Join us at the Festive Inauguration of a World-Class Organ in the Gothenburg Concert Hall

The curtain goes up for the Queen of Instruments in Gothenburg Concert Hall. Or rather the shutters - about a hundred that open the room for a new, magnificent organ with over 9000 pipes. It is specially ordered from Austria and will be inaugurated on October 15 in the presence of Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia.

For ten days 15-24 October, the new organ is celebrated with international soloists, premieres, organ concerts with orchestra and a unique organ marathon concert with participants from all 49 municipalities in Västra Götaland, also broadcast live on GSOplay in “slow TV format”. All organ concerts are streamed live on GSOplay.

Joy and happiness abound when the inauguration of the new instrument is approaching. It has been completed after five years of planning and three years of diligent building.

- It feels extremely satisfying that the Concert Hall finally has an organ that is really designed and built to function optimally in the Gothenburg Concert Hall. Now, after 86 years, specialist knowledge and new technology have made it possible to realise the original visions from 1935, with a concert hall organ that fulfils everything a concert hall, a symphony orchestra and an audience could wish for. We are all looking forward to this invaluable addition to our house, says Sten Cranner, General Manager and Artistic Director of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.

The organ project is a collaboration between the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Higab (owner of the Concert Hall), Rieger Orgelbau in Austria and the Gothenburg International Organ Academy with Hans Davidsson as project manager.

The organ is called the “Queen of Instruments” and for a good reason: no other acoustic instrument is so varied in sound and dynamics, from the most delicate, solitary tone to massive chords that make floors and walls vibrate. The concert hall's new organ is inspired by the French Romantic Organ School with stops that can imitate the orchestra’s many instruments and in combinations that you could only dream of. Here we find traditional stops such as flute and bassoon but also new ones like saxophone.

On 15-24 October, six leading organists gather to play music that reflects the new organ's fantastic timbres and tremendous dynamics, from the Baroque to the present with premieres of works by Madeleine Isaksson, Molly Kien, Tebogo Monnakgotla and Martin Herchenröder. Mattias Wager - who also played at the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel - premieres the new Organ Concerto No. 2 , “Poseidon”, by B Tommy Andersson, and 49 organists from all over Västra Götaland gather for a world-unique organ marathon concert.

Read more about the fantastic organ, watch videos and see the entire programme for the organ inauguration at gso.se.

Historical organ inauguration | Gothenburg Concert Hall (gso.se)

PROGRAMME

Oct 15 at 1 p.m.

Inauguration Ceremony in the Presence of Their Majesties King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. For invited guests only.

15, 16 & 17 Oct at 6 p.m.

Solo organ with Hans Davidsson, Hans-Ola Ericsson, Magnus Kjellson, Nathan Laube, Karin Nelson & Joris Verdin. Music by, amongst others, Guilmant, Franck, Liszt, Messiaen, Andrée, Hambraeus, Ligeti and Lefébure-Wély. There will also be premieres by the composers Madeleine Isaksson, Molly Kien, Tebogo Monnakgotla and Martin Herchenröder, as well as an improvisation by Karin Nelson.

21 Oct at 7:30 p.m. & 22 Oct at 6 p.m.

World Premiere of B Tommy Andersson's Organ Concerto No. 2, “Poseidon”, with organist Mattias Wager, conductor Jukka-Pekka Saraste and Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra.

Oct 23 at 10 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. & Oct 24 at 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.

Organ marathon with organists from all 49 municipalities of Västra Götaland.