Keqrops
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| Keqrops | |
|---|---|
| by Iannis Xenakis | |
 Iannis Xenakis c. 1970 | |
| Genre | Contemporary music |
| Form | Piano concerto |
| Performed | 13 November 1986: New York |
| Published | 1987: Paris |
| Scoring | Piano and orchestra |
Keqrops (Greek: Κέκροψ, also incorrectly entitled by the composer Κεqροψ, which can be translated as weaving) is a composition for piano and orchestra by Greek/French composer Iannis Xenakis. Due to the prominent role of the piano soloist, it has often been classified as a piano concerto. It was completed in 1986.
The composition was commissioned by Phynea Paroufakis and Peter Paroufakis from Australia for the pianist Roger Woodward,[1] the New York Philharmonic, and conductor Zubin Mehta, who gave it a first performance on 13 November 1986 at the Lincoln Center in New York. The composition was published by Éditions Salabert in 1987.[2][3]
According to the composer, the title of the composition, as most of his other works, is a compound from other Greek words and roots: krekoo (Ancient Greek: κρικόω, "to close or connect by using a "κρίκος" [ring]) and opsis (Ancient Greek: ὄψις, "appearance, sight, vision"). Xenakis translated the title as weaving. However, Xenakis gave the title a second meaning. He also refers to the legend from the Mycenaean era of Cecrops I, originally from Sais in Egypt, who, in a reign of 50 years, introduced civilization into Attica, fortified the Acropolis of Athens and divided the people into four tribes.[3]
