Isabella Fabbri

Isabella Fabbri

Music as a path to unity

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Sounds at an Exhibition

Isabella Fabbri, saxophones

SOUNDS AT AN EXHIBITION (2015) is a site-specific performance by Isabella Fabbri, designed for museums of modern and contemporary art. During the event, a group of visitors is guided through the museum galleries by a musician. As they move through the space, participants are invited to discover and contemplate ten pre-selected artworks while listening to compositions for solo saxophone.

The music — chosen, composed or improvised by the performer — seeks to translate the artworks into sound. The audience is also invited to take part by producing sounds or noises in imitation, fostering an active, shared experience.

Departing from the traditional structure of a museum guided tour, the performance aims to bring the public closer to modern and contemporary art through a different form of artistic expression: music. Its ultimate goal is to reframe the relationship between the visitor and the artwork, highlighting the common essence of all artistic languages.

The title and concept of the performance are inspired by Pictures at an Exhibition, the solo piano suite composed in 1874 by Modest Mussorgsky in honour of Russian painter Viktor Hartmann.

The project was presented at the MAMCS in Strasbourg during the 17th World Saxophone Congress, awarded the Movin’Up Prize supported by the Italian Ministry of Culture, and is the subject of Isabella Fabbri’s PhD in Arts at the University of Lisbon (2022).