After fifteen inconclusive ballots, on 13 July 1978 the Italian parliament tried once more – and this time succeeded. With an agreement finally reached, Sandro Pertini was elected President of the Republic by a large majority. Meanwhile, some 1,400 kilometres away, two unorthodox musicians – pianist Siegfried Kessler and guitarist Jean-François Pauvros – headed to Solaris Studio in Paris to realise a curious idea: a tribute to the adventurous age of biplane flight. They worked quickly – just two days. The nine tracks that emerged were easily divided across the album’s two sides. Produced by Le Chant du Monde, the record was titled Phenix 14 and, although credited to both musicians, the cover revealed a clear hierarchy: Kessler’s name dominated, printed in larger type. The imbalance reflected both his authorship of the concept and his greater compositional weight – seven of the nine tracks bore his signature. Their respective résumés […]
