The Lundén Organ (1909) in Vasa Church
The Lundén Organ (1909) in Vasa Church
The second weekend of the Göteborg International Organ Festival, October 9-18, 2020, features the re-inauguration of the magnificent Lundén organ at Vasa Church.
Also new music will be presented, with premier performances of works for organ solo, organ and other instruments, and organ and live electronics, including the release of a new CD with Anna von Hausswolff.
On Saturday, October 17, the recent restorative renovation of the Lundén organ, carried out by Rieger Orgelbau, Schwarzach, Austria, will be celebrated with a one-day interdisciplinary symposium. Several of the contributions will address the background and history of this unique specimen of Swedish late-romantic organ building, as well as musical, architectural and antiquarian perspectives on the organ, Vasa Church, and the restoration project. In addition, the instrument will be put in a broader international context of early twentieth-century developments in organ building, organ (including liturgical) playing, organ composition, church music theology, and general musical life. Special attention will be given to two leading music personalities in Gothenburg at the time of the building of Vasa Church and its organ: Fredrik Hjort (1868–1941), the first organist of Vasa Church, and Elfrida Andrée (1841–1929), organist of Gothenburg Cathedral.