Eridanos by Iannis Xenakis: An Analytical Approach

Abstract

Eridanos (1972) for orchestra was composed after a period of intense theoretical concerns which culminated in the publication of the first English edition of Formalized Music (1971). If at the beginning of 1970s Xenakis' compositional methods were influenced by his new proposals in microsound structure, in Eridanos, the composer sought new theoretical grounds. From the notes to the score we know that he was inspired by the "construction of organisms in the image of polynucleotide genetic chains." Relying on many music examples, graphic representations of the score and written documents found in the Xenakis Archives held at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, this presentation shows how Xenakis incorporates and treats these ideas in his music. It also demonstrates the particularity of Eridanos in terms of Xenakis's own trajectory.