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A few years after composing Metastasis, Xenakis was asked by Le
Corbusier to suggest a design for the architecture of the Philips Pavilion
for the World Exhibition in Brussels. Xenakis took up the Metastasis idea
of ruled surfaces and transferred it back to architecture, designing and
calculating the walls of the Pavilion as ruled surfaces. Fig. 2.2. shows a first
model of the Philips Pavilion, which was built in reinforced concrete in
In this building, the sounds of Edgar Varèse's Poème electronique were
heard from 350 loudspeakers in the curved walls. After the exhibition, the
Pavilion was demolished.
Atmospheres - A vibrating space of timbre and movement
The composition of events, states and transformations is developed and
refined in Ligeti's orchestral work Atmospheres (1961). This is music without
melodic or rhythmic gestalts, and without clearly discernible pitches and
durations. Atmospheres is a flow of sound. Subtle changes in timbre,
intensity and movement create auditory impressions of variable sound
masses appearing and disappearing, approaching,
The Musical Timespace
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passing and withdrawing. Sheets and layers of sound are revealed or
superimposed, illuminated and darkened, changing in color and density.
Atmospheres is scored for 4 flutes, 4 oboes, 4 clarinets, 3 bassoons and
contrabasson, 6 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, tuba, piano and strings
(14,14,10,10,8). An excellent recording of the work is the one by the SWF
Radio Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden conducted by Ernest Bour,
issued on CD by Wergo and CBS, duration 8'33. Some characteristic
musical occurrences are the following:
Atmospheres
0'00 Sound emanates "out of nowhere", gradually changing in color,
nearly disappearing... 0'53
0'53 ... emerging, vibrating and growing, 1'18 being illuminated, 1'26
approaching, 1'45 brightening ... shimmering, 2' 00 dissolving ...
2'15 ... gently oscillating, 2'30 darkening ... 2'50 thinning out
2'56 ... trembling, 3'16 rising towards a high extreme ... 3'50
3'50 Sudden fall into darkness; 4'06 waves of transparent sound
gliding upwards and downwards, 4'40 growing and rotating,
4'46 slowing down
4'50 Subtle separate movements, 5'00 condensing in a few substantial
tones in rising motion, 5'11 penetrating, sharp intrusions, 5'43
receding in static sound, disappearing ... 6'35
6'35 Blowing; faint trembling, 6'53 strands of light, 7'06 waves of glit-
tering sound spectra, 7'34 darkening, disappearing ... 8'33.
This music creates impressions of height and depth, distance and proxi-
mity, transparence and density, brightness and darkness, stasis and
motion. Sensations of rise and fall are created by the massed pitches of
clusters moving high up and deep down, even if no single pitch height
stands out separately. Subtle oscillations, vibratos and tremolos add a
living quality to static or slow-moving sound. Impressions of varying
distances of sound events and of sound approaching and receding are
created by differences in attack and intensity. Sharply attacked tones seem
to protrude, softly initiated sounds seem to emerge far away or at an in-
definite distance. Crescendos create the impression of sound coming
nearer, diminuendo sounds seem to move away.