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Xenakis: Birds, Buildings and the Horror of War

Kate Molleson and Gillian Moore shine new light on the 'modern' music of the 20th century. This week, Kate explores the violent, architectural music of Iannis Xenakis.

Kate Molleson and Gillian Moore introduce ѿý Radio 3's series exploring the pivotal 'modern' musical works of the 20th century, the groundbreaking composers who created them, and the radical cultural and artistic movements which gave rise to them. This is a story about a hundred years of change. Of war. Of oppression. Of steps towards equality. Of censorship. Of rapid, inescapable technological advancement. Of machines. Of transport. Of science... And it's the story of how art and music responded, the story of the composers who defined the 20th century, who created 'modern' musical art which would shock, appall and fascinate in equal measure, changing the way we listen for ever.

In this episode, Kate explores the violent, architectural music of Iannis Xenakis, leading to a full performance of his “abstract ballet” ‘Antikthon’. In doing so, we travel from the war-torn streets of Greece in the 1940s, to the heart of a '50s Paris riding The New Wave. Along the way, we enter the heat and ritual of ancient Greece and Pythagorean theory, and pay visits to the studios of the architect Le Corbusier and the musique concrète pioneer Pierre Schaeffer.

Produced by Sam Phillips
A Reduced Listening production for ѿý Radio 3

To listen on most smart speakers just say, “ask ѿý Sounds to play 20th Century Radicals”

59 minutes

Music Played

  • The Beatles

    Let It Be

    • Let It Be.
    • Apple Records.
  • Iannis Xenakis

    Persephassa

    Ensemble: Les Percussions de Strasbourg.
    • Xenakis: Pleiades & Persephassa.
    • PERCUSSIONS DE STRASBOURG.
  • Georges Delerue

    Vacances

    Conductor: Hugh Wolff. Orchestra: London Sinfonietta.
    • Jules et Jim.
    • Milan.
  • Éliane Radigue

    Jouet électronique

    Performer: Éliane Radigue.
    • Jouet électronique — Elemental I.
    • INA grm.
  • Galina Ustvolskaya

    Duet for violin and piano

    Performer: Markus Hinterhäuser. Performer: Patricia Kopatchinskaja.
    • Galina Ustvolskaya.
    • ECM Records.
  • Olivier Messiaen

    Catalogue d'Oisseaux - no.3 Le Merle bleu

    Performer: Pierre‐Laurent Aimard.
    • Catalogue D'Oiseaux.
    • PentaTone.
  • Iannis Xenakis

    Antikhthon

    Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra. Conductor: Elgar Howarth.
    • Xenakis: Synaphaï, Aroura, Antikhthon & Keqrops.
    • DECCA.
  • Lou Reed

    Metal Machine Music

    Performer: Lou Reed.
    • Metal Machine Music (The Amine β Ring).
    • Great Expectations.

Broadcast

  • Sun 18 May 2025 21:00