ERSO musicians to debut at legendary Tartu club with AI-inspired program
The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO) takes the stage at Genialistide Klubi for the first time November 20, with chamber ensembles exploring where Mozart meets AI.
This November also marks three years since ChatGPT went public, sparking questions about whether AI belongs in art.
ERSO's chamber ensembles will explore this and other questions with performances on November 8 at Fotografiska Tallinn and November 20 at Genialistide Klubi. The performance will also feature a discussion with AI expert Taivo Lints.
Clarinetist Taavi Orro curated the program to include music "inspired by, derived from or created in dialogue with AI."
Although artificial intelligence in its current form is a 21st-century invention, the concert opens with a piece from the 18th century.
"No one is entirely sure who the composer is, but it's believed to be Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart," Orro said. He noted the piece was composed using the principle of random number generation, a method now common in computers.
The program also explores works created through programming and other technological methods.
Orro highlighted Lejaren Hiller's "Illiac Suite" (1957) as the first classical piece written with the help of a computer.
"We'll even try to create a piece ourselves on-site using AI," he added.
The concert includes works by Hiller, Nina Shekhari, Øyvind Torvund, Mozart and AI itself, with performances by Egert Leinsaar, Marta Mutso, Jūlija Širokova, Theodor Sink, Taavi Orro, Kadri-Ann Sumera, Vambola Krigul and Mart Soo.
--
Editor: Kaspar Viilup, Aili Vahtla
