Unique pipe organ to appear in Kaliningrad’s cathedral

A new pipe organ will soon appear in the catholic cathedral dating back to the Middle Ages in the city of Kaliningrad, in Western Russia. Created by German masters, the organ promises to be the largest in Europe.

It has 8,000 pipes of different shapes and sizes, and each of them requires a thorough check. After the organ is complete, a special computer programme will monitor its condition, but for now it is all done by hand. Each pipe is designed for its own air flow and makes its own sound.

The musical complex will consist of two basic elements – the main organ and the choral one, united by a special electronic system.

“One organist can play a larger organ, the other – the smaller one, and together they will play one musical piece,” Galina Shashkova, instrument supervisor, said.

With 120 registers, the purity of sound has already been appreciated by the leading organ players from Russia, France and Germany.

The instrument is being built by German masters from Potsdam.  Using archive photographs, they are recreating the look of the antique organ played there until it was destroyed during WW2.

To mark the opening, Russian musicians think of creating a special composition.