"Drawn Into the Flight Path of the Sounds": Xenakis Listening Thread

Dox-Orkh: enjoyable; strong sense of dialogue between the solo violinist (Arditti) and the orchestra (Moscow Phil), structured a bit like a call and response where the orchestra mostly plays cluster chords while the violinist works with glissandi and double stops. Works well both for close listening and background listening ime.

Orchestral works from the year punk broke:

Week 32

Krinòïdi, 1991
Roáï, 1991
Troorkh, trbn, orch, 1991

Krinoïdi is pretty interesting. The strings, winds, and brass dialogue with and play against each other for 10m (in the Tamayo recording). Some familiar use of orchestral clusters but now that melody and motive have solidly become much more important in X's music, I think I have to finally properly understand how the pitch sieves work and how they're being used to really grasp the stuff on a more analytical level.

Returning to Krinoïdi this morning, it was clicking more on an affective level, listening to the tension between the different levels of activity in different voices and different sections - passages where the strings shift to standing back and sustaining dense chords while we get complex rhythmic motives from brass or winds are especially nice. Nice flow and drama

Roaï grabbed me more immediately - foreboding; would work great as a horror film soundtrack!

Jalons was Week 28 btw. Maybe I could ask my wife about the Star Trek thing.

Troorkh is cool, quite different from Keren in terms of how the trombone is handled - he does make much more use of glissandi here; also a lot of use of the trombone's lovely highest register. Dialogue between the soloist and orchestral is strong and varied, with a lot of back and forth with the orchestral trombones. It's again more built around melody, motive, and rhythm than timbral exploration or stochastic density, and reminiscent at times of early 20th century atonal music. Because the form is so complex and not clearly narrative, my attention drifts a bit at times, but it's pleasant.

Waarg! He does have the best titles ever.

Practically everything but orchestral music this week:

Week 33

Tetora, str qt, 1990
GENDY3, 2-track, Dynamic Stochastic Synthesis, 1991
Pu wijnuej we fyp (A. Rimbaud), children’s choir, 1992
Paille in the wind, vc, pf, 1992

Just listened to the Arditti recording of Tetora and I loved it right away. It's more traditionally structured - introduces motivic/thematic material at the outset, then develops it. Just very strong writing, with effective dramatic movement between homophonic/homorhythmic passages and tight call-and-response dialogue between the violins vs viola & cello, with some really crunchy dyads, esp in the violins.

Paille in the wind: pretty sure I've listened to this before but I listened several times now, first to the Arne Deforce/Dean Vanderwalle recording, then to Rohan de Saram/Aki Takahashi. It's a short and sparse piece but gripping and effective and easy to grasp right away. Begins with sparse piano clusters with the pedal down, spreading out across the range of the keyboard; then the cello enters in its low register, again mostly playing slow quarter notes with no vibrato over piano resonance, starting softly and building into a dramatic crescendo; the pianist punctuates the cello line, takes over briefly, then the cello returns in a higher register, eventually working its way back down with just a couple of piano punctuations.

Harley on Tetora, much more in depth than what I wrote above:

It is appropriate, though certainly arbitrary, to close another phase of Xenakis’s output with a string quartet. As Tetras (1983) epitomizes many of the concerns leading into the 1980s, Tetora incorporates a number of characteristics found in the music leading into the 1990s.22 Compared to the earlier quartet, this one is much simplified in terms of texture: the tempo and pace of events is slower, pitch-based melodic contours are more prominent, the intervallic qualities of the sieves strongly color the expression of the music, and chordal passages are organized in a tightly controlled though unpredictable manner.

Tetora means “four” (in the ancient Dorian dialect), as does Tetras, but there is in fact much less homogeneity in the later piece. The quartet is often divided into two duos, distinguished by register, and there are numerous solo, or soloaccompanied, passages as well. There are no glissandi, no grinding noises or other effects, no trills, tremolandi, or microtones, and very little use of polyrhythms. The music is structured according to the predominance of melodic or harmonic/ rhythmic material. There is a great deal of fluidity within these domains, and a fair amount of convergence or juxtaposition as well.

The melodic material can be subdivided into six categories: (1) solo; (2) twopart (or more) counterpoint; (3) resonated, where individual notes of the solo melody are sustained by the other instruments; (4) distributed, where each note of the melody is played by a different instrument—hocket-like; (5) chorale, where one line is prominent, but is supported by parallel-moving chords; and (6) accompanied (by harmonic or ostinato material). The opening passage of Tetora (mm. 1–21) is entirely melodic in orientation, but the structure, in terms of changing sub-entities, is quite intricate. The melody itself proceeds very smoothly, with the one major shift of register (going into m. 9) being linked to the switch from first violin to second. This dichotomy between a relatively stable line and a rapid succession of textural variation carries through much of the melodic material, creating a sense of formal fluidity and continuous development that contrasts with the block-like structure of many other compositions.

