The “extravagantly talented” organist Cameron Carpenter and his Internationally Touring Organ will perform works by Messiaen, Poulenc, and Saint-Saëns with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall on Jan. 29 at 8:00pm, Jan. 31 at 7:30pm, and Feb. 1 at 2:00pm.
After a dazzling debut at Lincoln Center last spring in which its sound was described by The New York Times as “quite terrific,” Cameron Carpenter brings his revolutionary International Touring Organ (ITO) to the Atlanta Symphony Hall (1280 Peachtree Street NE) on January 29 at 8:00pm, January 31 at 7:30pm, and February 1 at 2:00pm. Carpenter and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Jun Märkl will perform a program of works by the great French organ composers, including Messiaen'sL'Ascension, Poulenc’s Concerto for Organ in G minor and Saint-Saëns' Symphony No. 3. Ticket prices range from $24-$99; call 404-733-4900 or click here to purchase.
In a review of If You Could Read My Mind, Carpenter's world premiere recording on the International Touring Organ, the Los Angeles Timeswrote, “It is the first recording really to capture what an astonishingly original organist and artist Carpenter is. Plus, here is the first proof that the touring organ is no pipe dream but a genuine dream organ.”
Over and above the impressive technical wonders and effects that have become his trademark, Carpenter’s music is imbued with deep sensitivity and emotional power, the manifestation of Carpenter’s joy at finally being able to connect with his very own instrument. The ITO, built to his own specifications in collaboration with American digital organ pioneers Marshall and Ogletree, is Carpenter’s dream and, like Carpenter himself, it represents a seismic shift in the organ world. This custom-built instrument dispenses with traditional pipes and instead uses digitalized sounds culled from instruments from across the globe, thus allowing Carpenter’s artistry to expand in even more compelling directions.
