New instruments

Numerous cathedrals around the world house Rieger organs. Here we attach great importance to the following: firstly, that our instruments must provide the highest musical quality for significant liturgical celebrations in the Episcopal Church of the diocese; and secondly, that they must enable concert performances with a maximum of variety.

When designing and implementing concert hall organs, we ensure that our instruments can fulfil varied tasks, including, in particular, collaboration with orchestras of different sizes, as well as performing with choirs and/or wind instruments.

In addition, our organs are predestined for organ chamber music, as well as the solo organ literature from all eras, especially contemporary music.

By building small organs, we serve a market segment with instruments that can be used in a variety of ways. Rieger small organs are suitable, among other things, as teaching instruments in schools as well as for small churches or concert halls - or at home.

In August 2022, the new main organ in the east choir of the thousand-year-old Mainz Cathedral of St. Martin was inaugurated. With its 95 stops on 4 manuals and pedals, this organ is one of the highlights in Rieger's history. Despite its visual reticence – in deference to the venerable architecture – the organ develops an enormous presence throughout the vast church. The richness of colour is based on Aristide Cavaillé-Coll's third era, but was expanded to include several German-Romantic registers; consider, for example, the seven-fold choir of violas, gambas and violins in the Orchestral division.

While the organ was being built, the Bishop of Mainz, Dr. Peter Kohlgraf, personally visited the organ building workshop in Schwarzach to listen to the first sounds. His enthusiasm led to his playing pieces for four hands, together with cathedral organist, Prof. Daniel Beckmann, in the opening concert.

Rieger would not be Rieger if another innovation in organ construction technology had not been incorporated into such an important organ - this time an innovation from the in-house electronics development department: the organist can use the "audience position" function at the console to determine where in the cathedral the large Rieger East Choir Organ and the smaller Marian Organ (Orgelbau Goll) can be heard precisely together, without any delay despite the great spatial distance.

The new organ for the Konserthus in Gothenburg has 112 stops on 4 manuals and pedals. At the client's request, it was stylistically based on Aristide Cavaillé-Coll's third era. To increase the variety of colours, we added an orchestral division without compromising the French tonal concept.

Special tonal features include two original Skinner stops that were integrated into the tonal scheme, and an additional 32' pedal stop, which is located under the floor of the auditorium’s stalls. A large general swell makes the organ particularly flexible, especially when playing with ensembles.

Several technical innovations were also incorporated in the organ. It has proportional key and stop actions, whereby inter alia any selected position of the draw-stops can be saved in the combination capture system and recalled. In addition, the height of the mechanical console is adjustable and the console playable at any height position.

The new organ for Gothenburg’s Konserthus was ceremoniously inaugurated on 15 October 2021, in the presence of the Swedish royal family.