Cathy Berberian and Luciano Berio met at the Milan Conservatory in 1949. The American was looking for a pianist and Berio had a side hustle playing keyboards. This was the beginning of a fruitful artistic collaboration that even survived – they wed in 1950 – the end of their marriage. He enabled her to sing in a new way, and without her vocal versatility and virtuosity his work for voice is inconceivable.  

Collage plays a leading role in the oeuvre of the Italian avant-garde. Western musical history is reviewed, and Berio avidly quotes from literary and less literary sources. Folk music is also integrated: with Folk Songs, he composed a poignant song cycle based on music from Italy and the US, among others. Sequenza III is a virtuoso solo that explores the possibilities of the voice, and the theatrical Recital I (for Cathy) is about a singer who slowly sinks into madness during a rendition.  

With her innovative views on singing and performance, Berberian influenced generations of great vocalists, including Meredith Monk and Laurie Anderson. After her marriage, she developed a number of unique recitals and also composed two pieces herself, including Stripsody, a collage of onomatopoeia from comics for solo voice. 

On 26 January, Hyoid & Joris Lacoste, Nemø ensemble and Sarah Aristidou & Spectra Ensemble pay homage to Berio-Berberian in the Henry Le Bœuf Hall. During a tour of Bozar, soloists perform Berio’s Sequenze on 16 February, while Alexander Vantournhout explores his deeper relationship with the composer.