The Xenakis Ensemble is a Dutch music ensemble dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. Based in Middelburg, it is known as one of the few ensembles specializing in the works of the composer Iannis Xenakis. It is frequently conducted by Diego Masson, who conducted the performances of many of Xenakis's works, as well as other guest conductors including Huub Kerstens. Its concertmaster is Mifune Tsuji.
The group was founded in 1980, at the initiative of the foundation Nieuwe MUZIEK Zeeland of Middelburg and the pianist Geoffrey Douglas Madge, with the approval of the composer Iannis Xenakis. Co-founder Ad van 't Veer died in June 2021. [1]
Its repertoire includes over 40 compositions by Xenakis, some of which were written for the group (e.g., the 1986 À l'île de Gorée for amplified harpsichord and twelve musicians). The ensemble also performs recent works by Luca Francesconi, Morton Feldman, Willem Breuker, Jin Hi Kim, Huib Emmer, and Bunita Marcus.
The Xenakis Ensemble has released several CDs of the music of Iannis Xenakis (one in collaboration with the harpsichordist Elisabeth Chojnacka), as well as several other composers.
Aleatoricmusic is music in which some element of the composition is left to chance, and/or some primary element of a composed work's realization is left to the determination of its performer(s). The term is most often associated with procedures in which the chance element involves a relatively limited number of possibilities.
Giannis Klearchou Xenakis was a Romanian-born Greek-French avant-garde composer, music theorist, architect, performance director and engineer.
The Arditti Quartet is a string quartet founded in 1974 and led by the British violinist Irvine Arditti. The quartet is a globally recognized promoter of contemporary classical music and has a reputation for having a very wide repertoire. They first became known taking into their repertoire technically challenging pieces. Over the years, there have been personnel changes but Irvine Arditti is still at the helm, leading the group. The repertoire of the group is mostly music from the last 50 years with a strong emphasis on living composers. Their aim from the beginning has been to collaborate with composers during the rehearsal process. However, unlike some other groups, it is loyal to music of a classical vein and avoids cross-genre music. The Quartet has performed in major concert halls and cultural festivals all over the world and has the longest discography of any group of its type. In 1999, it won the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize for lifetime achievement, being the first and only group to date to receive this award.
Unsuk Chin is a South Korean composer of contemporary classical music, who is based in Berlin, Germany. Chin was a self-taught pianist from a young age and studied composition at Seoul National University as well as with György Ligeti at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg.
A percussion ensemble is a musical ensemble consisting of only percussion instruments. Although the term can be used to describe any such group, it commonly refers to groups of classically trained percussionists performing primarily classical music. In America, percussion ensembles are most commonly found at conservatories, though some professional groups, such as Nexus and So Percussion exist. Drumlines and groups who regularly meet for drum circles are two other forms of the percussion ensemble.
Ivo van Emmerik is a Dutch composer.
Philip Howard is a British-born composer and pianist, at present best known for his performances of music by Morton Feldman and Iannis Xenakis.
Harry Sparnaay was a noted Dutch bass clarinetist, composer, and teacher.
The Raschèr Saxophone Quartet is a professional ensemble of four saxophonists which performs classical and modern music.
James Wood is a British conductor, composer of contemporary classical music and former percussionist. Wood studied composition with Nadia Boulanger in Paris from 1971 to 1972 before going on to study music at Cambridge University, where he was organ scholar of Sidney Sussex College from 1972 until 1975. After graduating from Cambridge he went on to study percussion and conducting at the Royal Academy of Music, London, from 1975 until 1976. After a further year studying percussion privately with Nicholas Cole, Wood embarked on a triple career as percussionist, composer and conductor.
Asko|Schönberg is a Dutch chamber orchestra that specialises in contemporary classical music, especially that of the 21st century. It was formed by a merger of the Asko Ensemble and the Schönberg Ensemble in 2009.
Elisabeth Chojnacka was a Polish harpsichordist living in France. She was one of the world's foremost harpsichordists specializing in the performance of contemporary harpsichord music.
Gerard Bouwhuis is a Dutch pianist, best known for his work on contemporary music. A graduate from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague under Geoffrey Douglas Madge, he is a member of the Xenakis Ensemble. Composers such as Louis Andriessen, Cornelis de Bondt and Martijn Padding have written works for him.
Kraanerg is a composition for 23 instruments and 4-channel analog tape composed by Iannis Xenakis in 1968, as ballet, with choreography by Roland Petit and set design by Victor Vasarely. It was created for the grand opening of the Canadian National Arts Centre in Ottawa, intended to coincide with Expo 67. However, it was delayed to 1969.
Pléïades is a composition for six percussionists composed in 1978 by Greek composer Iannis Xenakis, originally commissioned by the percussion ensemble Les Percussions de Strasbourg. It is notable for its use of the sixxen, an instrument Xenakis had constructed specifically for the piece.
Rebonds is a composition for solo percussion by Greek composer Iannis Xenakis. It was composed between 1987 and 1989 and, together with Psappha, is one of the two compositions for solo percussion by Xenakis.
Aroura is a composition for strings by Greek/French composer Iannis Xenakis. It was composed in 1971.
Ad van 't Veer was a Dutch music director and music group co-founder.
Eonta is a composition for piano, two trumpets, and three tenor trombones by Iannis Xenakis. It was written in 1963–64, and was premiered on December 16, 1964, by the Ensemble du Domaine Musical, with Yuji Takahashi on piano and Pierre Boulez conducting. Its duration is approximately 18 minutes.
Palimpsest is a composition for chamber ensemble by Greek-French composer Iannis Xenakis. It was composed in 1979.