The harmonic material can be distinguished by the degree of rhythmic synchronization, ranging from tutti chords to two-part structures (usually pitting the violins against the viola and cello) and four-part ones in which each instrument plays double stops, often within a layered ostinato setting. Registral contiguity is another important factor in characterizing the harmonic material. The first such passage, for example, taking over from the melodic material at the end of m. 21, is very disjunct, the tutti chords jumping up and down by as much as two octaves. By contrast, the next chordal passage, coming after a short melodic interlude at mm. 25–26, is highly contiguous (again featuring a synchronized rhythmic structure). With such progressions, the harmonic entity starts to merge with the melodic “chorale” entity, the distinction generally being that the main impetus for the passage is either linear or vertical.

While Tetora proceeds as an alternation between melodic and harmonic passages, the variety of rhythmic structures generally associated with the chordal material gradually begins to dominate the music. The final extended passage of melodic material occurs at mm. 86–100, carrying the music to the 11'00" mark of its over-sixteen-minute duration.23 This section features two-part counterpoint, shifting from first violin and viola to viola and cello, with high, punctuating chords being added at m. 91.

At m. 101 each instrument plays an irregular cycle of double-stops according to an independent rhythmic structure, including polyrhythms. Given the very slow tempo, the aim is to create a floating rhythmic counterpoint rather than layered tempi. At m. 109, the players are synchronized for a brief passage of tutti chords before sliding back into nebulous contrapuntal material. At m. 115, however, the quartet comes together in a clearly structured, two-part texture built from multiples of the basic sixteenth-note pulse. In this section, the violins are more active than the lower pair, but the two parts interlock to create an ongoing pulse (shifting from 16th-notes to 8ths at m. 116, and thereafter the rhythmic pattern is somewhat more irregular). The whole passage is divided into segments, and each pair draws upon a set of chords for each segment, usually four for the violins and three for the lower duo (the viola and cello play an ostinato on one chord in the first segment at mm. 115–16). These segments are distinguished by changes in the pitch sieve from which the chords are drawn, or rather, by transpositions of a single sieve. The underlying unity of the passage is difficult to hear, but the sense of harmonic progression, segment by segment, is quite apparent. Finally, at m. 128, this material leads directly into the final passage.

This section is similar in construction to the previous one, being built from irregular progressions of a limited set of chords for the two duos, this time six for the violins and five for the viola and cello. The pairs are brought together rhythmically, though, and the pattern of durations is derived from a sieve (see fig. 30). Xenakis treats this sieve simply, repeating the cycle of durations and then reversing it. The addition of a 3+1–1–1 segment in between the second and third statements of the set allows for a palindrome to be created as well, something not readily perceivable by the listener but which lends a certain elegance to the structure. While this passage is decidedly harmonic rather than melodic, it should be noted that the chords of the upper pair are contained within narrow range (and are narrowly voiced), resulting in quite a smooth progression. The clustered sonority precludes the projection of a clear line, but a certain melodic sense is conveyed nonetheless.

The attention to structural details, as evidenced in this final passage as well as in the intricate succession of melodic textures in the opening section, are what makes Tetora a worthy successor to Tetras. While the earlier quartet is far more dazzling, this one contains a lyricism that is remarkably strong, as well as an obvious obvious affinity for the sonorities of the string quartet. Even if the music is shorn of many of the elements that made the earlier score so compelling, the formal depth and sureness of tone make this a substantial addition to the quartet repertoire. It has the added distinction of being within the realm of performance possibility for many more groups than the Arditti String Quartet. And this concern for wider accessibility is a major factor in the stylistic changes Xenakis’s music underwent through the 1980s.

GENDY3: the sounds here seem much more varied and pleasant than what we were getting from the last couple of UPIC pieces. As Harley notes, there is a surprising amount of consonance and steady, sustained sounds, while we still have a lot of continuous variation. It actually sounds like a more direct ancestor of a lot of experimental synth/noise noodling you can stream on Soundcloud and works similarly as enjoyable music to have on in the background while going about things. I don't really feel that there's enough formal unity or narrative to justify its length as a piece for dedicated active listening but, hey, always good to be able to throw something on while getting through the day.

