Xenakis: Pleiades / Psappha

Featuring

Anders Loguin
Gert Mortensen
Kroumata Percussion Ensemble
Iannis Xenakis

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Historical Context

As a young Communist, Iannis Xenakis took an active part in the Greek Resistance Movement, during which he was severely wounded and lost an eye.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Iannis Xenakis, the composer, was described by his teacher Messiaen as 'one of the most remarkable people I know'.

Composer Biography

Iannis Xenakis, the composer, was deeply fascinated by music from a young age but initially pursued studies in mathematics, physics, law, and archaeology.

Composer Biography

Iannis Xenakis worked as an engineer with the famous architect Le Corbusier, and his music is often described as reflecting his interest in spatial dimensions and mathematical laws.

Compositional Technique

For his work Pléiades, Iannis Xenakis created a new, powerful scale that, to his surprise, resembled ancient scales from Greece, the Far East, and Indonesia.

Performer Biography

The Kroumata Percussion Ensemble, featured on this album, has played together since 1978 and is employed by the Swedish Rikskonserter organization, allowing them to devote themselves full-time to percussion music.

Instruments

In the 'Métaux' movement of Pléiades, each musician plays a unique metal instrument called SIXXEN, constructed specifically for this work and named after the six musicians and Xenakis.