Hamburg

III/P/48

Germany, Hamburg
Evang.-luth. St. Johanniskirche Altona

© pictures Orgelbau Kuhn AG, Männedorf

Orgelbau Th. Kuhn AG, 1998

New organ

Windchests
slider chests
Key action
mechanical
Stop action
electrical
Inauguration
01.11.1998
Expert
Immo Wesnigk
Case design
Hans-Peter Keller
Voicing
Kurt Baumann

With the construction of the new organ in Altona St. Johannis, an attempt was made to set a tone previously unknown in the organ scene around Hamburg. The new instrument is based upon the symphonic-Romantic tonal spectrum exemplified by French organ building at the time of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (1811-1899).

The large French cathedral organs of this time were still built incorporating the traditional stops of the old French organs. The new string stops, beating stops and harmonic stops were simply added to this traditional basis. The specification of the St. Johannis organ was also planned according to these principles. As in France, there are a large number of full-length reed stops which are dominant within the full sound of the organ.

According to the wishes of those commissioning the project, the organ should also look as it sounds. The French organs adhere much less, except in the case of a Rückpositiv, to the «Werkprinzip» (visibly distinct sections of the case for separate divisions) of the German Baroque organs and those of the Neo-Baroque, today widespread. A simply structured façade is broken up by narrow towers. Small pipes are usually not visible in the façade. As can be seen in Dom Bédos' «L'art du facteur d'orgues», the visible use of overlength pipes is not avoided, particularly in the intermediate flats between the towers. In keeping with these features, we tried to design a façade which, in other respects is modern and is not a copy of one particular French model. Our aim was simple elegance.