The Greek National Opera continues its collaboration with the National Museum of Contemporary Art Αthens (ΕΜΣΤ) with a new concert cycle that will take place in the context of the ΕΜΣΤ exhibition dedicated to Iannis Xenakis, one of the most important creative artists of the 20th century.
In these three short concerts, the enterprising, Thessaloniki-based dissonArt ensemble, among the most serious “ambassadors” of contemporary music in Greece, will perform three iconic works by Iannis Xenakis in the premises of the National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens on Wednesday 29 November 2023, at 14.00, 16.00 and 18.00.
The first concert (with a 15-minute duration) includes the works Kottos for solo cello (1977) and Charisma for clarinet and cello (1971) and will take place on the ΕΜΣΤ Ground Floor at 14.00. The second concert (with a 15-minute duration) will take place in the same space, at 16.00, featuring the works Ikhoor for string trio (1978) and Charisma. The programme concludes with the third concert (with a 20-minute duration) featuring the works Kottos and Ikhoor on the 2nd Floor of the ΕΜΣΤ at 18.00.
The works will be performed by the dissonArt ensemble members Alexandros Stavridis (clarinet), Theodoros Patsalidis (violin), David Bogorad (viola) and Vassilis Saitis (cello).
WORKS
Kottos
With the work Kottos, Xenakis turns once again to ancient Greek iconography, and specifically to the Titanomachy: “Kottos is one of the three Giants with a hundred arms and fifty heads (son of Uranus and Gaia) who were allies of Zeus in the battle against the Titans – whom he eventually defeated: this is a reference to the fury and virtuosity required for the interpretation of this work,” as he notes. The chthonic aspect of Xenakis’s poetics, his attraction to cosmic forces and harsh, raw sounds is expressed here through the creation of an athletic work for solo cello, turbulent and full of animal energy, which, like so many of this innovative composer’s solo works, hovers thrillingly on the brink of the unperformable. Kottos was written for the Mstislav Rostropovich International Competition, where it was first performed on 28 June 1977.
Charisma
The oldest of the three works on the programme, written for clarinet and cello, is dedicated to the composer Jean-Pierre Guézec, who died prematurely almost a month before the first performance of the work, given by clarinettist Guy Deplus and cellist Jacques Wiederker at the Festival de Royan on 6 April 1971. The composer prefaces his score with a quotation from the Iliad referring to the death of the young Patroclus, as a tribute to his young student and collaborator. Charisma is one of the composer’s most timbre-oriented works, and Makis Solomos describes it as “Xenakis’ greatest concession to the surrounding atmosphere of the time.” The extremely demanding piece makes use of numerous extended techniques (quarter tones, multiphonics, artificial harmonic glissandi, playing near the bridge, unconventional tunings, beating effects…) and radically challenges the boundaries of musical sound and noise.
Ikhoor
“Ikhoor is the transparent and ethereal liquid that flows in the veins of the gods instead of blood,” notes Xenakis about the title of the work, written for and first performed by the French String Trio at the Palais Garnier in Paris on 2 April 1978. Music for strings lent itself particularly well to Xenakis’s explorations of sonic flow and continuous textures. Ikhoor makes extensive use of glissando and continues the rhythmic innovations that Xenakis had introduced three years earlier with the percussion work Psappha, often in the form of persistent repetitions (ostinato). Moreover, the heterophonic texture produced by the exposition of similar melodic material in different tempos links this work to Xenakis’ almost contemporary, giant orchestral work Jonchaies (1977). “Various voices sing roughly the same melody, creating something that is neither homophony nor polyphony. The result is a sort of wreath, a kind of sonic reflection.” (Makis Solomos)
ACCESS
From 14.00, entry to the Museum is free.
CO-PRODUCTION
