Iannis Xenakis
Atrees / Morsima - Amorisma / ST/4 / Nomos Alpha
Angel Records (US) 1969
S-36560 (LP) w/company’s inner sleeve.
sleeve : EX-(light dirts.)
media : EX-/EX-(some light noise.)
This album, released in 1969 as part of Angel Records’ Music Of Today series, features works by the singular composer Iannis Xenakis, an extraordinary figure who led a double life as both an architect and a musician. During World War II, he took part in the anti-Nazi resistance movement, and after fleeing to France, he studied under the renowned architect Le Corbusier, eventually blossoming into a groundbreaking artist in both fields. The album includes four compositions: “Atrees” (A1), “Morsima - Amorisma” (A2), “ST/4” (B1), and “Nomos Alpha.” The first three pieces, from A1 to B1, were composed using computer-based calculations rooted in probability and statistics—an approach that clearly showcases Xenakis’s complex and mathematically driven musical vision. In contrast, B2, Nomos Alpha, written for solo cello and the second solo instrumental piece Xenakis composed, is a fiercely intense work that borders on avant-jazz in its raw expressiveness—strangely addictive and highly recommended.
A1: Atrees (Hommase a Pascal) for 10 Instruments
B2: Nomos Alpha