Iannis Xenakis (1 of 2) Filmed Interview in English with German subtitles

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  • čas přidán 27. 10. 2010
  • Iannis Xenakis English interview with German subtitles. Includes extracts of interviews with Volker Banfield Heinz Otto Peitgen.
    Iannis Xenakis was born on May 29, 1922 in Braîla (Romania) as a son of Clearchos Xenakis and Fotini Pavlou. Around the age of five, he settled, with his father, in Greece. From 1947 he started studying at the Polytechnical Institute in Athens, where he was also part of the anti-fascist and later anti-English underground movement. Because of these activities he was sentenced to death in 1947. The same year he fled to France where he started working as an architect, being an assistant of Le Corbusier. He continued working with Le Corbusier until 1960. In these years he realized a.o. the Couvent de La Tourette (1955) and the Philips Pavilion at the Expo in Brussels (1958).
    His first musical studies were around 1948 with Arthur Honegger, Nadia Boulanger and Darius Milhaud. In 1949-50 he studied with Olivier Messiaen, who encouraged him to develop his musical ideas.
    In 1953 he married Françoise Gargouil. In 1965 Xenakis founded the Centre d'études de Mathématiques et Automatique Musicales (CEMAMu) in Paris. Between 1967 and 1972 he was Music Professor as well as founder of the Center for Mathematical automated Music (CMAM) at the Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. From 1972 to 1989 he was Professor at the Sorbonne University in Paris and in 1975 he was Professor of Music at the City University of London.
    Xenakis received many awards and titles such as the Manos Hadjidakis Prize in Athens (1963), the Nippon Academy Award (1971), Officier de l'Ordre National du Mérite in Paris (1985) etc.etc.
    Iannis Xenakis died on Sunday, February 4, 2001. He is survived by his wife Françoise and his daughter Makhi.
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Komentáře • 85

  • @minasgekos
    @minasgekos Před 13 lety +100

    A man born in Romania, who fought for Greece, lived in Paris, giving an interview in English to German interviewers and known for composing a music that had no borders. Mr Xenakis the perfect cosmopolitan in the Diogenian meaning of the term.

    • @Henry-lb9fg
      @Henry-lb9fg Před 5 lety +9

      Not only fought for Greece but he was a Greek actually

    • @michaelsoza4183
      @michaelsoza4183 Před 4 lety +2

      who cares about all that ? His music is pure boredom !!!!! music is the matter and not his life .

    • @prema9878
      @prema9878 Před 4 lety +13

      @@michaelsoza4183 clear illiterate and uninformed opinion here

    • @MorganHayes_Composer.Pianist
      @MorganHayes_Composer.Pianist Před 2 lety +8

      @@michaelsoza4183 his music is thrilling : I remember being knocked sideways when I heard a broadcast of 'Keqrops' as a teenager. Each to their own.

    • @carlosluis1970
      @carlosluis1970 Před rokem

      @@michaelsoza4183 is boredom for you, or you pretend to be the voice and thinking of all mankind...? you wish!! you're a little dictator isn't you ?

  • @barettjohnson6979
    @barettjohnson6979 Před 12 lety +11

    And, remember, he was--very probably--the most important person in making the Philips Pavillion at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair--a reality. "Le Corb" sketched the general idea of the building but left ALL the engineering details to Xenakis (& subordinates) primarily. Additionally, Xenakis's humility aided in the successful incorporation of Varese's music installation, Poeme Electronique...Xenakis was the perfect person to realize ( and integrate) the ideas of both Le Corb & Varese...

  • @AndrewToovey
    @AndrewToovey  Před 13 lety +16

    I'm putting more performances and interviews up later - but I love this man and his music!

  • @davephillips1263
    @davephillips1263 Před rokem +2

    Thank you for posting this wonderful interview with one of the true 20th century musical Titans. Every time I dip into his music and/or writings I feel that new paths have opened for my own explorations. This man defines the word "heroic".

  • @Steve_Max
    @Steve_Max Před 11 lety +5

    This is awesome! He seems like such a warm and humble person. Thanks very much for the upload.

  • @stevehallock2
    @stevehallock2 Před 11 lety +3

    Thank you so much for posting this. You have provided a valuable service to us.

  • @JohnRSamples
    @JohnRSamples Před 12 lety +62

    I once played ping-pong with Iannis. He lost 21-4. As his final ball trundled mercilessly into the net, he reflected: You know, John, I'm crap.

  • @johnappleseed8369
    @johnappleseed8369 Před 8 lety +36

    I love you Iannis, you're literally my favourite anything! your music means so much to me and will always be my favourite!

    • @sangd4lang
      @sangd4lang Před 4 lety +1

      @@feinbird9161 that's not joke.

    • @sangd4lang
      @sangd4lang Před 4 lety

      @@feinbird9161 old school classical music lover wouldn't understand.

