From reverberation chamber to movable ceiling: Organ builder meets acoustician and architect through artistic and scientific cooperation in concert-hall organ projects

Abstract

A successful concert-hall organ holds a commanding musical presence. As a solo instrument the organ must be flexible and comprehensive, and when playing with full symphony orchestra the organ’s great power and impact allow it to stand in stark tonal and dynamic contrast to the orchestra. Every concert-hall organ project poses a different set of design challenges and requires a unique solution—the most successful of these are when the organ builder is involved from the early project design stages. Klais Orgelbau has designed and built pipe organs for many international concert halls including those in Kyoto, Japan; Athens, Greece; Krakau, Poland; Munich, Germany; and Cologne, Germany. Five current and upcoming major projects include concert hall instruments in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Bochum, Germany; Birmingham, UK; Halle, Germany; and Singapore. The considerable experience gained from this wide variety of projects will be reviewed. Project examples include such special acoustic features as stage canopies and reverberation chambers (Birmingham and Singapore) and a movable ceiling (Kuala Lumpur). The author will discuss the results of collaborations with acousticians and architects as well as those projects where the organ builder could only respond and react to planning and design decisions already in place.