Musikverein Graz: Irvine on Stage
Irvine, organ and percussion: this instrumental fusion took place at a concert in the Stefaniensaal, organized by the Musikverein Graz in May 2024. Rupert Hubert, on the analog synthesizer, the Irvine, played together with organist Christian Schmitt and percussionist Christoph Sietzen a potpourri of well-known and to this point unknown melodies.
The musical spectrum ranged from compositions for organ and percussion by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) and Sofia Gubaidulina (*1931) to first performances of Poseidon by Andrea Tarrodi (*1981) and the Irvine composition Crystal Mood by Rupert Huber (*1967). As it was the first public concert performance with the Irvine since its world premiere at the steirischer herbst festival in 2017, New York-based Andy Cavatorta also attended the performance as a guest of honor. Cavatorta developed the Irvine instrument on behalf of the AVL Cultural Foundation in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team. The electrical engineering expert and specialist Richard Sbüll (Supersonic.at) is responsible for the instrument’s brilliant sound.
Huber on the Irvine performed his own composition Crystal Mood and an extemporaneous piece, which concluded the varied program. Under the title Improvisation for Percussion, Organ and Irvine by Christoph Sietzen, the three artists jointly created an experimental, unprecedented world of sound.