Customer Reviews

Dammerschein / Persephassa

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3 star:		(3)
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Dammerschein is glorious, large orchestral blocks of music intersecting like a stormy sky. Way too short at only around 9 minutes! Of the other two Xenakis tracks; Perephassa is the all-percussion long-form 'famous' track which really does not get interesting untill after minute 16. Athéna has a silly falsetto vocal, it is hard to sit through. The CD concludes with a dynamic version of Varèse's Amériques. This is not the "must have" version - That would be the Utah Symphony recording from 1973 - this is the "different" version, in that it is more overly-dynamic than most. The siren almost obliterates the classic ending in this recording, it is just so loud. The playing on some of the fast, technical, instrumental-runs are blurred-over as well. Still, it is an exciting performance and recording of the composition.

I made the mistake of buying this disk as an introductory to Xenakis's music. If you're a beginner in studying the music of Xenakis, then you may want to start out with the Choral works or the Pliades. But if you're a long time Xenakis fan, then this music is just for you. Don't get me wrong, the music is fascinating. But if you're just starting out with Xenakis, don't buy this disk.

I made the mistake of buying this disk as an introductory to Xenakis's music. If you're a beginner in studying the music of Xenakis, then you may want to start out with the Choral works or the Pliades. But if you're a long time Xenakis fan, then this music is just for you. Don't get me wrong, the music is fascinating. But if you're just starting out with Xenakis, don't buy this disk.