Robert Curgenven

About the presentation:
Curgenven will present “Earth Works” and “Unstable Steady States A/B/C”, new recorded multcihannel works for pipe organ as spatial sound on the Tonarium sound system. “Earth Works (Aria 3)”, for even tempered and meantone tracker-action pipe organs with electronics, was commissioned by University of Queensland Art Museum and recently performed on live pipe organ at two recent, sold out performances for Brisbane Festival (AU). “Aria 3” follows Aria 1 & 2 for tracker-action pipe organ and electronics which were commissioned by New Music Dublin Festival (IE) for their 2023 festival and will be presented at Tonarium for the first time as multichannel works.

Robert Curgenven produces albums, performances and installations that emphasize physicality, our embodied response to sound and its correspondence to location, air, weather and architecture. His recorded output spans pipe organ works Tailte Cré-Umha (Bronze Lands) and SIRÈNE, through to Climata, recorded in fifteen Turrell Skyspaces across nine countries. Curgenven’s work with pipe organs has seen him recognised as a leading proponent of the contemporary reimagination of this instrument, including commissions for New Music Dublin (Ireland) and Richard Thomas Foundation (UK) with presentations for Sydney Festival (Sydney Town Hall), Stavanger Konserthus Norway), Cork Midsummer Festival and Organ Sound Art Festival (Copenhagen). Curgenven has produced a diversity of sound and spatial works for National Gallery of Australia, Musée du Quai Branly (Paris), National Museum of Poland (Krakow), MONOM/4DSound (Berlin), Palazzo Grassi (Venice), National Sculpture Factory (Ireland) and festival performances including Maerzmusik (Kraftwerk Berlin), Sonic Acts (Amsterdam), Ultrahang (Budapest) and Insomnia Festival (Tromsø/Norway).