Iannis Xenakis: The Electro-Acoustic Works

Research and artistic director: Christoph von Blumröder
Artists / participants: Agostino Di Scipio (I), Simon Emmerson (GB), Anastasia Georgaki (GR), James Harley (CA), Sharon Kanach (US/FR), Gérard Pape (FR), Makis Solomos (GR, FR) and others
Venue: Institute of Musicology at the University of Cologne
Schedule: 11 - 14 Oct. 2006


This symposium will address Xenakis' ideas of music as being a mathematically and scientifically anchored form of media art. As a radical avant-gardist among the composers of the 20th century, Xenakis realized his pioneering intermedial concepts primarily in connection with electro-acoustic media. His concept of "polytopes", the performance of which place high demands on the interconnection between sound, light and space, are extremely significant in this area and require intensive scientific study. While high-ranking musicologists from around the world will meet at a symposium to discuss methods of approaching Xenakis' electro-acoustic compositions, public audiences will be able to enjoy five concert events in multi-media format featuring the composer's entire electro-acoustic works.