Iannis Xenakis - Cendrées

Cendrées, for mixed choir and large orchestra (1973)

Chœurs de la Fondation Gulbenkian de Lisbonne
Orchestre National de France
Michel Tabachnik

Cendrées, for choir and orchestra, by lannis Xenakis, was commissioned by the Gulbenkian Foundation, where it was performed for the first time in 1974. The first French performance was in Paris, at the Salle Wagram, on 21 December, 1977. The work is headed by a bucolic epigraph, exceptionally for Xenakis: "Before the autumn, before the summer, before every season, when the sun is like a snow-flake, and when it comes down to meet the earth, all is white and opal; and this at times may be long-lasting. These are no mists, no dews, but cinders." Nonetheless, this is no descriptive work after the manner of Vivaldi or Beethoven, while being perhaps less strictly abstract a canvas than his earlier pieces which were rightly, though vaguely, described as "cosmic" in character. Is this the beginning of Xenakis the landscape-painter? Perhaps, but he still remains difficult to penetrate. Here is none of that gentleness and silence that the epigraph seemed to promise. After the rising glissandi of the violins and the descending ones of the cellos, are quickly superimposed those of the female voices, bringing movement and humanity to the process; then the male voices proffer, with a vulgar brutality, like rough shouts, apostrophes sung to vowel-sounds; the choirs and instruments mingle in an extraordinary "landscape" of timbres, rhythms, cries, and violent
punctuations leading to a superb tumult. A curious central episode begins with a solo, then a duet on the flutes, with some very fine microtonal sounds, broadening into a concert of all the woodwind, with acid sonorities and rhythms, bringing in the return of the tumultuous chorus. Various evocative episodes follow one upon the other until the end: astonishing solos, sobs or barking by the two contraltos (one of them a young man), also making use of the very expressive aura of microtonal inflections and accents; light scrapings on the violins over a distant murmur of the horns; sometimes the heavy rain of the strings and further looming walls of fearsome sounds; and finally choruses of breath, whispered like the last whisper of a lonely strand when the sea withdraws (with one last cry), -all this that can scarcely be described, has indeed the relief of an unknown landscape and leaves the impression of a lyricism that is as powerful as it is strange.
--John Underwood

Art by William Congdon

[FREE]

Xenakis is one of my favorite modern composers. Fresh sound, sparkling ideas, bold color. Love it!

[CsrlWiener]

Xenakis is so phenomenal and powerful like an elemental force. Praise and encouragement to those who can help us fully appreciate him

[stacey_rh]

What a creation. Xenakis was his own and he was brilliant

[lotharlamurtra]

Finally! I heard it decades ago and never found it again. One of the great Xenakis oeuvres.

[davisatdavis]

This made me feel emotions that I had never felt before... This piece left me shaking and with many questions.

[js-at]

Perfectly captures the feeling I just had when a student who didn't do the work and showed up late each time complained about his grade.

[Kabelczerwony]

Left me shaking and questioning greatness of all the works I've heard before. Thanks for sharing, greetings from Poland.

[pianomanhere]

Remarkable. I thought that Penderecki's "St. Luke Passion" would be difficult to sing. This sounds much more difficult. Thank you for posting this.

[edgarjosuepedrazacervantes]

Nice. I was feeling very stressed and listening to this helped me to liberate not only tension, but anger. There is close to no well made music expressing this kind of feelings.

[sonicsnap]

Imposing and beautiful work! I always listen to it with a big pleasure.

[bogorzelak]

Beautiful! Thank you for uploading this.

[ezekielnigma]

A tiny bit of this is reminiscent of Yeibichai singing, i'm in awe!

[emmanueleperra]

Amazing I.Xenakis composition ("Cendrées").

[Bashkii]

It is visceral and emotional....much better than the dry serialism of the Darmstadt school.

[davidwright]

This is to music as Samuel Beckett is to drama. Intense, raw and unsparing.

[doughsquid]

Reminds me of Frank Zappa - Didja Get Any Onya?

[cge]

Es como si todo se fuera por el sumidero

[robertwilkinson]

It's shining music or 2001 just definitely kubrick music.

[alexgabriel]

Xenakis grew up intellectually in a torment of geopolitical strife brought upon Greece by Nato and Soviet disputes. His Peace of mind was found in Math and its expression thro sound. The strife in Greece left all there in Despair that continues for decades...this music is speechlessness and despair in a way. You can call all this exploratory but does anyone dare say it s an expression of Xenakis s despair and lack of words to deal with the constant strife in Europe? Ioannes Koukouzeles the Byzantinr Music composer expresses a different state of the Soul than Xenakis. Xenakis studied Plato but was his Soul living the peace and philosophy leading to God and contemplation that was Plato s aim? See the writings of Festugiere on the Contemplative Life of Plato. Xenakis built a Platonic architecture house in Corsica but was he at peace after losing an eye while opposing British tanks rolling around in Athens?

[chairwave]

merci, ça mérite bien son pesant de cacahuète
bisou bisou