This DVD features interviews with various Iannis Xenakis experts such as Gerard Pape and James Harley, as well as his widow, Francoise Xenakis. This is the first DVD release of one of Xenakis' best known works, Kraanerg.
Product Description
This DVD features interviews with various Iannis Xenakis experts such as Gerard Pape and James Harley, as well as his widow, Fran輟ise Xenakis. This is the first DVD release of one of Xenakis' best known works, Kraanerg.
I'm writing this review to help balance the earlier reviewers who seem to feel that a DVD only offers video and nothing else. I haven't bought the CD version of this release since I already have a couple of excellent earlier ones. I bought this DVD for the 5.1 DTS mix. Even though I'd have preferred a DVD audio release without the visuals, I understand that in order for releases like this to be viable (I'm pretty sure that music like this barely makes a "blip" on the music sales radar), they must be available to the greatest number of potential buyers. A lot of people don't have a DVD audio player but it's likely they can listen in DTS or Dolby Digital (both of these options are present on this DVD). The DTS mix sounds quite good in surround on my equipment and is a distinct and welcome improvement over a two dimensional stereo mix in lower CD resolution. This music (any music worth hearing) deserves to be heard in the best presentation available. Outside of a live performance of Kraanerg, this is it!
Kraanerg is the piece that made me a fan of Xenakis and still, for me, is one of the most beautiful works of modernist music. And here you got another outstanding recording of it. I would have awarded the disk 5 points if it had been a CD with just this marvellous music.
Unfortunately there is a lot more on the DVD and most of it spoils the fun. As the Chinese say, it's like painting a snake and adding legs.
This seems to be the fate of Kraanerg ever since its first performance: At that time the music was well received by the critics but unfortunately a ballet was added and the dancing was a disaster. It was probably for that reason that Kraanerg never became the classic it should have been and has not been performed often. It seems Kraanerg does not need to be visualised: It better speaks for itself.
Although this incident is mentioned in the CD (in the booklet and an interview) the makers (Mode records) have not learned from it. Instead of a ballet they add pictures to the music: A badly edited film of the musicians playing the music during the "live" parts and a childish "music video" during the "electronic" parts. Both are annoying to watch. When there is a trombone solo you can bet the film shows the string section. For long periods of time you just see close-ups of the backs of musicians. Whoever did that had no understanding of the music at all. The "music video" is so bad I should not even mention it here.
This music is as powerful as the ocean and as mighty as a mountain landscape. Who needs silly music videos to enjoy the ocean?
I put the DVD into my CD player to see if I can listen to it without having to bear the visuals but it didn't work. So if you buy this, enjoy it with a big piece of cardboard in front of your TV screen. In the meantime I will keep the DVD in the shelf as a collectors item and listen to older recordings of Kraanerg instead.
This mistake has been made before: There is the Zeitkratzer CD and Mode Record's Legende d'Eer, both of which add terrible amateur "music videos" to Xenakis' music. I believe that even in the hands of professionals this idea would not work out. I can't understand how Mode Records could release something so poor. Their audio recordings are fine.
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