Iannis Xenakis was born one hundred years ago in Romania. While still a child, he settled in Greece, and lived his adolescence in Athens. There he became actively involved in political movements during World War II. He then did his military service during the Civil War and, in a commitment to the resistance against the British, was wounded and forced into exile abroad. It was in Paris that he eventually built his career; first as an architect in Le Corbusier’s studio, then as a composer, having studied with Olivier Messiaen. His music reflects this erratic path, at the confluence of architecture, mathematics, music, and above all, a strong personality that never allowed itself to be anchored to schools or conventions.
His first creation in which percussions and the spatial arrangement of the instrumentalists stand out was Pithoprakta, from 1956. In the following decade, he composed Persephassa for the six percussionists of As Percussões de Strasburgo, which was the first professional group composed exclusively of percussion instruments and with permanent activity since 1962 – now the Percussões da Metropolitana have taken its place. The title of the work derives from the name Persephone, daughter of Zeus and queen of the underworld. It was premiered in September 1969 in the ruins of Persepolis, “The Persian City”, in Iran. The instrumental apparatus, composed of cymbals, timpani, tom-toms, and drums, was arranged in a hexagon around the audience, providing an immersive experience lasting approximately half an hour.
But before that, Tomás Moital performs solo another creation by Xenakis, from 1975. In this case, the title is borrowed from the Greek poetess Sappho, whose writings date back to the 6th century B.C. The composer was inspired by the metrics of her poetry to define the mathematical formulas that determine the rhythmic structure of the score. It is a particularly challenging work for the interpreter, for the way it entangles textures that combine metallic percussions and membranophones.
Centennial of the Birth of Iannis Xenakis
Metropolitana’s Percussions
I. Xenakis Psappha, for solo percussion
I. Xenakis Persephassa, for six percussionists
Tomás Moital soloist
Marco Fernandes musical direction