Pu wijnuej we fyp (A. Rimbaud): the title and text apparently come from anagrams of a Rimbaud poem. It's quite unique for a children's choir piece - not a simple composition, certainly not just the kind of chanting we get in a number of X's choral pieces. A lot of really dense multi-voiced clusters and glissando effects. Some spectacular moments when a single voice expands out into an eleven-part cluster.

A little late to start this week but looks to be interesting:

Week 34

Mosaïques, 1993
Plektó, fl, cl, perc, pf, vn, vc, 1993
Dämmerschein, 1993–4
Koïranoï 1994

Plektó is nice modern chamber music, more built around counterpoint melody, and rhythm, with strong energy. An enjoyable listen all the way through.

I've listened to Dämmerschein several times now. I find it very pleasant. Although it doesn't have quite the same intensity as the earlier orchestral music, the way the large clusters almost rock back and forth is enjoyable. Nice dynamic range.

Haven't found a recording of Mosaïques yet.

I swear I'll get back to this soon. I'm almost done catching up with my 2021 playlist.

Can't find a recording of Koïranoï either?

The hour-long Les Bacchantes d' Euripide seems to still be unrecorded so we're going to focus on a lot of shorter works for

Week 35

Sea-Nymphs (phonemes from W. Shakespeare: The Tempest), SATB (24 minimum), 1994
Ergma, str qt, 1994
Mnamas Xapin Witoldowi Lutoslavskiemu [In Memory of Witold Lutosławski], 2 hn, 2 tpt, 1994
S 709, 2-track Dynamic Stochastic Synthesis, 1994
Ioolkos, 1995
Kaï, fl, cl, bn, tpt, trbn, vn, va, vc, db, 1995

The version of Sea-Nymphs by the BBC singers here is fantastic. I haven't focused much on the text but it's got a lot of energy, textural variation, and what sound like amazing beating effects from (I think?) quarter-tone harmonies:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KsRb8CxnWE

Ergma also really enjoyable. I listened to the JACK quartet's recording a couple of times. It just grinds away for eight minutes, consistently slow and loud, with the strings usually playing crunchy clusters together in homorhythm (but not in parallel motion); players are mostly playing double stops of major sevenths or minor ninths. Might appeal to doom metal fans?

À la mémoire de Witold Lutoslawski: I listened to the recording from this album I have had a copy of for a while: https://moderecords.com/catalog/056xenakis/ . I've heard it before ofc but not in a while. It's pretty interesting, really seems to make the most out of three and half minutes, using very dense counterpoint between trumpet-horn pairs. Unlike the other two pieces, dissonance is less of a focus. There are actually a lot of clear, perfect intervals, approached with neighbouring dissonances. Relatively static dynamically and very even and steady in its rhythm, it's somewhat reminiscent of early polyphonic music, which makes sense for a memorial piece.

Ioolkos: just listened to it here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNM4_8chRU4

A good, bracing one. Starts out fff and stays there for seven minutes, with counterpoint between the sections of the huge orchestra, generally harmonized in dense clusters. (I might have guessed they were in quarter-tones but Harley says they're chromatic. The extent of the dissonance is probably just coming from the density of the harmony.) I'm enjoying these compact statements.

I think the title is Ioolkos rather than Loolkos but the video is labelled as the latter.

S.709: another dynamic stochastic synthesis piece, seven minutes long. This one doesn't seem to aspire to a clear sectional form or linear narrative development; the sounds are being constantly modulated. There is a lot of variety and activity and it holds my interest but hasn't moved me very deeply beyond that. Incidentally, it is a pleasant, even gentle listen on the Electronic Music CD through my audio interface and monitor speakers but blew my ears out on a YouTube stream on my phone through cheap headphones.

We're near the end and have probably no more than 70m left of music. I'm splitting it up over the next two weeks. Somehow I missed Kaï last week so I'm adding it here.

Week 36

Voile, str, 1995
Kaï, fl, cl, bn, tpt, trbn, vn, va, vc, db, 1995
Kuïlenn, fl, 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 bn, 2 hn, 1995
Hunem-Iduhey, vn, vc, 1996
Ittidra, str sextet, 1996

Voile is pretty well-crafted and satisfying. The strings play dense block chords (a 40-note sieve, apparently), then arpeggiate them, then expand on the pitch material through various textures of block chords, glissandi, arpeggios, and counterpoint, ultimately ending with large chordal statements.

oof, this has been going on 36 weeks? I'm sorry to keep missing this.

BTW I appear to have accidentally timed my trip to Paris (May 2021) at the same time the Radio France orchestra is having a Xenakis weekend!

