Music, complexity, and embodiment in performance: a conversation with accordionist Andreas Borregaard

Abstract

As part of the Copenhagen workshop of the Evaluating Methods of Aesthetic Inquiry Network, which took place from the 6th to 8th of April 2017, the organisers invited accordionist Andreas Borregaard to give a performance of two contemporary pieces for the accordion: De Profundis by Sofia Gubaidulina, and Sequenza XIII (chanson) by Luciano Berio. The performance was followed by a discussion on musical complexity and embodiment, chaired by Jonna Vuoskoski. The event was conceived along similar lines as the handling sessions at the Hunterian and Pitt Rivers Museums as a means of allowing the researchers involved in the network to engage with specific works of art and reflect collectively on the experience. It was also a way of continuing with the network’s commitment to furthering new thinking by fostering not only the dialogue between different academic disciplines, but also with art practitioners and performers. Finally, the performance was part of a series of discussions that took place on the first day of the Copenhagen workshop that were concerned with the notion of complexity and how it may be brought to bear on aesthetic issues. This article comprises a transcript of the post-performance discussion, as well as a response written by Roddy Hawkins.