In the meeting organised by the Institute of Music, in conversation with Gianmario Borio, Giancarlo Schiaffini will retrace his career as a performer, improviser and composer. Since the mid-1960s, Schiaffini has been one of the protagonists of free improvised music: he took part in Mario Schiano’s
‘Gruppo Romano Free Jazz’; in 1970, he founded the Nuove Forme Sonore ensemble, which alternated interpretations of aleatory compositions and improvisation; later, he was part of the Gruppo di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza and collaborated with the leading protagonists of European improvised music, including the Globe Unity Orchestra and the Instant Composers Pool Orchestra. In the 1980s, Schiaffini played a key role in Luigi Nono’s compositions with live electronics, providing materials and performance techniques. The intertwining of the three (usually separate) roles of performer, improviser and composer makes Schiaffini a unique figure in the panorama of research and experimental music, and an indispensable reference for brass performance practices. At the end of the talk, Schiaffini will perform Sottile canto III by Edgar Alandia, Solo for tuba + Fontana Mix by John Cage, Luz by Domenico Guaccero and Post-Prae-Ludium per Donau by Luigi Nono.