    • @sangd4lang
      @sangd4lang Před 4 lety

      @Bruno56 It's called modern classical music. Even noise sometimes is part of the composition.

    • @johnappleseed8369
      @johnappleseed8369 Před 4 lety +1

      @Bruno56 Yes, Xenakis then Webern, Varese, Stravinsky, Messiaen, Stockhausen, Ligeti and Grisey.

    • @simonhoarau-piano9679
      @simonhoarau-piano9679 Před 3 lety

      Could you tell me why you love his music ? I'm getting curious about his music, I'm discovering it and I'm trying to understand it and to appreciate it :)

  • @OperaCantata
    @OperaCantata Před 12 lety +7

    What a man! He changed my perception of music and live in general.

  • @briancornish2076
    @briancornish2076 Před 5 lety +13

    In moving from engineering to music and having lived through the tumult of world war Xenakis crossed the twentieth century divide between fact and value, unifying both as they should be. In my opinion this is what gives his music its power.

    • @akashrima7917
      @akashrima7917 Před 4 lety +1

      @Bruno56 " Composing noises " perhaps u have very immature ears.

    • @briancornish2076
      @briancornish2076 Před 4 lety

      @Bruno56 I would probably like that guys backing

    • @akashrima7917
      @akashrima7917 Před 4 lety

      @Bruno56 I will still say that u sir still have pretty immature ears for no mature ear would deduce avant garde music as noise . Also sir u took the word immature too literally for by that word I meant a non musician ear. And judging from the above comments it is pretty safe to say that u are really a non musician. And a avant garde music is no doubt superior( in terms of complexity and other aspects) than the music that came before it. History literally shows that as time went by music become more and more complex . So it won't take someone to solve complex algebraic problems to declare a Mahler Symphony or any Lizst sonata as more complex than any Bach or Handel piece.
      Now to the main point . People like u have a false notion that we , the patrons of avant garde music , consider ourselves as superior and more educated than others who listen to non avant garde music. But in reality it's exactly the opposite. First of all liking a particular type of music is purely subjective and I really don't have any problem with people who likes non avant garde music . But what I can't stand is these type of remarks about avant garde music - " It is only noise " " It is total garbage
      " " My 5 year old can compose this (most ironical statement that I ever heard I mean I literally burst out laughing when see this ) " " It's a cat walking on a piano " and other bullshit blah blah blahs. I mean imagine if someone comes out of nowhere and says " Chopin's music is bullshit ( again don't take it seriously I am just giving an example Also I am a devotee of Chopin's music so don't accuse me of defaming Chopin )" then how would u feel sir . Wouldn't u want to punch him or her in his or her face . In fact it is pretty justifiable to do so . Now imagine how we feel when u people shout out some bullshit stupid statements like " this pure noise " etc etc. Let us now consider some other genres of music. There are some people whose ears are seriously allergic to Rock music . And the scenario is similar to that of avant garde music. They simply dismiss them as loud noise but ironically they aren't. Even sometimes Jazz music also faces this type of discrimination. I wouldn't even have bothered about ur liking or not liking of avant garde music bcoz that's purely subjective . But criticizing music which u people don't understand is no doubt equal to commiting a folly. Hope u understand sir.

    • @akashrima7917
      @akashrima7917 Před 4 lety

      @Bruno56 WTF . Did u even read my whole comment. I don't think so. Moreover I don't think u are some 60 years old guy . Judging from ur hostile comments I think ur just a 9 or 10 years old kid who knows nothing other than ' fuck off ' . Perhaps I shouldn't even have called u "sir" for u deserve not a single word of respect .

    • @carlosluis1970
      @carlosluis1970 Před rokem

      @@akashrima7917 LOL

  • @earlrobicheaux2632
    @earlrobicheaux2632 Před 3 lety +1

    Rare. Thanks for posting.

  • @SteveCournane
    @SteveCournane Před 3 lety

    Thank you so much for this

  • @rafalimpim
    @rafalimpim Před 8 lety +16

    what an incredibly bright man

    • @CalamityInAction
      @CalamityInAction Před 4 lety

      Bruno56 He means bright as a person, but necessarily as a musician. Also even though you may think Brahms sounds much better, they have two completely different styles and goals when it comes to music

    • @CalamityInAction
      @CalamityInAction Před 4 lety

      Bruno56 The noise of certain composers sounds different than that of others

    • @CalamityInAction
      @CalamityInAction Před 4 lety +1

      @Bruno56 All fat women don't look the same. And avant-garde music isn't even my favorite music. I like Liszt more, but I still enjoy the "noises" for their novelty

  • @theo9952
    @theo9952 Před 13 lety +3

    I feel so privelaged to have been twice in performances that took place in his presence... He even ...participated in one !

