In 1986 the first Festival Music Unlimited took place on the stage of the Welser Schl8hof, at that time still small and modest, but always with an enormous claim to quality while largely dispensing with stylistic restrictions.
A lot has always been possible, but there should always be something innovative. To speak of a jazz or rock or new music festival would be contrary to the basic idea of cross-genre activities.
Since the beginning of the 1990s, every second festival has been organized by a musician in whom Schl8thof boss Wolfgang Wasserbauer and his team place their trust. Real genre greats were already among them. The first was guitarist Fred Frith, saxophonists like Mats Gustafsson or Larry Ochs were involved, and Otomo Yoshihide created a concise electronic festival.
Again and again, women have put their stamp on Music Unlimited as designers – not to meet quotas, but because they are a highly creative part of this scene. Violinist Carla Kihlstedt played a leading role, as did harpist Zeena Parkins, Korean cellist Okkyung Lee, Japanese electronics pioneer Ikue Mori and guitarist Mary Halvorson. This year, vocalist Agnes Hvizdalek is organizing the festival.
She was born and raised in Vienna, but has lived in Norway since 2008. In Vienna she studied improvisation and new music with a focus on phonetics in order to use her voice as an independent instrument. “The future starts now” is the title of Hvizdalek’s festival, which includes fifteen concerts in the Schl8hof and in the arthouse cinema. Jazz is combined with electronics, free improvisation meets new music, a string quartet meets a trumpeter.
A classic trio with piano, bass and drums will also gain innovative aspects from the format. Many voices, some from Scandinavia, a lot of female. As always, expect the unexpected, in any case again for Music Unlimited.
At a glance
When? November 4th, 5th and 6th
Where? Old slaughterhouse in Wels, program cinema in Wels
“TheySound”: Installation by Heike Waldner-Kaltenbrunner and Thomas Grill in the Schl8thof
Start times:
November 4th, from 7 p.m., Schl8thof
November 5th, from 2 p.m. Aron Dahl in the arthouse cinema; from 6 p.m. Schl8thof
6 November from 2 p.m., arthouse cinema, Billy Roisz; from 6 p.m. Schl8thof
All info: www.waschaecht.at/music-unlimited
Pre sales: Moden Neugebauer (Wels) or online waschaecht.kupfticket.at/events/festival-music-unlimited-36/
Source: Nachrichten
