The organ of the

Philh a rmonie

When you hear the word «organ», what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Churches? Sure… but did you know that the organ was originally a pagan instrument? And that it even used to work with water? Since its origins during Greek antiquity, the organ has spread far beyond the religious sphere, to concert halls, opera houses, and even cinemas and fun fairs!

A true musical and technological wonder (the most complex machine built by man before the computer!), it boasts infinite possibilities. Overpowering a full orchestra? Easy. Creating a gentle whisper lighter than a breeze? No trouble at all. Religious music  from the Middle Age? Of course, but also 21st-century film music, romantic symphonies, contemporary improvisations and so much more! Whatever the period, whatever the musical genre, the «king of instruments» brings marvels to your ears…

We inaugurated our own in November 2005, just a few months after the Philharmonie building. The result of a fruitful collaboration between architect Christian de Portzamparc and the workshop of the Berlin-based organ builder Karl Schuke, it combines French, German and English traditions. An organ as European as Luxembourg!

More than an instrument, a monument

How do you know you’ve just stepped into the Philharmonie’s Grand Auditorium? Because you are facing the great organ of course! The organ is the key element to distinguish one concert hall from another with a single glance: way more than a simple instrument, it’s a true architectural masterpiece. In fact, the visible part of our Schuke organ, the «case», was designed in collaboration with the Philharmonie’s architect, Christian de Portzamparc.

Take a look at the similarities between the organ and the Philharmonie. First of all, the pipes are located in tower-like structures, reminiscent of the housing seats in the Grand Auditorium. And how could we ignore the parallel between the organ’s 6 768 pipes and the 827 iconic columns of the Philharmonie? Finally, like a harmonious outfit, the instrument’s colours match those of the concert hall: the wood is coated with red-ish varnish, complemented by silvery blue surfaces evoking the seats of the Grand Auditorium. A real eye-catcher!

A whole orchestra on its own

Did you know that the organ is a wind instrument? Yes, you read that right! Think of it as a gigantic pan flute, operated by keyboards. The air is stored under pressure in a «windchest» located under the pipes. When you press the keys on the keyboards, and the buttons around them (the so-called «stops»), a path opens for the air to flow into one or more pipes, thus producing the sound.

The Philharmonie organ has 5 keyboards, 4 manuals and 1 pedalboard (a keyboard for the feet), each with its own function (soloist, bass, …). For each of these keyboards, there are a number of corresponding «stops». A «stop», is a kind of voice, a certain type of sound. They sometimes have funny names like «celestial voice» or «principal», but most of them imitate orchestral instruments. Flutes, trumpets, violas, cellos… The organ is an all-in-one orchestra!

That’s probably why it can easily fill a concert hall on its own, as in Johann Sebastian Bach’s famous Toccata and fugue in D minor (BWV 565), play as a soloist accompanied by an orchestra like in Francis Poulenc’s Concerto pour orgue, cordes et timbales, or converse with it like in Camille Saint-Saëns’ Symphonie « avec orgue » N° 3. But beyond the well-known sounding power of the organ, the instrument can also be subtle and gentle, with lighter stops, such as the flute-like melodies you can hear in the soundtrack of Interstellar.