IANNIS XENAKIS: PLEIADES & PERSEPHASSA

It has been said on several occasions that, thanks to percussion, Xenakis reintroduced the problem of rhythm which we thought had disappeared from contemporary music. Architect, engineer and composer, this giant of composition writes music whose complex and harmonious structure constitutes a paradox with the explosive energy that is extracted from it.

From the close collaboration of Xenakis with the Percussions de Strasbourg were born, ten years apart, two fundamental works: Persephassa in 1969 and Pléiades in 1979. The first, working on the spatialization of sound, is a sound choreography. The second is one of the composer’s finest pieces. The richness of the timbres, the freedom and the coherence of the composition make this work a unique rhythmic adventure.

In 2022, Les Percussions de Strasbourg will celebrate both the composer’s centenary and the ensemble’s sixty years.

Iannis XENAKIS – Pléiades (1979) 45 ′
intermission
Iannis XENAKIS – Persephassa (1969) 35 ′