Hexautomata: Kit Armstrong, Michael Wollny Trio & LARS @ EPFL ​

18.09.2025 ​

Cast:

  • Kit Armstrong, piano
  • Michael Wollny Trio: Michael Wollny, piano, Eric Schaefer, drums, Christian Weber, bass
  • L.A.R.S., an interactive musical AI

I was fortunate to attend a free experimental concert organized by the EPFL Digital and Cognitive Musicology Lab (DCML) at EPFL, Lausanne.


The evening began with Kit Armstrong performing works by Guillaume de Machaut (c. 1300–1377), John Bull (c. 1562–1628), Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), and György Ligeti (1923–2006). He explained that the pieces were performed with a “stretch factor,” though I could only clearly recognize Bach’s Art of Fugue, BWV 1080, which was transformed into a slower, dotted swing version. The shimmering, rainbow-like finale of Ligeti’s piece was especially captivating.


Next came the Michael Wollny Trio. I thoroughly enjoyed their chemistry on stage. The experience contrasted sharply with listening to Romantic repertoire. Different parts of my brain seemed to light up in turn. One piece, composed in a sweltering attic, stood out in particular. The music vividly conveyed dysphoria through sounds of scratching cats and creaking wood.


The concert then shifted to Kit and Michael's piano duet improvisation. At one point, Michael abruptly left the stage, leaving Kit to improvise with the AI. Later, Kit stepped away and Michael returned, creating a surreal dialogue between pianist and machine. The most dramatic moment arrived when only the two “piano automata” were left on stage. But the interplay didn’t end there: soon both pianists rejoined, forming a quartet of two humans and two AI players across two pianos. It was really fun to see the superposition of human and AI players on the same piano.


What surprised me most was how natural these transitions felt. The constant switching of players never sounded disjointed or out of space. While I didn't entirely sense profound resonance with these improvisations—I personally found Bach’s Art of Fugue the most moving moment 😂—the sheer playfulness of their interaction made the this evening unforgettable.


Event page: https://offres-culturelles.epfl.ch/danse-sur-lesplanade-avec-architango-copy-copy-copy-copy/