Mittersill forum celebrates 30 years of experimental music

ORF reports that the Komponistenforum Mittersill, known as Kofomi, is marking its 30th anniversary with a week of experimental music in the town of Mittersill in Pinzgau.

The annual forum presents classical instruments in unconventional ways. “If we always do the same thing, we will eventually fall asleep. But continuing to explore and discover new things keeps us alive,” said Wolfgang Seierl, a co-founder of the forum.

The performances are not easily defined by genre boundaries. They include a poem composition by cellist Sarah Gait and a concert by solo cellist Anna Skaladannaya at Felbertum.

Forum honours Anton Webern

The event also seeks to create a living memorial to composer Anton Webern, a co-founder of what is known as New Music. Webern was mistakenly shot by a US soldier in Mittersill in 1945.

For many years, the town was reluctant to remember the incident. Mittersill now has an Anton Webern Park with a bust and a themed trail. The forum’s organisers also want to preserve the spirit of the radical composer through the music presented there.