Betsy Jolas: My Trip to Bali with Xenakis and Takemitsu

In 1972, Betsy Jolas (b. 1926) traveled to Indonesia with Iannis
Xenakis, Toru Takemitsu, Henri-Louis de la Grange, Maurice
Fleuret and several others. While there, she encountered the
Topeng dance, which, nearly 50 years later, inspired the
composition of her 8th quartet, Topeng. This piece was
written for the Arditti Quartet in 2019. In anticipation of her
95th birthday on 5 August 2021, she tells us what happened on
that trip, what it was like traveling with Takemitsu and Xenakis,
and why it is that Bali left such an indelible imprint on her
music.

MUSIC HEARD IN THIS EPISODE
Betsy Jolas, Topeng for string quartet (2019)
Performed live by the Arditti String Quartet

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Iridescent Notation

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EPISODE CREDITS
Podcast artwork photograph 2019 Philippe Stirnweiss




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