the Philips pavilion as part of the Brussels Expo 1958) by Xenakis, Le Corbusier and Edgar Varèse has had a lasting effect on the development of sound art .

The graphical open source - sequencer IanniX based on the work Xenakis.

Compositions

Six Chansons , for piano 1951 Dhipli Zyia , for violin and violoncello 1952 Zyia , I. Version for soprano, male choir (10 voices), flute and piano 1952 Zyia , Version II for soprano, flute and piano 1952 Le Sacrifice (Anastenaria) , for orchestra (54 instr.) 1952/53 Procession aux eaux claires , for mixed choir (30 voices), male choir (15–20 baritones) and orchestra (62 instr.) 1953 Métastasis , for orchestra (61 instr.) 1953–54 Pithoprakta , for orchestra (61 instr.) 1955–56 Achorripsis , for 21 instr. 1956-57 Diamorphoses , for two-channel tape 1957 Concret PH , for two-channel tape 1958 Analogique A , for 9 strings 1958 Analogique B , for four-channel tape 1959 Syrmos , for 18 or 36 strings 1959 Duel , game for 56 musicians, divided into two orchestras with two conductors in 1959 Orient-Occident , for two-channel tape 1960 Atrées , for 11 musicians 1960 Herma , for piano 1961 ST / 4 , for string quartet 1956–62 Bohor , for eight-channel tape 1962 Polla ta Dhina , for children's choir (20 voices) and orchestra (48 instr.) 1962 ST / 48 , for 48 musicians 1962 ST / 10 , for 10 musicians 1962 Morsima-Amorsima for piano, violin, violoncello and double bass 1962 Stratégie , game for 82 musicians, divided into two orchestras with two conductors, 1962 Eonta , for piano and five brass instruments 1963 Hiketides Les Suppliantes d'Eschyle , instrumental suite for 4 brass instruments and 24 strings 1964 Akrata , for 16 wind instruments 1964–65 Oresteia , suite for children's choir, mixed choir (18 female, 18 male voices) and 12 instruments 1965–66 Terretektorh , distributed to 88 musicians in the audience 1965–66 Nomos Alpha , for violoncello 1966 Polytope de Montréal , light and sound spectacle with music for identical orchestras (4x15 instruments) 1967 Medea , scenic music for male choir and 5 instruments 1967 Nuits , for 12 mixed voices, 1967 Nomos Gamma , distributed to 98 musicians in the audience 1967–68 Kraanerg , ballet music for orchestra and four-channel tape 1968–69 Persephassa , for six percussionists 1969 Anaktoria , for Octet 1969 Synaphai , for piano and 86 musicians 1969 Hibiki Hana Ma , for twelve, eight or four-channel tape 1969–70 Aroura , for 12 strings 1971 Persepolis , for eight-channel tape 1971 Mikka , for violin 1971 Charisma , for clarinet and violoncello 1971 Antikhthon , ballet music for 86 or 60 musicians 1971 Polytope de Cluny , for eight-channel tape 1972 Eridanos , for 68 musicians 1972 Linaia-Agon , musical game for horn, tenor trombone and tuba 1972 Evryali , for piano 1973 Cendrées , for choir (4 × 18 voices) and orchestra 1973 Noomena , for 103 musicians 1974 Gmeeoorh , for organ 1974 Erikhthon , for piano and 88 musicians 1974 Phlegra , for 11 musicians 1975 Empreintes , for 85 musicians 1975 Psappha , for solo percussion 1975 N'Shima , for two mezzo-sopranos (or alto voices) and five instruments, 1975 Theraps , for double bass 1975–76 Epei , for six musicians 1976 Khoai , for harpsichord 1976 Mikka S , for violin 1976 Retours-Windungen , for 12 cellos 1976 Dmaathen , for oboe and percussion 1976 Jonchaies , for 109 musicians 1977 Kottos , for violoncello 1977 À Colone , for male or female choir (20 voices) and 18 musicians 1977 À Hélène , for male or female choir 1977 La Légende d'Eer (Diatope) , for eight-channel tape 1977 Akanthos , for soprano (or mezzo-soprano) and eight musicians 1977 Pleiades , for six percussionists 1978 Mycènes Alpha , for two-channel tape 1978 Ikhoor , for string trio 1978 Dikhthas , for violin and piano 1979 Palimpsest , for 11 musicians 1979 Anemoessa , for mixed choir (42–82 voices) and orchestra (90 instr.) 1979

