The practical and theoretical creation of Iannis Xenakis offers countless paths for exploration to the listener and the researcher, to the artist and the theorist, to the philosopher and the scientist, and, in general, to anyone who feeds on authentic sensations and genuine questions.

In his musical works, his polytechnics, and his books, Xenakis introduced possibilities into music, explored the relationships between music and architecture, heralded the merging of art and science through technology, referred back to ancient theories and ideas, creatively introduced sounds from around the world, made drastic innovations in both instrumental and electronic music, explored the new, at that time, realm of multimedia, theorized the relationship between micro- and macro-form, renewed the concept of rhythm, and highlighted musical composition as the composition of sound.

All this within a European journey of half a century that begins with the Greek Civil War and spans the technocratic reconstruction of Europe, the utopian 1970s, and the conservative turn that followed.

The first two parts of the book provide a general introduction to the composer's work. They first investigate his musical and spiritual journey, which consists of intuitions that open avenues as well as dead ends that nourish new intuitions. They also attempt a systematic formulation of Xenakis's worldview, as well as his aesthetics, contrasting two worlds, that of 'sonicity' and that of 'gesture.'

The third part consists of detailed musical analyses. Hypotheses are formulated regarding the relationship between theory and practice and the gap that sometimes characterizes them is explored; his early and late works, instrumental and electronic compositions, as well as one of his most famous polytechnics, are analyzed.

The book concludes with a complete catalog of Xenakis's works as well as a detailed bibliography. It is accompanied by a CD with musical examples that are commented on in the text.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]