What does listening involve? For Tarek Atoui, there are multiple ways of experiencing sound. Inspired by the rich collection of historical instruments at Vienna’s Musikverein, the Lebanese sound artist has created, specifically for Souffle Continu (Continous Breath), two new exhibits from his extraordinary musical instruments. They combine a special musicality with a fascinating tactile sensation and sculptural qualities. For the Wiener Festwochen he has created objects for which the air acts as the source of sound. They invite us to play intuitively, so the sounds reach our ears in ways that are very raw, all vibration and oscillation. The four-part programme series gets underway in the Glass Hall of the Musikverein. Over the course of the festival, the project moves beyond the inner-city area of Vienna to open up new horizons, both spatially and musically. Souffle Continu is an invitation to join deaf people as well as amateurs and professionals of classical music and improvisation, hip-hop and techno as they embark on a musical journey.

Workshops

Additional to the concerts, three musically differently oriented workshops offer the opportunity to make music together and to playfully explore the instruments specially developed and built by Tarek Atoui. Each workshop features in each case a different musical emphasis. No prior knowledge of music is necessary.