A sharp , for baritone, solo percussion and orchestra (96 instr.) 1980 Nekuia , for mixed choir (54-80 voices) and orchestra (98 instr.) 1981 Komboi , for harpsichord and percussion 1981 Mists , for piano 1981 Embellie , for viola 1981 Serment-Orkos , for mixed choir (32 voices) 1981 Pour la Paix , I. Version for mixed choir a cappella (32 parts) 1981 Pour la Paix , version II for mixed choir, four speakers and stereo tape 1981 Pour la Paix , III. Version for four speakers and stereo tape 1981 Pour la Paix , IV. Version for stereo tape 1981 Pour les baleines , for large string orchestra 1982 Pour Maurice , for baritone and piano 1982 Khal Perr , for brass quintet and two percussionists 1983 Shaar , for large string orchestra 1983 Lichens , for 96 musicians 1983 Tetras , for string quartet 1983 Chant des Soleils , for mixed choir, children's choir, 18 brass instruments and percussion 1983 Naama , for harpsichord 1984 Thallein , for 14 musicians 1984 Nyuyo (Soleil couchant) for four musicians (Shakuhachi, Sangen, 2 Kotos) 1985 Alax , for 30 musicians, divided into three ensembles 1985 Idmen A , for mixed choir (64 voices) and 4 percussionists 1985 Idmen B , for six percussionists and choir ad libitum 1985 Jalons , for 15 musicians 1986 Horos , for 89 musicians 1986 Akea , for piano and string quartet 1986 Keqrops , for piano and 92 musicians 1986 Keren , for trombone 1986 À l'île de Gorée , for amplified harpsichord and 12 musicians 1986 Tracées , for 94 musicians 1987 Xas , for saxophone quartet 1987 Ata , for 89 musicians 1987 À r. (Hommage à Ravel) , for piano 1987 Kassandra , for baritone (with psaltery) and solo percussionist 1987 Taurhiphanie , two-channel tape, music made with UPIC (CEMAMu Paris) 1987–88 Waarg , for 13 musicians 1988 Rebonds A et B , for solo percussion 1987–89 Échange , for bass clarinet and 13 musicians 1989 Epicycle , for violoncello and 12 musicians 1989 Oophaa , for harpsichord and percussion 1989 Voyage absolu des Unari vers Andromède for two-channel tape, music realized with UPIC (CEMAMu Paris) 1989 Okho , for three Djembé players, 1989 Knephas , for mixed choir (32 voices) 1990 Tetora , for string quartet 1990 Tuorakemsu , for 90 musicians 1990 Kyania , for 90 musicians 1990 Troorkh , for trombone and 89 musicians 1991 Gendy 3 , for two-channel tape, realized with the GENDYN program (CEMAMu Paris) 1991 Krinoidi , for 71 musicians 1991 Roai , for 90 musicians 1991 Dox-Orkh , for violin and 89 musicians 1991 Paille in the Wind , for violoncello and piano 1992 Pu wijnuej we fyp , for children's choir 1992 La Déesse Athéna , scene from Oresteia for baritone solo and 11 instruments 1992 Mosaiques , for orchestra composed of 91 musicians 1993 Bakxai Evrvpidov (Les Bacchantes d'Euripide) , for baritone solo, female choir and 9 instrumentalists 1993 Plektó (lichen) for six instrumentalists 1993 Twilight , for 89 musicians 1993–94 Koiranoi , for 88 musicians 1994 P. 709 , realized for two-channel tape with the GENDYN program (CEMAMu Paris) 1994 Mnamas Xapin Witoldowi Lutoslawskiemu , for two horns and two trumpets 1994 Ergma , for string quartet 1994 Sea Nymphs , for mixed choir (24 voices) 1994 Voile , for 20 strings 1995 Ioolkos , for 89 musicians 1995 Kai , for 9 instrumentalists 1995 Kuilenn , for 9 wind instruments 1995 Zythos , for trombone and six percussionists 1996 Hunem-Iduhey , for violin and violoncello 1996 Roscobeck , for violoncello and double bass 1996 Ittidra , for string sextet 1996 Sea-Change , for 88 musicians 1997 O-Mega , for solo percussion and 13 instruments 1997

literature

• André Baltensperger, Iannis Xenakis and stochastic music. Composition in the field of tension between architecture and mathematics , Zurich 1995.
• Harry Halbreich : Yannis Xenakis . In: La Grande Encyclopédie . 20 volumes, Larousse, Paris 1971–1976, pp. 14702–14704 (French).
• James Harley, Xenakis. His life in music , London 2004. ISBN 0-415-97145-4 .
• Nouritza Matossian, Xenakis , London 1986. ISBN 1-871082-17-X .
• Ralph Paland and Christoph von Blumröder (eds.), Iannis Xenakis: The electroacoustic work. International Symposium. Conference report 2006 , Vienna 2009 (= Signals from Cologne. Contributions to the Music of Time, Volume 14), ISBN 978-3-85450-414-6 .
• Christoph Schmidt, composition and play. To Iannis Xenakis , studiopunkt, Cologne 1995 (Berliner Musik Studien 4), ISBN 978-3-89564-006-3 .
• Bálint András Varga, Conversations with Iannis Xenakis , London 1996. ISBN 0-571-17959-2 .
• Iannis Xenakis, Formalized Music. Thought and Mathematics in Music (Musique formelles, 1963) , Hillsdale-New York 1992, ISBN 1-57647-079-2 .

Web links

• Literature by and about Iannis Xenakis in the catalog of the German National Library
• http://www.iannis-xenakis.org/ (French, English)
• Entry on the website of the Académie des Beaux-Arts

Individual evidence

1. ^ ISCM Honorary Members
2. ↑ Honorary Members: Iannis Xenakis. American Academy of Arts and Letters, accessed March 27, 2019 . 
3. ↑ MusikTexte , 2/2001, p. 22
4. ^ Iannis Xenakis, Formalized Music. , 1992, pp. 329-334.
5. ↑ IanniX - A graphical real-time open-source sequencer for digital art . Retrieved June 7, 2012 from http://iannix.org