Organ cosmos Belvedere
Celebration weekend for the inauguration of two historical organ instruments in the concert hall of the Music High School
The Music High School Schloss Belvedere, the Centre for the Highly Gifted at the Weimar Music University, now has two historical organ instruments. The Walcker organ (1877) and the Kotykiewicz organ harmonium (ca. 1900) will be officially inaugurated during a festive weekend on Saturday, 14 and Sunday, 15 September. The instruments have been installed in the concert hall of the Music High School in recent weeks.
The organs will be played for the first time in public on Saturday, 14 September at 15:00 as part of the opening concert. The Music High School choir, string orchestra and brass ensemble will be taking part. Joan Pagès Valls and Marian Grosew will be conducting. The programme includes Georg Friedrich Händel's Organ Concerto No. 13 in F major and Franz Liszt's ‘Pater noster’ for organ harmonium and choir.
At 4.30 pm, there will be an organ tour including a lecture and music with Weimar organ professor Martin Sturm and master organ builder Boris Mettler (Dlabal & Mettler organ builders, Czech Republic).
From 18:00, a long organ night will be held in the concert hall of the Music High School. There you can experience organ music ranging from Bach and Schumann to contemporary improvisation. In addition to Martin Sturm, the Erfurt cathedral organist Silvius von Kessel, church music director Christoph Bossert (Würzburg), Daniel Beilschmidt (Leipzig) and Filip Presseisen (Krakow) will also be playing.
The festival weekend will be rounded off on Sunday, 15 September at 11:00 a.m. with an ‘Open Stage’ featuring organ students from the Music High School and organ students from the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar.
The final concert at 12:30 pm in the concert hall will feature an improvisation competition between the winners of the Bach Biennale Weimar International Organ Improvisation Competition 2022, Jakob Dietz (Weimar) and Christoph Preiß (Würzburg).
The Music High School Schloss Belvedere is one of the most important musical training centres for children and young people in Germany, also when it comes to the organ. In particular, the currently growing organ equipment will offer outstanding conditions for learning to play the organ at the highest artistic level from September 2024.
In addition to the Walcker organ and the Kotykiewicz organ harmonium, there is also an Ott organ (1968) in the choir hall of the Music High School. The installation of a large three-manual concert organ in the concert hall is also planned for 2025. This concept, which combines tradition and innovation, is generously supported and made possible by Dr Brigitte Seebacher.
Further information:www.musikgymnasium-belvedere.de
[29 August 2024]