After the success of the spring edition of the ORGANy PLUS +© 2022 Festival, devoted exclusively to the sacred works of Stanisław Moniuszko on the 150th anniversary of the death of the Polish composer, we are returning to the ‘traditional’ festival repertoire, i.e. … unknown or little-known organ music from various regions of Europe in a star performance on instruments, whose sound qualities have surprised and enchanted us more than once. There are many premieres and debuts ahead of us during the six thematic concerts of the autumn edition of the ORGANy PLUS +© Festival on 7–16th of October 2022.
We will inaugurate with a concert by the organist Pieter Dirksen, a Dutch virtuoso of 17th-century keyboard music and the most outstanding music expert of Dietrich Buxtehude. During the concert entitled simply + Buxtehude, which will traditionally take place in the Franciscan Church of St. Trinity on Friday, October 7th at 7.15 p.m., apart from the organ works by this Danish composer we will also hear masterfully performed chamber works by this composer, for which the artist invited the outstanding Dutch violinist Quirine van Hoek. Both artists will perform in Poland for the first time in very long time – it is a real treat for the lovers of monumental North European organ culture and the masterful playing of the Dutch virtuoso.
On Saturday, October 8th at 7.15 p.m. again in the Franciscan Church of St. Trinity from the Lutheran North, we will move to the Arch-Catholic Empire of the Habsburgs from the 17th to the 18th centuries, from the powerful sounds of stilus fantasticus and delicate chamber musical lace in the stile concertato to the sparkling sounds of the trumpeters and strings to add splendor to the imperial celebrations. In the premiere program called + Tubicinatores et Arcus or Trębacze i Smyczkowcy, the Gdańsk band of Paweł Hulisz Tubicinatores Gedanenses and the invited guests will present the festive music of the Viennese court. It promises to be a royal, imperial musical feast indeed. Staying in the circle of German-language music, the first festival weekend will be closed on Sunday, October 9th at 15.30 also in the Church of St. Trinity with an authorial recital of one of the most outstanding European singers dealing with early music – Georg Poplutz. The tenor, awarded many times with the most important European music awards, returns to our festival in his original biblical program entitled + From Babylon to Jerusalem, in which he will present the path of the Chosen People, that is the transition from the land of the damned to the Promised Land. On this musical journey spanning three centuries of music, he will be accompanied by the German organ virtuoso Jürgen Banholzer.
The second weekend of the ORGANy PLUS + © 2022: AUTUMN Festival is the time to present compositions by Czech, German, Spanish and Portuguese authors. We will start on Friday, October 14th at 7.30 p.m. exceptionally in the Salesian Church of St. John Bosco in Gdańsk Orunia with a concert entitled + Brahms. Organ chorales from the last opus of the German romantic Johannes Brahms will be counterpointed with biblical songs from Op. 99, one of the last works of the Czech author Antonín Leopold Dvořák. They will be presented by the organist of the famous gothic Münster cathedral in Basel and the professor of the Music Academy in Innsbruck – Andreas Liebig, together with the Swiss soprano Gudrun Sidonie Otto. All of this on the 125th anniversary of the death of the German classic thanks to the support of the Swiss Embassy in Poland.
After this romantic prelude, we will go back exactly 200 years during the next concert. Georg Muffat (1653–1704) was considered one of the greatest European musicians at one point of time. Traveling all over Europe, he got to know the styles prevailing at that time, which he transformed in an extraordinary way in his compositions, creating a unique conglomerate of pan-European music of the second half of the 17th century. Reaching into this treasury, we will find everything that is best and most characteristic in the contemporary music world. On Saturday, October 15th, in the Franciscan Church of St. Trinity at 7.15 p.m. during the monographic concert entitled + Muffat we will present you two sides of this composer – organ music will be presented by an American organist, professor of the University of Notre Dame Olukola Owalabi, while instrumental compositions will be played by the well-known Goldberg Baroque Ensemble from Gdańsk.
The grand finale will have a very exotic setting this year. On Sunday, October 16th at 3.30 p.m. in the Franciscan Church of St. The Trinity two outstanding Spanish artists will perform in Poland for the first time – organist Andrés Cea Galán and zincist Manuel Pascual. Iberian baroque music is very specific and it requires quite specific instruments. We will see if the great Merten Friese organ with nine linguistic voices will cope with the task of transporting us to the other end of Europe and allow us to feel its heat and emotions, while the autumn gray weather outside.
