Iannis Xenakis

Celluloid and Marble is based on Rohmer's own articles published in "Cahiers du cinéma", discussing film in relation to the other arts, maintaining that, in an age of cultural self-consciousness, cinema was “the last refuge of poetry” - the only contemporary art form from which metaphor could still spring naturally and spontaneously.

This is a documentary film on the life and work of the composer Iannis Xenakis, the “architect of sound”, whose visionary work reconciles art with science. The film develops in such a way to show how Xenakis’ philosophy, architectural experience, mathematics and political background morph into music and how physical phenomena are transformed into musical expression.

Over two hours of rare performances, interviews, animations, and experimental video. Milton Babbit’s discussion of the difficulties of working with archaic synthesizers in the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center in the 1950s and ’60s is a firm reminder of just how foreign electronic sounds were to even the academic community only 40 years ago. Likewise, Paul Lansky’s private lesson with theremin inventor Leon Theremin is an example of how non-user friendly electronic musical instruments could be, even to people who should have the best sense of how to approach them.

No plot available for this movie.

BBC TV documentary

For the past ten years Zappa in composing has turned away from Rock and Roll music - for which he first became famous - and has been working on new, contemporary, orchestral electronic music; in solitude and beyond any commercial conventions or commitments. It is the first time that Zappa has allowed a film crew to study him during compositional work, actually filming the first moments of a new compositional process. By contrast, in a staged interview Zappa gives comments on music. This film seeks to reveal the sensetivities of Zappa's personality and character also beyond narrative content.

A conversation between Morton Feldman and lannis Xenakis which took place on Friday, July 4, 1986 at De Kloveniersdoelen, Middelburg, The Netherlands. The conversation was part of a five day master-class given by Morton Feldman during the Festival Nieuwe Muziek, June 19–July 6, 1986. Morton Feldman’s Trio (1980) was performed by Aki Takahashi, piano, Mifune Tsuji, violin and Tadashi Tanaka, violoncello on Thursday, July 3, 1986 at De Kloveniersdoelen, Middelburg.

"A renowned composer and organist, Olivier Messiaen was also a great teacher. Michel Fano, who took his composition class at the Paris Conservatory, films some of the privileged moments of his teaching. This film, co-directed with Denise Tual, also shows Messiaen as a devotee, an ornithologist, and a synaesthete, evoking the fundamental concepts of his inspiration with an often sparkling ease (the musician imitating certain bird songs in a manner reminiscent of Rouch recreating the cries of wizards for certain films). In this way, the film boldly collides sequences with visual or sound correspondences, the directors succeeding in dragging us into the world of mystery and dreams dear to the musician." (François Waledisch)

The creation of Iannis Xenakis’ « Persephassa » at the Shiraz-Persepolis Art Festival. There are only a few archives left of this piece, for its ring-like disposition around the audience made it difficult for people to record it or take pictures of it. When it was created in Persepolis, each percussionist was settled on the stump of a column of the Palace of Darius. The distance between them could go as far as 164 feet (50 metres).

Edgard Varèse died on 6 November 1965, a few days before the filming of the rehearsal of his work "Déserts" which he had to attend.