From the ashes of World War II, cultural life in Europe begins anew. The 23-year-old novice composer Jani Christou presents his first major composition for an orchestra: on March 5, 1950, Phoenix Music premiers amongst classical works at the Royal Opera House in London: a brilliant start for the young composer who stands out for the maturity of his work. During this initial period, his oeuvre includes works of symphonic form and religious content, while engaging with great poetry in the person of T. S. Eliot (1888–1965).
For the structure of his compositions, Christou develops the Phoenix Principle, a scheme for elaborating on the musical idea based on the symbol of the mythical bird which is reborn from its ashes. The orchestra is gradually and persistently led to a distinctive crescendo, only to return to the quiet initial motif, which contains the possibility of rebirth.