Prof. Andrzej Szadejko
Artistic Director of ORGANy PLUS+ © Festival
Andrzej Szadejko
Composer, conductor, organist, organizer of musical life.
A graduate of the Academy of Music in Warsaw and Hochschule für Alte Musik Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel / Switzerland. He participated in 30 master classes for organ, harpsichord and pianoforte in Poland, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. Finalist and winner of many organ competitions in Poland and abroad. Professor of the Academy of Music in Gdańsk. Visiting professor at universities in Germany, Finland and the USA. Laureate and scholarship holder of many Polish and foreign institutions. Since 1994, he has been giving regular concerts in Poland, Europe and the USA as a soloist, chamber musician and conductor. Apart from performing organ concerts, he also composes.
An expert in the field of historical organ building. He is a consultant or supervises many organ projects in Poland, as well as in Lithuania and Belgium. Founder and head of the Goldberg Baroque Ensemble, with which he records premiere performances of cantatas by composers from Pomerania. As a soloist and conductor, he recorded 25 albums for Polish and German labels, nominated for the FRYDERYK and OPUS KLASSIK awards many times. Currently, he is the artistic director of the MUSICA BALTICA and GDAŃSK ORGAN LANDSCAPE series at the renowned German label MDG. Author of monographic publications, as well as scientific studies and articles printed in Polish and foreign periodicals.
Author of the program "Organy Nieograne" in Program 2 of Polish Radio. Organizer and author of many artistic formats and festivals in Gdańsk and Warsaw: ORGANy PLUS + ® Festival, Koncerty dla Gdańszczan, Popiszczmy Razem happenings for children, art competition "... and the organs played", ISO Conference - Pomerania 2008, GdO Tagung - Gdańsk 2018, festival "Moniuszko in the Churches of Warsaw".
MASTERCLASS I
Workshops and lecture on:
Keyboard music by Dietrich Buxtehude – Sources-Contexts-Interpretations-Inspirations
Lecturer:
Pieter Dirksen – one of the greatest researchers and interpreters of European keyboard music of the seventeenth century.
Cooperation: Academy of Music in Gdańsk
Schedule:
Thursday, October 6, 2022
Friday, October 7, 2022
MASTERCLASS II
Workshops and lecture on:
Iberian music of the Baroque era for keyboards
Lecturer:
Andres Cea Galan – one of the greatest experts and interpreters of Iberian music. Professor of the Academy of Music in Seville / Spain.
Cooperation: Academy of Music in Gdańsk
Schedule:
Sunday, October 16, 2022
Monday, October 17, 2022
TECHNICAL INFORMATIONS:
Active participation in each of the courses up to 5 people - cost 100 PLN / course.
Passive participation up to 10 people - cost PLN 50 / course.
The order of applications (biuro@organyplus.com) and payment to the account are decisive on first-come-first-service basis.
The account number will be provided to the participants in separate correspondence.
The Franciscan monastery complex is located in the Lower City, in the direct vicinity of the major tourist attractions of the Old Town of Gdańsk.
The complex stands out to view when entering Gdańsk from the south. Its flèche-topped timber roof truss is the dominating element in the southern panorama of the Old Town.
The history of the complex dates back to the 14. century and the beginnings of the Franciscans’ presence in Gdańsk. In the 16. century the post-monastery buildings used to house the famous gymnasium and the first public library. In the 19. century the complex was turned to the natural history museum. After World War II the Franciscans returned to occupy a part of the complex despite oppositions from the communist state authorities, thus closing a certain stage in the history of the site.
The Holy Trinity church is one of the three authentic shrines in Gdańsk which have survived war destruction. This Gothic hall church is made up of two sections: the triple-nave main body and the single-nave presbytery. Both sections are crossed with the choir screen dating back to 1488, which is the only one authentic structure of the type preserved in Poland. The church owes its specific acoustic properties to the Gothic vault over the main body of the church, spanning at the height of 22.65 meters and supported by 10 massive pillars set in two rows every 5 meters. The three naves are 29.1 m wide, while in length the main body of the church (50.7 m) and the presbytery add up to 82 m. The characteristic feature in the church structure is the asymmetric angle of the presbytery axis with respect to the axis of the main body of the church. The organ is installed on two adjacent balconies in the transept, i.e. the crossing of the main church body and the presbytery, on the southern side of the choir screen. There is no other architectural solution of the type in Poland, with just several similar solutions found worldwide.
