A colossal figure of the modern musical avant-garde, with a separate creative path and a completely subjective musical language, outside of schools and musical movements, the composer Yannis Christou (Ilioupoli, Egypt, January 8, 1926 – Athens, January 8, 1970) was accepted by 21 of his works. The second symphony was the last to be released and became one of the masterpieces of the 20th century.

It can be heard on the vinyl LP “Yiannis Christou Symphony No. 2 for orchestra and choir” from the Hellenic Radio Music Archive, the wonderful, rare 1990 edition of ERA – First Program, as well as on the fourth CD of the deluxe box set of twelve CDs. Goodbye to a Dream – Works by Greek Composers of the 19th and 20th Centuries (Organization for the Promotion of Greek Culture SA, Universal, 2004) This is a live recording of the first worldwide performance of the work on August 4, 1987 in Herodium with the ERT Symphony Orchestra and Choir (teacher choir: Antonis Kontogeorgiou) under the direction of chief musician Miltiadis Karidis.Because it was completed in 1958, the work was first performed 29 years later and 17 years after the death of the composer, testifying to the inability and indifference of the Greek musical world to promote the work of Christos.

From time to time it has been alleged that Christou refused to perform his works in public, which was unfounded, as mentioned by Anna Martin Luciano in her book Janis Christou (translated by Giorgos Leotsakos, ed. bibliosynergati, 1987). Christou was looking for performances with perfect technical characteristics, otherwise he canceled them. The introductory note to his album Latest Works (Columbia, 1974) reports what he considered “an obsolete urge to perform music in established concert halls, with a certain outward formality, with known social conditions of audience participation, and with known relationships (irresistible distance) of the performers – spectators. For the Irodeion recording, sound engineer Yannis Sigletos emphasized the presence of extraneous sounds for the listener (audience noise, cicadas), unfortunately inevitable in such cases. The performance was performed by the composers Michalis Grigoriu and Vangelis Katsulis.

Giorgos Leotsakos states that the work was given as a 220-page autographed, cleanly written score without rough drafts, with dates for all stages of its writing. It began to be written on August 7, 1957 in Alexandria, was completed on August 4, 1958 in Chios, and parts of it were written in Athens and Lausanne. Shortly before this (1956), decisive events took place: the marriage to a childhood friend from Chios Teresia Horemi and the death (car accident) of his beloved brother, spiritual mentor, Evangelos (Evi), with a catalytic effect on his personality. Death changed the evolution of his artistic work. The last work of his second “predominantly musical” period paved the way for the next phase of his work with compositions that replaced the piece of music, introducing the concept of the meta-act (ritual, ecstasy, catharsis).

It was the composer’s last recognized work, presented 29 years after its creation.

It lasts 47 minutes. It consists of three parts (eight sections in the first, seven in the second, four in the third). According to Christos, he was characterized by “free atonality”. The “Music of the Phoenix” is dominated by a triphthong, normal and inverted, constantly transforming, raw material and generative reason at the musical and symbolic-philosophical level. A work of extreme austerity, in a semi-serial style (free atonic elements interspersed with elements built on pre-decagonal rows), “Latin Liturgy” (1951) in its original spelling for mixed choir, brass and wind instruments, seven years later in the 2nd symphony, composing its third movement and reinforcing the assumption that Christou understood inspiration and writing as an open work capable of being transformed at any time.

Religious references (“Lord, have mercy”, “I believe”) do not make the work religious, but support reflection on the inability of man and religion to understand the supreme power of the world. The echo of the agreement is the tragic end of human failure. Composer Haris Vrontos in issue 26 (January 1980) of the magazine “Music” emphasizes as the main characteristic of Christ the battle between aestheticism and the decorative element in music, the tragedy arising from the fate of the creator, the only one in the face of a broken world, pulls to death …, agony , cries, prophecies.

Despite some similarities with the works of Stravinsky and Berg, a kind of compositional stamp reveals a previously unseen face. It vibrates with authenticity, originality, spontaneity, inventiveness, psychological and existential pain, emotional tension, drama, expression of instincts, passions and a mysterious, metaphysical atmosphere and is a continuation of the composer’s philosophical theories.