Sweden gets a new concerthall organ
NewsGothenburg’s got a cracker in stripped pine.
It has French horn pipes from a 1930s Skinner organ and two “firsts”: a saxophone stop and sub bass pipes under the stalls that make the seats vibrate. 9000 pipes altogether, and two keyboards (one stationary, height adjustable, one digital and moveable).
The maker is Rieger Orgelbau in Austria.
You really know a tune when you can play it with your feet.
Ah, yes…two words made to go together:
“Saxophone” and “Stop”
Wished he had played the wretched thing! Han rabb dess på (Dog Swedish)
You can hear him play it in the hour-long documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gA5DAOKa25E
The only important question here is: how much did it cost?
(Answer: too much for a couple poorly attended recitals per year plus the Saint-Saens every 10 years).
The second important question is: WHY of all concert halls in the world this organ is in the one of the least musical countries with little interest for classical music, for a cost of $$$$$$?!? TAXPAYERS MONEY IS THE ANSWER!
Least musical countries? Oh please, that is laughable.
I guess you have never been to Sweden, or if you have ever been to Sweden, you don’t know much about the rest of the world. Classical music is much appreciated in Sweden and compared to their size, they have quite some professional orchestras.
Also the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra broadcasts its concerts, so the whole world can enjoy their performances.
This comment proves why concert halls must have pipe organs, because if anyone truly believes that pipe organs will only be played for the Saint-Saens once every ten years and for recitals, then they obviously haven’t heard the great works which need and utilize pipe organs. They’ll discover there’s a lot more than Saint-Saens to be heard.