The first wooden chapel was built by the Teutonic Knights in Orunia, probably in the first half of the 15th century. In 1571 it was expanded and converted into a Lutheran church, which burned down in 1577. It was not until 1608 that the construction of a new church was started, and in 1684 a tower was added. As a result of another reconstruction, completed on June 13, 1764, the western and northern parts of the temple were expanded.
On September 3, 1813, the church was set on fire by the Russian army besieging Gdańsk. It was not until 1820, thanks to the personal and financial commitment of Hoene the trade counselor, who was the owner of large areas in Orunia, that the construction of today's temple was started according to the design of the imperial court architect - Karl Friedrich Schinkel from Berlin. A brick neo-Gothic body of the church was created with a slender tower, topped with a sharp dome with rarely seen, "gothic" vaults made of wood and covered with a layer of plaster forming ribs and consoles supported on 8 wooden pillars supporting also a gallery running along the side walls, connecting above the entrance the main one, where the organ was later placed. The new Orunia’s church was consecrated on October 5, 1823. the owner of the area founded also the main altar, two side altars and the organ.
The church was in good shape until 1945, when the advancing Soviet army destroyed it again. However, despite the damage to the roof, tower and windows, from which traceries and stained glass fell out, the temple did not suffer as much devastation as most of the religious buildings in the city itself.
After the war, the church in Orunia was assigned to the Salesians by the bishop of Gdańsk, Karol Maria Splett, as the rector's church, and on July 15, 1994, the church became a parish church, separating from the nearby parish in Old Scottland.
Organ of St. Trinity Church in Gdansk are unique in design, architecture and music on a global scale. It is one of the most important instruments in Europe, now influencing the whole musical culture of the region. It is the only instrument of this type in Poland and in Europe.
The reconstruction of the organ at the Holy Trinity church is fundamental for the cultural development of the monastery complex.
T
he purpose of reconstruction of the Merten Friese’s instrument is to bring it back to its shape and style gained after the most recent modifications carried out in Baroque, i.e. in mid-18. century, by Friedrich Dalitz, an organ builder from Gdańsk.
The instrument is being recreated using organbuilding techniques and materials typical for the epoch in which it was originally built. In order to be as close to the original as possible, the recreating team used all preserved authentic elements of the organ casing. The works are based on information and documentation drawn when dismantling the instrument in the times of the Second World War. The physical form and musical potential of the recreated instrument is unmatched in Poland. Its Baroque shape refers to the tradition of organ-building characteristic for the Baltic states. The instrument become an important link in the process of reviving the craft culture of the Hanseatic circle in such cities as Hamburg, Stralsund, Copenhagen, Goeteborg, Stockholm, or Riga.
Reconstruction of the instrument so large and so important for the musical culture of the region and all Poland is unique in many respects. The uniqueness of the project, in view of the organ-building tradition in former Hanseatic cities, stems from the fact that the project concept assumes following of the process of transformations which occurred in organ building in the region over the period of 150 years.
The organ was being put back in its original place, on the railing on the southern side of the presbytery, by the choir screen. This is the only structural solution of the type found in Poland, echoing the style, rare as it is, found in the organ-building art of the Netherlands, Belgium, and northern Germany.
Thanks to the positioning of the organ in the direct vicinity of the choir screen the qualities of the interior similar to those offered by concert halls enable holding musical events for which no other church interior in Poland is suitable, at the same time giving those musical productions an additional value of following the historic musical practice.
There is no other church in Poland with a choir screen so large, able to accommodate both the choir, and orchestra and an organ nearby. Thanks to it, the potential of using the intertior of the Holy Trinity church for artistic purposes is almost unlimited.
The organ is just finished in May 2018 and already serves to liturgy and cultural events as well as educational and scientific purposes.
