Jonchaies
Iannis Xenakis (Ιωάννης Ιάννης Ξενάκης) (May 29, 1922 – February 4, 2001) w… Read Full Bio ↴Iannis Xenakis (Ιωάννης Ιάννης Ξενάκης) (May 29, 1922 – February 4, 2001) was a Greek composer, music theorist and architect. He is commonly recognized as one of the most important post-war avant-garde composers. Xenakis pioneered the use of mathematical models such as applications of set theory, varied use of stochastic processes, game theory, etc., in music, and was also an important influence on the development of electronic music.
Xenakis was born in Braila, Romania. In 1932 his family returned to Greece, and he was educated on Spetsai and at the Athens Polytechnic, where he studied engineering. In 1947 he arrived in Paris, where he became a member of Le Corbusier's architectural team, producing his first musical work, Metastasis, only in 1954, based on the design for the surfaces of the Philips Pavilion to be built for the Brussels Exposition of 1958.
This, with its divided strings and mass effects, had an enormous influence; but in ensuing works he moved on to find mathematical and computer means of handling large numbers of events, drawing on (for example) Gaussian distribution (ST/10, Atrées), Markovian chains (Analogiques) and game theory (Duel, Stratégie). Other interests were in electronic music (Bohor, 1962), ancient Greek drama (used in several settings) and instrumental virtuosity (Herma for piano, 1964; Nomos alpha for cello, 1966). His later output, chiefly of orchestral and instrumental pieces, is large, many works from the mid-1970s onwards striking back from modernist complexity to ostinatos and modes suggestive of folk music.
Xenakis was born in Braila, Romania. In 1932 his family returned to Greece, and he was educated on Spetsai and at the Athens Polytechnic, where he studied engineering. In 1947 he arrived in Paris, where he became a member of Le Corbusier's architectural team, producing his first musical work, Metastasis, only in 1954, based on the design for the surfaces of the Philips Pavilion to be built for the Brussels Exposition of 1958.
This, with its divided strings and mass effects, had an enormous influence; but in ensuing works he moved on to find mathematical and computer means of handling large numbers of events, drawing on (for example) Gaussian distribution (ST/10, Atrées), Markovian chains (Analogiques) and game theory (Duel, Stratégie). Other interests were in electronic music (Bohor, 1962), ancient Greek drama (used in several settings) and instrumental virtuosity (Herma for piano, 1964; Nomos alpha for cello, 1966). His later output, chiefly of orchestral and instrumental pieces, is large, many works from the mid-1970s onwards striking back from modernist complexity to ostinatos and modes suggestive of folk music.
More Genres
No Artists Found
More Artists
Load All
No Albums Found
More Albums
Load All
No Tracks Found
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found
Jonchaies
Iannis Xenakis Lyrics
No lyrics text found for this track.
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
BB Blye Studio
First time I listened to this I was pretty astonished at how violent and barbaric it was. I already loved pieces like the Rite of Spring so when I found out this was going to be playing at the BBC Proms, I was pretty skeptical at how it would be since I thought it was a bit overwhelming. Never in my experience of live performances had I encountered a piece with such power delivering an atmosphere which is indescribable. With each of the drums resonating with my whole body, this truly was an unforgettable experience, listening to this live. I really appreciate this composer and the complexity and depth of this piece, which is unlike anything I've ever heard.
Alejandro Vidal
@Jon N. cool! What piece did you see played?
Jon N.
@Alejandro Vidal Having just been to a concert of Xenakis' music I think it really has to be heard live. It's that intense.
Alejandro Vidal
Seeing this piece played live is one of my biggest dreams. It's a pity the BBC did not streamed or taped that concert. What a missed opportunity.
DerSibbe
I'm normally not a Xenakis fan to be honest but this was just Incredible! Love it
Sara Ondo
Xenakis, the embodiment of oragnized chaos.
I remember as a kid listening to him and wondering how he can make an orchestra sound like a jet engine.
"She dances in the wind ",Threnody for Frank Zappa "
David JD Johnson
Stochastic music is almost the opposite of serial composition which (like almost all earlier music) started from a musical microcosm, a single line, and grew it outwards (but sometimes in a rather rigid way). Instead Xenakis started from the overall principles governing the movements of massed sounds and worked down to the individual lines that make it up, only at the end. It was a response to music that had become too complex for the organisation to be audible.
Cardiacs
@NotDuckie Grow up
NotDuckie
Ratio
Pepper Williams
I'm revisiting this masterful piece again on February 15, 2023. Stravinsky and Bernard Herrmann "shines through" this brilliant composition.