  • @vaspers
    @vaspers Před 8 lety +11

    IANNIS XENAKIS is one of my top 10 favorite composers. I have much of his music on CD and a book of interviews with him. He is so profound. He invented abrasive noise music long before Merzbow was even born.

  • @clarinetjo
    @clarinetjo Před 4 lety +2

    A great musician, his music is always wonderful !

  • @Ledgeview
    @Ledgeview Před 12 lety

    thanks!

  • @liamwhitney509
    @liamwhitney509 Před 4 lety +1

    I'm in awe.

  • @kernelstudios8996
    @kernelstudios8996 Před 7 lety +4

    one of the most prominent figure in XX century music. fullstop.

  • @vintage0x
    @vintage0x Před 12 lety +8

    He speaks really wonderful english!

  • @robkeeleycomposer
    @robkeeleycomposer Před rokem

    A genius. Light years from my own preoccupations, but his music, at its best, thrills me every time with its elemental power

  • @theo9952
    @theo9952 Před 13 lety

    @JamesAlexanderGale
    Must have been in 1990 or 91 in the roman theatre in Athens. The first work to be performed was an electronic composition titled MYKINAE A. Xenakis manipulated the controls of the sound consol. This was followed by a performance of compositions for amplified harpsicord and percussion played by Elizabeth Chojnacka and Sylvio Gualda.

  • @EdwardWhelanPiano
    @EdwardWhelanPiano Před 13 lety +4

    What an amazing man. Have you any more interviews?

  • @JamesAlexanderGale
    @JamesAlexanderGale Před 13 lety

    @theo9952 What was he playing/doing in the performance he participated in it?

  • @alessandroseravalle1523

    Great!!!!!!

  • @mroit
    @mroit Před 13 lety +4

    When did this interview take place?? I'm fascinated!

  • @blakedegraw7958
    @blakedegraw7958 Před 4 lety +5

    Always nice to see trolls take an interest in orchestral composers, for better or worse. It's amazing how self-conscious Xenakis' music makes some people feel.

    • @nandocordeiro5853
      @nandocordeiro5853 Před 2 lety +2

      Or they just think it’s bad, I mean music’s not a game about feeling self-conscious or not.

  • @Raul-vlc-86
    @Raul-vlc-86 Před 3 lety +1

    Xenakis is so right about the early intransigence of serialists (specially Boulez, who despised Xenaki's music)

    • @MorganHayes_Composer.Pianist
      @MorganHayes_Composer.Pianist Před 2 lety

      Boulez despised Xenakis and yet performed it, and made recordings of his music? Check out his recording of 'Thaellein' .

    • @Raul-vlc-86
      @Raul-vlc-86 Před 2 lety +1

      @@MorganHayes_Composer.Pianist Boulez also hated Stravinsky's Neoclassical work and later conducted his Capriccio...I mean, I guess we are speaking here about a very specific time in which Boulez was too prone to musical belligerence. (Which i think he later regretted, although only partially.)

  • @buttclef
    @buttclef Před 11 lety +2

    This a very deep man.

  • @jaw5787
    @jaw5787 Před 3 lety +2

    Translation of the german questions:
    4:20: What was the scandal, where was that opposition coming from, could you elaborate on that?
    4:30: So it was more of a music-political question that you didn't belong to the predominant theory that everything must fit? So it wasn't as much the sound as the theory [that caused the opposition]?

  • @videtivivideti
    @videtivivideti Před 11 lety +1

  • @sangd4lang
    @sangd4lang Před 5 lety +5

    This guy almost made me left the metal scene. Genius.

  • @bathtubbarracuda2581
    @bathtubbarracuda2581 Před 3 lety +4

    "The serialists, they were like fascists"
    And even after Xenakis died, serialists like Boulez did all they could to try and cancel him

    • @finosuilleabhain7781
      @finosuilleabhain7781 Před 2 lety

      How? By conducting and recording his music? An odd way of going about it.

  • @RPS3000
    @RPS3000 Před 5 lety +1

    he is so brilliant

  • @jnsurg947
    @jnsurg947 Před 8 lety +5

    Iannis Xernakis participated in anti-NAZIS Resistance in Greece. H had gunshot wound onhis face and lost his left eye in the battle against English after the withdrawal of Germans.

    • @unified_method
      @unified_method Před 6 lety

      actually I heard that was beacause of a tank!

  • @jonasbaes3914
    @jonasbaes3914 Před 2 lety

    "...the serial people were like fascists..." 4:29

  • @Fasistoktonos_
    @Fasistoktonos_ Před rokem

    A true guerilla. Long live EAM-ELAS

  • @pinkasarp2250
    @pinkasarp2250 Před 2 lety

    " in Athens, where he was also part of the anti-fascist and later anti-English underground movement. " - In Athens in 1944, the English / Churchill were fascists