Musica Elettronica Viva

Musica Elettronica Viva (MEV ) is an electro-acoustic live music ensemble

The ensemble was founded in 1966 by Alvin Curran, Richard Teitelbaum, Frederic Rzewski, Allan Bryant, Carol Plantamura, Iván Vándor and Jon Phetteplace in Rome. The musicians, most of them composers wanted to introduce electronic music elements of musical improvisation and these perform in real time. They experimented at a very early time with the use of synthesizers. In a 1967 concert in Berlin, she led John Cage's Solo for Voice 2 in front, where they transformed the voice of Plantamura by a Moog synthesizer. However, the ensemble members also took advantage of " non-musical " objects as reinforced glass or olive oil canister. Over time, MEV developed an aesthetic in which aufgingen the egos of the individual composers in the collective act of improvisation, which became more and more decisive for the group

The ensemble extended already in the 1960s, his remit to also have space for free improvisation in constantly changing formations for street music and theater, collaboration with amateurs and amateur musicians, and audience participation, often hundreds of people were involved. His early performances in Italy provoked and regularly led to violent protests from the audience. Later the ensemble members also worked together with musicians from the jazz field. The experience of MEV have ultimately very encouraged both the development of electro-acoustic music as well as those of the new improvised music.

Since the 1970s came under the name of Musica Elettronica Viva ensembles in Paris, Rome and New York, which can be characterized by different aesthetic principles. The groups in Rome and Paris, led by Alvin Curran and Ivan and Patricia Coaquette continued to work towards a free improvisation on a mass basis and open-ended, while in New York Rzewski and Teitelbaum with new members as Garrett List and Gregory Reeve preferred disciplined structures. For ( the decades enduring ) New York group were subsequently also Maryanne Amacher, Karl Berger, Anthony Braxton, Jon Gibson, Steve Lacy, George Lewis, Roscoe Mitchell and Michael Sahl.

Images / Discography

  • The Sound Pool, recorded in Rome 1969 ( BYG Actuel, republished 1998 Spalax CD14969 )
  • Spacecraft / Unified Patchwork Theory ( Alga Marghen, Plana -M 15NMN.038 ) contains the one hand, Spacecraft, recorded in 1967 with Bryant, Curran, Rzewski, Teitelbaum and Vandor, on the other hand Unified Patchwork Theory, recorded in Zurich in 1990 with Curran, Rzewski, Teitelbaum, Steve Lacy and Garrett List
  • Apogee ( sometimes with AMM recorded in London in 2004; Matchless MRCD 61)

Source

Frederic Rzewski Nonsequiturs - Writings & Lectures on Improvisation, Composition, and Interpretation. Illogical conclusions - writings and lectures on improvisation, composition and interpretation. Edition music texts, Cologne ISBN 3-9803151-8-5

Real-time Moog-Synthesizer George Lewis (trombonist)
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