Kuhn Organ Builders Ltd, 2011
New organ
www.orgelbau.ch/ope=114350
III/P/34
Germany, Hesse
Evang. Kilianskirche
Contemporary free standing sculpture
Saint Kilian's church was constructed in 1450 in the middle of the old town of Korbach and ranks among the significant Gothic hall churches in the heart of Germany. The church is the domicile of the town's full-time choir master and organist and therefore the centre of Protestant church music in the region. The new instrument should of course meet the requirements of the church's role.
The principal's wish was clear from the beginning: the new organ was to be designed as a contemporary free standing sculpture. For the exterior design, the board hired architect Götz Faubel-Gäb - impressed and inspired by his earlier design of the Kuhn organ in Essen (2004). An intense design phase in close collaboration with the architect began. After numerous drafts and model tests, the concept was finished and awarded the principal's unreserved agreement.
The result impresses by a harmonic interplay between Gothic and an elegant organ design with slat shaped pipe shades. As a free standing construction, the organ is accessible from all sides, which is rare. With its broad stylistic spectrum, the tonal conception corresponds to the versatile requirements of Protestant church music.
The Korbach project is another example of how a great achievement may originate in the inspiring collaboration between organ builders and architects. With this in mind, the new organ in Saint Killian's church is not only a contemporary instrument which combines a variety of musical styles but also the result of a professional synthesis of two different crafts.
Translation: RS 2011
