Ep.32 - GMEEOORH, Iannis Xenakis (1974)

In this episode, we discuss the music of the late Iannis Xenakis, a widely performed 20th century composer who’s 100th birthday was just celebrated in Paris with an exhibition and multiple concerts. Xenakis, whose experimental use of mathematics and architecture in composing music anticipated so much of the 21st century and whose musical scores can be baffling to even the most seasoned interpreter wrote a work for pipe organ that still to this day, stretches the capabilities of the performer and the organ itself. We first sit down with organist Suanne Kujala was chosen to perform this work at the recent celebrations in Paris.

This notoriously difficult piece by Xenakis continues to challenge countless performers around the world since its publication in 1974. Our second guest, Eun-Joo Ju is an organist at Presbyterian Home, and Kenilworth Union Church in Illinois; her keen interest in this work, led to her choosing it as the subject for her thesis studies

 

 

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