Xenakis: Evryali; Herma; Mist [Import]

Herma was first performed in Toyko by Yuji Takahashi in February 1962, and represented the stochastic methods Xenakis had pioneered utilizing the ancient-like computers of that day. It is subtitled "musique symbolique pour piano". Herma means "bond" or it can mean "embryo". The extreme pointillism is forever a fascinating maze for the listener to enter,but the process here is that this piece attempts to cohere and doesn't, so we have an endless tension,irresolvable. The Xenakis aesthetic equates sound to nature,to process,clouds,arborecences,geometric metaphors,all of which has worked quite well in his hands.Sound as a metaphor like a fixed gaze at sound, at timbre as a stationary object, yet it motions itself internally.In Xenakis we cannot say the work has an internal process from tradition,he had never worked along those lines.

Herma was an early masterwork and a well thought departure from the serial tyranny of the times. When you listen to Herma, it is still linearly, there is no real texture to contemplate. Texture for Xeankis came later with Evyrali. The title means something uncontrollable, also dangerous, and here the work portrays an anger, but subjectivity doesn't quite work in Xeankis since his creations have a somewhat anoymous dimension to them. The continuous repetitions in Evyrali is spellbinding, it has that end-of-the-world feel to it, some irrational part of nature is being explored,not quite like Hitchcock's "The Birds" where the cinema screen can be thought of as a texture when you see the flocks and mobs, and gatherings of the Birds. Like wise Mists seems to be cut from the same cloth as evyrali,repetition,mindless it seems, texture bound which does maintain our interest. Texture has been a point of interest and repulsion within modernist expressions. Elliott Carter never found texture an interesting route for modernist expression,Carter has argued that texture in an of itself doesn't hold our interest,nor has it a structural potential,as linear musical thinking. I think it does if handled with some vision, as Xenakis so does with all these works.

Takahashi here knows this music very well, one of the premiere performers of this music.She brings a point that her hands are mere conduits. The chamber works see the piano situated within the welter of opaque colours.

I love this album! Xenakis is one of the greatest and most unique composers of the 20h century. It can take a while to get into this stuff, but when you do it's deep and multi layered work.

Take heed that this cd is remastered from its initial release (1999?), with the '6 Chansons' added as a bonus. I had the original release, but sold it, and though I don't recall the differences in mastering, I can tell you that this is my favorite piano cd for the unbelievable performances, and recording, which, in its remastered condition, brings an immediateness that is startling. The notes snap, crackle, and pop out of the speakers with supernatural clarity and presence, making the impression of atoms hurtling passed you more clear than in any other recording (I've heard,... but seriously, no one is given the 'spread' we have here).

I usually only listen to the three Masterpieces, and their interpretations stand alone. In 'Herma', she takes the cue from Halffer's version (though she absolutely fixes the problems in his interpretation), in 'Evryali' she has no peer in delicacy (though there are many other fine interpretations), and in 'Mists' I have heard no better (though Helffer on Accord (NOT the one from the Arditti set, which I rank lower than most all other famous contenders), and Kormendi on Hungaroton both have a very earthy take that is perfectly in opposition to Takahashi's more crystallized and fluid time particles dancing in air).

I hardly ever listen to the rest of the program, but not for lack of quality,... just that there are other versions of each ('Palimpsest' and 'Dikhthas' both on Wergo),... and I just have never bothered with the '6 Chansons'. The fact is is that Ms. Takahashi's performances of the three show stoppers is enough for me to almost hands down call this my favorite cd. That, and the remastered sound on this cd is just monstrously perfect, perhaps reminding one of some of those perfect Philips recordings of the piano.

Thanks to Brian at Mode, also, for the vision. This is a demonstration cd of the highest order. Bravo!!

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