Ivan Wyschnegradsky talking to Charles Amirkhanian while on a street in Paris, vs. 3 (1976)
Ivan Wyschnegradsky posing next to a billboard image of Leonard Bernstein, Paris, vs. 3 (1976)
Ivan Wyschnegradsky and Charles Amirkhanian standing in front of modern building, Paris (1976)
Ivan Wyschnegradsky, laughing with Carol Law on the streets of Paris (1976)
Portrait of Russian composer Ivan Wyschnegradsky in Paris (1976)
Ivan Wyschnegradsky, looking at camera, with air in cheeks while on a street in Paris (1976)
Ivan Wyschnegradsky and Carol Law arm in arm next to a Parisian storefront (1976)
Ivan Wyschnegradsky, standing in front of a black gate, Paris (1976)
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KPFA-FM Music Dept. ➔ Interview with Ivan Wyschnegradsky

Analog Audio

Event Type
Interviews
Origin
KPFA
Identifier
AM.1976.06.04
Program Length
62 min
Dates
| broadcast
| 1976-06-04 | created
Description
From his home in Paris, Russian-born composer Ivan Wyschnegradsky discusses with Charles Amirkhanian his approach to writing microtonal music, and his desire for a "chromatic revolution." He describes his invention of the quarter-tone piano that has two harps controlled by three keyboards, enabling performances by a single player, and elaborates on his subsequent evolution as a composer. Wyschnegradsky focuses on “The Day of Existence”, an early work (influenced by Scriabin) that he is revisiting, and his most popular piece, “Also Sprach Zarathustra”. He demonstrates the quarter-tone piano, and details his unconventional approach of dividing pitch space into "non-octavian" units. Wyschnegradsky also shares some of the logistical difficulties of composing such unique music, and describes his desire to popularize microtonal, or "hyper-chromatic" music and techniques.
Genres
Microtonal music
Unconventional instruments
Musical Selections
[demonstrations of the quarter-tone piano]
Performers
Ivan Wyschnegradsky, quarter-tone piano
Subjects
Microtonal music
Quarter-tone piano
Unconventional instruments
Related place
Paris (France) (was recorded at)
Related Entities
Wyschnegradsky, Ivan, 1893-1979
Amirkhanian, Charles