To Inés Wickmann

What is this musical Phoenix, an archetypical symbol of renewal and continuity?

Surely a trace / confirmation of the vitality of acousmatics in the early 21st century. Although for me, it also represents a new life for deserted sonic ashes, very old source recordings and reanimated but disguised excerpts from instrumental works. It could be seen as an eternal recurrence, the present — so much present nowadays — being nothing more than the past of the future.

— Francis Dhomont [English translation: François Couture, ix-20]

Phoenix XXI, a piece in three linked movements, was realized in 2016 at the composer’s studio in Avignon (France) and premiered on October 8, 2016 at Auditorium Saint-Germain of the MPAA (Paris, France) as part of the Multiphonies series presented by the Ina-GRM. The work was awarded an Honorable Mention at the international electroacoustic music competition Musica Nova 2016 (Prague, Czech Republic), and was selected by the French Section of the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) for the 2018 World New Music Days in Beijing.

Premiere

• October 8, 2016, Multiphonies 2016-17: Akousma: Concert de créations, Auditorium Saint-Germain — MPAA, Paris (France)

Awards

• Mention, Category A (fixed medium), Musica Nova 2016, Prague (Czech Republic)