Charisma X

Description:

A screening of Efi Xirou’s documentary Charisma X: Iannis Xenakis (2008) took place in the Grand Luxe Hall. The hour-long film follows the life of composer and architect Iannis Xenakis from childhood through his final composition, “O-mega” (1997). Key moments in Xenakis’s career as an architect are interspersed with archival footage of musical performances, interviews, and commentary from collaborators. The film highlights achievements that include the Philips Pavilion at Expo ’58 for Le Corbusier; the convent of La Tourette—his home in Corsica, France; the house he designed for his daughter Mâkhi Xenakis and her partner François-Bernard Mache in Paris, France; the staging of his opera Orestïa (1966); and the development of his computerised musical composition tool UPIC (Unité Polyagogique Informatique CEMAMu).

The screening was presented on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of Xenakis’s death, and as part of Vancouver New Music’s production Random Elements: A Celebration of Iannis Xenakis and the Xenakis Festival.