A brief history of the instrument
| 1616-18 | - probably Merten Friese built the organ |
| 1697 | - adding Cimbelstern by Georg Nitrowski |
| 1703 | - Tobias Lehmann rebuilt the old instrument and built a new pedal case |
| 1757 | - barock reconstruction by Rudolph Dalitz |
| 1914 | - Total rebuilding and pneumatization by Otto Heinrichsdorf |
| 1943 | - dismantling of organ durin WWII |
| 1960 | - part reconstruction of pedal balcony and prospect with pneumatic organ behind by Ryszard Plenikowski |
| 2008 | - Begin of reconstruction of the historical barock organ by Kristian Wegscheider from Dresden with cooperation with Szymon Januszkiewicz from Niedalino |
| 2013 | - Reconstruction of the first section - Rückpositiv |
| 2015 | – the end of reconstruction of all preserved historical elements of organ cases |
| 2017 | - reconstruction of further divisions – Gross Pedal, Klein Pedal, Brustwerk |
| 2018 | - reconstruction of Hauptwerk – the end of the reconstruction project |
Disposition of the organ
In 2019, 77 years later, one of the most splendid instruments of 18th-century Europe returned to its former place in a reconstructed form, whose modern technological solutions were at that time set by experts as a model for other instruments. The 30-voice instrument was originally created together with the choir in 1760-61 as the second auxiliary 
instrument for the great main organ, the prospect of which is now in St. Mary's Basilica. The builder of this most modern instrument in Europe at that time was Johann Friedrich Rhode, probably a student of Andreas Hildebrandt from Gdańsk, an associate of Christian Obuch in Pomerania and Warmia, and Jonas Grena and Peter Strahl in Sweden. The beautiful carving and sculptural setting of the organ prospectus were made by Johann Heinrich Meissner, one of the most outstanding sculptors working on the Baltic Sea. Fortunately, this richly carved and gilded organ case was preserved in its entirety during the evacuation in 1943-44. However, the instrument had to be recreated. The main idea behind this realization was maximum fidelity to the original, which was achieved in almost 100% thanks to the professional work of the conservation company, Mr. Jacek Dyżewski Dart from Gdańsk and the Polish-Belgian consortium of organ-building companies Guido Schumacher from Eupen in Belgium and Szymon Januszkiewicz from Pruszcz Gdański. Intonation and tuning were entrusted to an outstanding organ builder from Latvia - Janis Kalnins. The entire project was conducted by Iwona Berent - the curator of the Church of St. John, who has been consistently managing the revitalization of the entire church for many years, and dr hab. Andrzej Szadejko - the author of research and the concept of organ reconstruction, who supervised the project and is currently the curator of the instrument.
A brief history of the lateral organs at the St. John’s church in Gdańsk
| 1560-64 | – first known side organ built in the south aisle by Hans Behrendt |
| 1642 | – Another instrument built by Michael Fischer. |
| 1688 | – side organ is moved to the northern aisle. |
| 1760-61 | – new Johann Friedrich Rhode organ with a new choir built to replace the previous instrument. |
| 1912 | – Eduard WIttek's new 17-voice pneumatic organ built inside the historical case |
| 1943-44 | – disassembly of the baroque case and organ gallery |
| 1945 | – destruction of the church and pneumatic organs |
| 2017-2019 | – reconstruction of the baroque-classical organ by the consortium of Guido Schumacher and Szymon Januszkiewicz |
Disposition of the organ
The history of the smallest festival instrument is very complicated. For a long time the original authorship of the instrument was attributed in the literature to Johann Hellwig from 1611. However, during a recent renovation, it was discovered that the mechanical 20-voice instrument was originally created in 1749 in the workshop of the famous Gdańsk organ builder - Andreas Hildebrandt for the now defunct hospital church, which was rebuilt in 1734 just outside the walls of Gdańsk. On this occasion, on June 8, 1749, during the consecration of the newly built organ, the ceremonial cantata, which has been preserved in the collection of the Gdańsk Library - Saget d
ank allezeit - by Johann Daniel Pucklitz, a Gdańsk composer, was performed. The church was destroyed again in 1807 by the French army, and the devastated instrument and the case were dismantled and stored by the Gdańsk organ builder, Christian Ephraim Ahrendt. In 1824, using the original elements of Hildebrandt's organ, Ahrendt built a new instrument in the choir of the Orunia temple, visually adapting it to the neo-Gothic interior design. In the twentieth century, the instrument was rebuilt many times. First, in 1911, Eduard Wittek built a new 17-voice pneumatic organ in a baroque case, and then in 1986 Wawrzyniec Rychert, and in the 2000s, other unauthorized people partially changed the instrument's disposition and technical parameters, leading to its devastation.
