New Organ at Trier

[ptindall]

Anyone who doubts that most European organ builders have lost the plot about organ cases (RAM?, Basel? Jesus? Stuttgart?), should perhaps hightail it down to Trier, on the Belgisch/Lux/German border,where they are displaying the results of a competition for a new big organ in the Constantine Basilica, an enormous and beautiful Roman building (St Albans upon St Albans?), now used as Trier's principal protestant church.

 

The winning entry is not unpleasant, but it has no character at all. The second place went to a world-famous British architectural practice (I'm ashamed to say). This design would have done serious harm to the building, and would have been worse than the worst designs of 1955. The third place went to an architectural practice named Merz....I,m not making this up.

 

Yes, all the competitors had professional organ-builders on board.

 

 

And all this a hundred yards away from one of my very favourite post-war organ cases in the Dom (Klais , designed by Joseph Schaefer, I think).

[DHM]

Anyone who doubts that most European organ builders have lost the plot about organ cases (RAM?, Basel? Jesus? Stuttgart?), should perhaps hightail it down to Trier, on the Belgisch/Lux/German border,where they are displaying the results of a competition for a new big organ in the Constantine Basilica, an enormous and beautiful Roman building (St Albans upon St Albans?), now used as Trier's principal protestant church.

The other details are perhaps more interesting than the case, but we'll have to wait until Christmas 2014 to hear it.

Three out of four manuals will be enclosed: Man 2 "Schwellwerk" for German Romantics, e.g. Reger & Lizst; Man 3 "Recit" for French Romantics, and Man 4 "Orchestral/Solo" with English/American sounds including a full string chorus, high pressure reeds and the Tuba Imperialis!

For those that can read German, it's all here: http://www.musik-konstantin-basilika.de/neue-hauptorgel.html.

[Nigel Allcoat]

The ceiling looks wonderful.

[heva]

The ceiling looks wonderful.

 

 

Also: 'Romantischer Kompromiss-Orgel' ? In 1950's case?

 

Why??

[Nigel Allcoat]

 

Also: 'Romantischer Kompromiss-Orgel' ? In 1950's case?

 

Why??

 

Obvious (to me) that this is a Committee Organ (again).

Anyway, I would say that the acoustic will be too overwhelming for almost any organ and not a commission to be given lightly to anyone. Who would really want to build an organ for Europe's Biggest Bathroom, Ohne Wasser?

N

 

The Basilica of Constantine or Aula Palatina at Trier, Germany, is a Roman palace basilica, that was built by the em­peror Constantine (306–337 AD) at the be­gin­ning of the 4th cen­tury.

 

Today it is a World Her­itage Site and con­tains the largest ex­tant hall from an­tiq­uity (see List of an­cient roofs). The room has a length of 67 m, a width of 26.05 m and a height of 33 m.

The Aula Palatina was built around 310 AD as a part of the palace com­plex. Orig­i­nally it was not a free stand­ing build­ing but had other smaller build­ings at­tached to it, such as a fore­hall, an en­trance vestibule and some ser­vice build­ings. The Aula Palatina was equipped with a floor and wall heat­ing sys­tem (hypocaust).

 

During the medieval ages it was used as the res­i­dence for the bishop of Trier. For that the apse was re­designed into liv­ing quar­ters and pin­na­cles were added to the top of its walls. In the 17th cen­tury the archbishop Lothar von Met­ter­nich con­structed his palace just next to the Aula Palatina and in­cor­po­rat­ing it into his palace some major re­design was done. Later int the 19th cen­tury Frederick William IV of Prussia or­dered the build­ing to be re­stored to its orig­i­nal Roman state, which was done under the su­per­vi­sion of the mil­i­tary architect Carl Schnit­zler. In 1856 the Aula Palatina be­came a Protes­tant church.

[John Sayer]

Anyone who doubts that most European organ builders have lost the plot about organ cases (RAM?, Basel? Jesus? Stuttgart?), should perhaps hightail it down to Trier, on the Belgisch/Lux/German border,where they are displaying the results of a competition for a new big organ in the Constantine Basilica, an enormous and beautiful Roman building (St Albans upon St Albans?), now used as Trier's principal protestant church.

 

The winning entry is not unpleasant, but it has no character at all. The second place went to a world-famous British architectural practice (I'm ashamed to say). This design would have done serious harm to the building, and would have been worse than the worst designs of 1955. The third place went to an architectural practice named Merz....I,m not making this up.

 

Yes, all the competitors had professional organ-builders on board.

 

 

And all this a hundred yards away from one of my very favourite post-war organ cases in the Dom (Klais , designed by Joseph Schaefer, I think).

 

I agree the new design does look a bit anodyne - as does the case of the existing Schuke organ which is to remain as a choir organ - but, in a vast, austerely plain romanesque space like this, the last thing you need is an organ case which draws undue attention to itself - eine Geschmacksache, maybe, but for my money probably the right decision in this case.

 

JS

[Christopher Allsop]

Google Translate's version of the German-English translation is as colourful as always... I particularly like the information that:

 

"The three interconnected body organ will be borne solely by the south wall of static"

 

... now that's really very clever indeed

[Nigel Allcoat]

I agree the new design does look a bit anodyne - as does the case of the existing Schuke organ which is to remain as a choir organ - but, in a vast, austerely plain romanesque space like this, the last thing you need is an organ case which draws undue attention to itself - eine Geschmacksache, maybe, but for my money probably the right decision in this case.

 

JS

 

but, in a vast, austerely plain romanesque space like this, the last thing you need is an organ

[pcnd5584]

Google Translate's version of the German-English translation is as colourful as always... I particularly like the information that:

 

"The three interconnected body organ will be borne solely by the south wall of static"

 

... now that's really very clever indeed

 

Arr....

 

Not unlike the Norwegian hotel in which I once stayed - and where a polite notice exhorted us to join with the local congregation on Sunday next, in united praise of .... Gold.

 

This 'south wall of static' - will that be pink, white - or, indeed, any other recognised colour?

[heva]

but, in a vast, austerely plain romanesque space like this, the last thing you need is an organ

 

Is that an Hope-Jones font ???

[Nigel Allcoat]

Is that an Hope-Jones font ???

No. This is.

[ptindall]

No. This is.

 

 

Ah. Very small scale.

 

"The last thing you need is an organ" seems to me to be very good advice today, after listening to a guy playing Orgelbuchlein preludes on a really nasty overloud over-expensive organ by a very famous and successful builder. What was it that Peter Williams said? I think it was "now heavy, now glittery". Yep.

[ptindall]

The ceiling looks wonderful.

 

Alas the ceiling looks a bit less wonderful in real life, siince we or the Americans bombed it in 1944, and the copy is a bit stiff. I take your point though: no doubt you know Pisa and Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome , which are similar.