Wolff on Composition — A film written and directed by Ernesto Livon-Grosman

Wolff on Composition — A film written and directed by Ernesto Livon-Grosman
Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at 8pm

NEC Plimpton Shattuck Black Box Theater
255 St. Botolph St. Boston 02115
Film at 8pm followed by a post-screening discussion featuring Christian Wolff, Ernesto Livon-Grosman, Susanna Bolle, Katarina Miljkovic, and Steve Drury
Admission: Free

“Wolff’s compositions are like the classical music of an unknown civilization.”  John Cage

Non-Event and the New England Conservatory presents Wolff on Composition, a film by Ernesto Livon-Grosman. This rare document of composer Christian Wolff (b. 1934) — a key figure in the history of American experimental music — traverses the compositional terrain of the youngest member of the New York School who brought the I Ching to Cage and would develop his own radical take on indeterminacy in music. Featuring interviews with Wolff as well as fellow experimental musicians and composers Michael Pisaro, Nicolas Collins, Michael Parsons, Robyn Schulkowsky, Amy Beal and Larry Polansky, the film is a contemplative, articulate exploration into the philosophy and politics embedded within Wolff’s composition, illustrated by his beautiful — and often, intentionally cryptic — scores, the interpretation of which ensures a collaboration between composer and performer and listener. Attentively conspiring with Wolff’s synergistic, variable art, the film’s own formal experimentation threads landscape as a key narrative element of its spacious cinematography.  There will be a post-screening panel discussio, featuring Christian Wolff, Ernesto Livon-Grosman, Susanna Bolle, Katarina Miljkovic, and Steve Drury.

About the director
Ernesto Livon-Grosman is a writer and filmmaker who teaches both subjects at Boston College. His recent films include MADI (2016) about the constructivist movement that started in Argentina and Uruguay during the mid 1940s and Brascó (2013): a history of the political and cultural life in Argentina over the last fifty years through the eyes of poet, publisher and artist, Miguel Brascó. He has written, edited and contributed to numerous books, essays, films and digital projects on the under-recognized work of various Latin American poets and filmmakers.

Film Credits
Writer/Director: Ernesto Livon-Grosman  •  Director of Photography: Robert Todd  •  Drone camera: Benjamin Shumlin  •  Sound: Bill Wirasnik  •  Editor: Ramiro Antico  •  Narrator: Susanna Bolle  •  Experimental film: Douglas Urbank  •  Original soundscapes: Fernando Kabusacki  •  Graphic Design: Marto Álvarez

This performance is co-presented by Non-Event and the New England Conservatory