(I intentionally timed my trip to coincide with performances of Fin De Partie by Kurtag at the Opera Ganier!).

Are these late works a little more austere than the earlier, more famous ones (sorry if that has been mentioned before)?

I can't find online versions of:
Kaï, fl, cl, bn, tpt, trbn, vn, va, vc, db, 1995
Kuïlenn, fl, 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 bn, 2 hn, 1995

Yes, "austere" is probably fair. I haven't found those yet either. I did listen to three recordings of Hunem-Iduhey this morning, by Deforce/Aerts, Michell/Kanka, and Project SIS (live video). The relative dryness and clarity of Michell/Kanka made the lines very easy to pick out. Project SIS had great live energy. It's a compact 3m piece with a very steady pulse, moving between passages where one player sustains a longer note while the other plays a melodic line and passages where they play together. Again, satisfying and well-crafted.

V cool re Paris btw

I listened to Ittidra ("Arditti" backwards) twice this morning. It's interesting and seems of a piece with many of these other late pieces. Consistently fff, with the string mostly playing together in dense chromatic vertical harmonies. Has the grinding, churning quality that I've got from a few of these pieces.

And we've reached the end of our journey. Last week of this, unless recordings of some of the other pieces turn up.

Week 37

Sea-Change, 1997
O-Mega, perc solo, chbr orch, 1997
Roscobeck, vc, db, 1996
Zythos, trbn, 6 perc, 1996

I've listened to Sea-Change and O-Mega a couple of times each, the Steven Schick/ICE recording of O-Mega and this Proms recording of Sea-Change on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8ocz2glNC8
Both seem a bit unfinished at first blush. Might want to read more and return to them.

Listened to Roscobeck a few times over the last couple of days and I like it a lot. Seems more substantial. Similar to Hunem-Iduhey in that it's a string duo but it's longer and for cello/double bass, which obviously makes a big difference in terms of sonority. The two players are often playing together homorhythmically or close; sounds like both are playing double-stops at times. A lot of close intervals, which can result in a muddy grind in that register, although X also pushes them both to the top of their registers as well. Pulse seems steady. Again, satisfyingly crafted.

Zythos is really nice. I listened to the recording by Benny Sluchin/Steven Schick/Red Fish Blue Fish. Steady rhythm again, and a beautiful variety of percussion and trombone timbres.

Revisiting Sea-Change (without much reading), I don't know how I ever heard it as "unfinished". It's dramatic and accomplishes a lot in its five and a half minutes (in the Proms performance). There's a tense dialogue/conflict between melodic lines in the brass and wind sections over ominous clusters that develops and reaches an unresolved, lonely-sounding conclusion.

And returning to O-Mega, again, I get a lot more out of it, both from the Steven Schick/ICE recording and what looks like a student performance from Stony Brook University from 2013: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAOnH9Afn98

The percussionist keeps loud, powerful rhythmic material going continuously, beginning and ending the piece solo. The sections of the chamber orchestra pass harmonic and melodic material around between each other, ending, as Harley notes, with a chorale in the brass before a full ensemble phrase leading into the final solo percussion material. (I actually liked this last bit better in the SBU performance!)

And I think that's it for me, ending with iirc the last piece Xenakis ever wrote!

https://karlrecords.bandcamp.com/album/electroacoustic-works

I just finished listening to Bohor from this box set and it is so much more immediate and immersive than the two other versions I've heard (EMF and Recollection GRM). Those sound distant and tinny by comparison. Looking forward to hearing the rest of the set.

o__O. Saving that.

https://karlrecords.bandcamp.com/album/electroacoustic-works🕸🕸

I just finished listening to Bohor from this box set and it is so much more immediate and immersive than the two other versions I've heard (EMF and Recollection GRM). Those sound distant and tinny by comparison. Looking forward to hearing the rest of the set.

Yes. My bandcamp download came with a PDF of the LP set booklet.

Yes. My bandcamp download came with a PDF of the LP set booklet.

I was going to Paris for a few days next week and someone has just pointed out this is happening while I'm there:

https://philharmoniedeparis.fr/fr/activite/exposition/24162-revolutions-xenakis

Huzzah!

I’m in Paris when Radio France is doing their weekend Xenakis festival. Have tickets to the two orchestral concerts of the series cause no American orchestra ever does.

Also seeing Kurtag’s Fin de Partie at the Opera Garnier.

Yes, it's the centenary of the big guy's birth this year... not that you'd ever hear about that in the UK of course.

Wow!