Oresteia is the second longest work by Iannis Xenakis, who set the tragic tale of Agamemnon, Clytemnestra and their son Orestes to music, loosely based on Aeschylus. Using a variety of vocal techniques and an impressive arsenal of percussion, the Greek-French composer added an incisively scored work to his name, on the cutting edge of the avant-garde and archaism. Xenakis has revised this music theatre work no less than four times. Besides the ever-present choir, a baritone solo sparkles in the definitive version, with vocal inflections that betray the influence of Japanese Noh and Kabuki theatre. This Dutch-Flemish co-production is rounded off with a première by Annelies van Parys, a former student at the Ghent Conservatoire, who likens her manner of composing to painting with colours in sound. 

Coproduction Vocaallab Nederland; Transparant, Antwerp; Concertgebouw Bruges.

© Boosey & Hawkes, Londen / Albersen Verhuur B.V., ‘s-Gravenhage
Annelies Van Parys An Oresteia: Commissioned by Eduard van Beinum Stichting

Artists

ANNELIES VAN PARYS
An Oresteia 
IANNIS XENAKIS 
Oresteia

ASKO|SCHÖNBERG
ASKO KAMERKOOR
conductor
Alejo Pérez
Kassandra
Tiemo Wang 
Athena
Romain Bischoff 
soprano
Bauwien van der Meer 
mezzo soprano
Elsbeth Gerritsen
mezzo soprano/alto
Els Mondelaers 
percussion
Joey Marijs
direction
Caroline Petrick