ROUND TABLE + ENCOUNTERS IN SPACE-TIME
“Improvising Europe: the socio-aesthetic radicalism of free improvisation”
Free improvisation, also known as creative, spontaneous, or real-time music, is celebrated for its utopian qualities and aesthetic radicalism. Musicians from diverse musical, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds come together in non-hierarchical settings, free from predefined guidelines, transcending fixed musical genres and identities. Often positioned at the fringes of mainstream culture, this movement has served as the “ultimate avant-garde” since the 1960s—a dynamic space for experimentation, collective risk-taking, and unrestrained creative flow.
Despite its transnational essence, this artistic movement is deeply influenced by the local characteristics of urban scenes, allowing for an exploration of postcolonial Europe’s sonic landscape through the lens of improvisation. This event, focusing on Barcelona’s contemporary scene, blends purely aesthetic insights with sociological perspectives to offer a comprehensive view of the music’s social and artistic diversity. Featuring artists from Spain, Hungary, and the UK, it highlights the richness and plurality inherent in this genre.
The event invites participants to delve into the social aesthetics of free improvisation, posing a critical question: To what extent can this practice be seen as a “Dionysian spirit,” offering a counterpoint to the discontents of neoliberal racial capitalism, even if it is often confined to the fleeting moment of performance?
Ádám Havas has a solid academic career studying the cultural aspects of music. During the past years he’s studied the improvisation scene in Europe, looking for similarities and differences between places and if their characteristics reflect their own idiosyncracies. At this round table Havas, Museu de la Música de Barcelona and GTS bring some representative artists from the local scene –El Pricto, Vasco Trilla, Liba Villavecchia, Anna Subirana, Míriam Fèlix, Clara Lai, Naná Rovira, Diego Caicedo, Tom Chant– and also from the English –Simon Paton– and Hungarian –Pèter Ajtai– scenes to share experiences and, of course, to improvise together.
This event is hosted and co-organized by the Museu de Música and LEM, with the support of the Marie-Curie Postdoctoral Research Project “Improvising Europe” (Project number: 101067143), led by Dr. Ádám Havas.
In collaboration with Gràcia Territori Sonor and the LEM Festival.