# you CAN enjoy Xenakis



## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

I was driving home today and had the classical music radio channel on (BBC Radio 3) and I heard this piece by Xenakis - Rebonds B and just had to stop the car to listen to it - I think its great and have listened to it three times more - I hope some other people hear it and enjoy it too


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## Xenakiboy (May 8, 2016)

He's my #1 favourite composer, and the percussion works are really strong, pounding forces of nature! 

Good to see someone else enjoying some of his work! :tiphat:

Though I can see this thread easily turning into an argument of; Does the 21st Century Suck?


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

Xenakiboy said:


> Though I can see this thread easily turning into an argument of; Does the 21st Century Suck?


Its easy - just ignore them and refuse to engage in their attempts to deny the title of this thread


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## Xenakiboy (May 8, 2016)

Have you heard Persephassa, Pleiades or Psappha by any chance? They are another three of his landmarks in the percussion world! :tiphat:


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I seem to enjoy some of the solo and chamber pieces more than the orchestral stuff. I have the Timpani orchestral set (5 CDs) but it's just too much overbearing industrial style dissonance, and crude sounding to my ears. And I'm someone who loves dissonant music, but so far this stuff doesn't really move my soul.


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## Xenakiboy (May 8, 2016)

starthrower said:


> I seem to enjoy some of the solo and chamber pieces more than the orchestral stuff. I have the Timpani orchestral set (5 CDs) but it's just too much overbearing industrial style dissonance, and crude sounding to my ears. And I'm someone who loves dissonant music, but so far this stuff doesn't really move my soul.


The orchestral stuff is very ecstatic to me, but surprisingly good background music too!

The Chamber music is very nice, I love the string music and the piano music, it's so good. Then the Chamber ensemble music is a very good look at a composer (whether it's intended) putting restrictions on himself to create more possibilities!

The only Xenakis I don't really like at all is the UPIC electronic stuff, I don't get how someone can compose something so jarring.

But as for everything else Xenakis, he holds a very special place in my heart and is easily my most listened-to composer. 

_though I am challenging myself to go Xenakis-less for a whole week, and I don't know if that's possible_


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

I like Rebonds too, but it is not really representative of Xenakis sound over-all. 

When someone mentions they like Rebonds, to me it just means they like Rebonds. If they tell me they like works like Metastasis or Persepolis I believe they like Xenakis.


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## SeptimalTritone (Jul 7, 2014)

Hmm...

the electronic stuff by Xenakis is a very important part of his output. Tdc is right about Persepolis.

I also like Bohor:










I have the highest poetic praise for this work. It's one of the starkest early electronic works where I feel like I'm "in" something or in some place, perhaps a steel mill, or an old factory, or an ancient bells and chanting ceremony. Is it not one of the highest goals of electronic music to take us to new worlds that are half familiar, and half diving deep into our unconscious?

Note that the sound sources are familiar ones, yet heavily modified to produce a castle of sound. From this article, http://www.moz.ac.at/sem/lehre/lib/mat/text/xenakis-bohor/ "These diverse sources were transformed and assembled into a seamless sound continuum, anchored by a heavy drone derived from the Byzantine chant and Laotian mouth organ, and clothed by percussive sound patterns derived from the prepared piano and bell-trimmed jewelry."

Note that it's hard to pick out, due to electronic modification, these particular sounds, the effect is more of a slowly changing drone with a cascade of percussion on top.


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## Xenakiboy (May 8, 2016)

SeptimalTritone said:


> Hmm...
> 
> the electronic stuff by Xenakis is a very important part of his output. Tdc is right about Persepolis.
> 
> ...


I like Bohor, Persepolis, Diamorphasis, Concrete and most of the electronic music  but S709 and Mycenae Alpha (ones with the really artificial high pitch frequencies) hurt my ears


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Xenakiboy said:


> I like Bohor, Persepolis, Diamorphasis, Concrete and most of the electronic music  but S709 and Mycenae Alpha (ones with the really artificial high pitch frequencies) hurt my ears


Must not be a fan of Legend D'ere huh?


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## Xenakiboy (May 8, 2016)

violadude said:


> Must not be a fan of Legend D'ere huh?


Not really, but it is one that I put on occasionally. It also may be a good head cleanser! (make you feel refreshed again?) 

_though some of these electronic works vary in effect depending on what format it's playing on (stereo vs internet or ipod..._ :tiphat:


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## SeptimalTritone (Jul 7, 2014)

Xenakiboy said:


> I like Bohor, Persepolis, Diamorphasis, Concrete and most of the electronic music  but S709 and Mycenae Alpha (ones with the really artificial high pitch frequencies) hurt my ears


I know what you mean. The issue with those, for me, isn't necessarily the high pitch but the thinness of sound: they are elaborations of one or a few relatively pure pitch-noise structures. I would prefer something more full and rich, like La legende de'er.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

1)


Headphone Hermit said:


> you CAN enjoy Xenakis


2)


Headphone Hermit said:


> I hope some other people hear it and enjoy it too


==> "I hope SOME people can enjoy Xenakis"

Corrected it there for you.
Pure logic


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

Azol said:


> 1)
> 2)
> 
> ==> "I hope SOME people can enjoy Xenakis"
> ...


I am perfectly capable of using capital letters for emphasis WHEN I desire to do so

I did NOT choose to do so in post #1 because I intended 'some' and not 'SOME'

Ergo, it did not require (nor merit) your correction. Pure logic


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