Blutwurst ensemble was founded in Florence in 2011 by musicians involved in radical improvisation and contemporary classical music.
The ensemble research is devoted to the acoustic exploration of sustained tones and slowly transformed patterns of sounds.
The founding members are Marco Baldini (trumpet), Edoardo Ricci (bass clarinet, alto saxophone) and Daniela Fantechi (piano, accordion). The ensemble grew up since 2012 with Michele Lanzini (cello), Cristina Abati (viola), Maurizio Costantini (double-bass) and Luisa Santacesaria (piano, harmonium).
At the first stage Blutwurst focused on improvisation and on the study and implementation of open and graphic scores by composers such as John Cage, Christian Wolff, Morton Feldman, Cornelius Cardew, Alvin Lucier and La Monte Young.
In 2013 the ensemble began to work on its own compositions as well to collaborate with other composers that worked closely with the group.
Since 2013, Blutwurst performed, among others, at Frau Frisör Fosca (Florence, 2013 and 2014), SpazioK (Prato, 2014), Tempo Reale Festival (Florence, 2015), Estate Fiesolana (Fiesole, 2016), Cafe OTO (London, 2016).
Blutwurst have collaborated with the London-based artist Alessandra Ferrini, composing the soundscape for the essay movie Negotiating Amnesia (2015-2016), realised in partnership with Festival dei Popoli and Murate-Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea, Florence; and for the permanent installation Tra due rive straniere (2021), for the exhibition Memory Matters at Parco del Valentino, Turin, in collaboration with Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, Biennale Democrazia and Black History Month.
From September 2015 to January 2016 Blutwurst was part of the Residence Program IN_Tempo Reale. In May 2016 the ensemble released its first album Tenebrae for the Tempo Reale Collection and, in December 2016, the LP Yoğurt for the English label Negative Days.
In 2020 two albums were released: Anabasi out on Italian label Kohlhaas and Ricercar nell’ombra, the collaborative work with composer Emmanuel Holterbach, published by English label Another Timbre. In 2021 Blutwurst recorded the piece written for them by d’incise and Cyril Bondi Zgodność released by INSUB. Label in 2022.
The ensemble is currently working on the translation/transcription for acoustic instrumentation of two electroacoustic compositions by Finnish composer Marja Ahti.