Thanks to the initiative of Father Mariusz Słomiński, the parish priest of St. John Bosco in Orunia, in 2017-18, a project was carried out to renovate and partially reconstruct the neo-romantic pneumatic organs of the Elbląg company by Eduard Wittek, funded in 1911 for the local church by the Hoene family. The program of two-year works included the renovation and conservation of the organ case and the restoration of the original, neo-romantic disposition of the instrument from over a hundred years ago. The works under the supervision of dr hab. Andrzej Szadejko were done by the organ-building company of Szymon Januszkiewicz from Pruszcz Gdański and the conservation studio of Mrs. Jolanta Pabiś-Ptak and their associates. The preservation of the organs was financially supported by the donations of parishioners and by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the City of Gdańsk. Currently, it is the only stylistically homogeneous neo-romantic instrument in the whole Pomerania.
A brief history of the instrument
| 1749 | – new Andreas Hildebrandt organ in the rebuilt Lazaretkirche outside the walls of the city of Gdańsk |
| 1807 | – dismantling of the remains of the organ builder by the Gdańsk organist Christian Ephraim Ahrendt |
| 1824 | – construction of a new instrument with the use of old elements in the church in Orunia |
| 1911 | – Eduard Wittek put a new pneumatic organ in a baroque case. |
| 1986 | – Wawrzyniec Rychert rebuilds the instrument in the spirit of Orgelbewegung |
| Lata 2000 | – devastation of the instrument by self-proclaimed organ builders |
| 2017-18 | – renovation and partial reconstruction of the Wittek organ by Szymon Januszkiewicz from Pruszcz Gdański |
Disposition of the organ
Renovation of the organ in the church of St. Anna (1710/1911) - Invitation to participate in the Patronage
In the years 2008-2018, the great Mannerist and Baroque organ from the Holy Trinity Church in Gdańsk was renovated and rebuilt with great success. Thus, we brought back to life one of the greatest and most valuable instruments in Pomerania. The effort to rebuild it was huge, also in financial terms. However, the enthusiasm and kindness of many people and institutions showed us that it was worth taking up this challenge. Over the years in which we have conducted the reconstruction, the great organs have gained over 600 institutional and individual patrons involved in the work of reconstruction. Today, therefore, at least as many people (including entire families) can proudly say: these are OUR organs.
The instrument from the St. Anne's Chapel is certainly a different class object from the organ from the Holy Trinity Church - it is definitely smaller and its outer garment is not that impressive. However, these organs are an extremely valuable monument of musical culture in Gdańsk. The facade made by Hildebrandt in 1710 has been preserved in situ, and inside the organ case many original elements of the instrument made at the beginning of the 20th century have been preserved. It is also significant that the organ in the St. Anne's chapel was founded in the 18th century by citizens of Gdańsk, who met here for the liturgy celebrated in Polish. Today, the organs that have successfully survived the hostilities require immediate maintenance and repair. We hope that in the work of their renovation we will be accompanied by the same enthusiasm and commitment with which we met when we rebuilt the great organ of the Holy Trinity Church.
Father Tomasz Jank
guardian of the monastery and rector
of the Holy Trinity Church in Gdańsk
Contact: Rector of the Holy Trinity church, Fr. Tomasz Jank OFMConv., Phone: +48 606 231 933, tjank@franciszkuje.pl
Address: Franciscan Monastery in Gdańsk, ul. Świętej Trójcy 4, 80-822 Gdańsk
A separate account for the restoration of organs from St. Anne's Church:
(EURO): PL07 1240 5400 1978 0010 4884 9565
Account owner: FRANCISCAN MONASTERY IN GDAŃSK
Address of the account owner: ŚWIĘTEJ TRÓJCY 4, 80-822 GDAŃSK
Branch keeping the accounts: Bank Pekao, Branch in Gdańsk ul. Ogarna 116
Kościół OO. Franciszkanów p.w. Św. Trójcy w Gdańsku, ul. Św. Trójcy 4
Kościół rzymskokatolicki pw. Św. Jana Bosko ul. Gościnna 15
Tickets available for purchase one hour before the concert. Reserved tickets at bilety@organyplus.com to be collected half an hour before the concert at the latest.
October 14 - Free entrance
Regular price 20/30 PLN
Stowarzyszenie Przyjaciół Kościoła Św. Trójcy „Dziedziniec” w Gdańsku
ul. Św. Trójcy 4
80-822 Gdańsk
General and Artistic Director
prof. dr hab. Andrzej Szadejko
info@organyplus.com
Office
biuro@organyplus.com
mobile phone: +48 728 376 237
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graphics by Beata Czerepak
