Mystery 35 Αeschylus Project – Iannis Xenakis: Oresteia

The iconic work by a prophet of the international avant-garde music scene, Mystery 35 IANNIS XENAKIS: ORESTEÏA will be presented at the Old Oil Mill Factory Amphitheatre on Sunday 23 July by the Athens State Orchestra, with the participation of the Greek Radio Choir, the City of Athens Choir, and the Kodály Conservatory Children’s Choir. A rare artistic event within the framework of the Legacy Project AESCHYLUS Project ^ by 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture, which returns in its second iteration at the birthplace of the great tragic poet as an informal but explosive debate on the Aeschylean drama which always remains alive and crucial to contemporary issues of justice, humanism, and politics.

The words of Aeschylus combine archaic grandeur, ritual robustness, and Dionysian ecstasy. Iannis Xenakis – a foundational figure of the international avant-garde music scene during the second half of the 20^th century – was directly inspired by these elements when composing his Oresteïa (1965-1966), a work that distils the plot and very essence of the Aeschylean trilogy, teetering on the cusp between opera, oratorio, and ritualistic dance theatre.

Without any intention of employing traditional “embellishments”, the music places an emphasis on primal rhythms (hence the extensive use of percussion instruments), and on the expressive power of speech, which is constantly hewn and remoulded by means of imaginative and contemporary compositional techniques. This centenary year of the great composer’s birth presents a great opportunity for the revival of his thrilling, evocative, and altogether immensely demanding piece of music at the hands of the Athens State Orchestra and its top-tier artistic associates.