Jehmlich organ at Dresden's Kreuzkirche to be renovated

The Jehmlich organ in Dresden's Kreuzkirche will undergo a makeover in the coming weeks. According to the parish, the instrument is to be brought up to the latest state of the art. The company responsible is the one that built the instrument, which was consecrated in 1963 - the organ building firm Jehmlich from Dresden. The costs amount to around 185,000 euros and will be covered by the congregation's own funds, grants from the regional church and donations, according to the statement.

Organ harmonizes perfectly with the acoustics of the church

With 6,293 pipes and more than 80 stops and four manuals, the current organ is by far the largest instrument in the Saxon state capital and also one of the largest in the Free State of Saxony. Following a thorough renovation between 2005 and 2008, it is considered a masterpiece that harmonizes perfectly with the room acoustics. The measures now underway are intended to preserve this artistic heritage for the future. The work is planned until the end of March.

In a first step, parts of the organ will be thoroughly cleaned and the functionality of the tuning devices will be checked, according to the parish. In addition, the entire electrical system will be thoroughly modernized to meet today's safety and performance requirements. A particular focus will be on renewing the almost 20-year-old electronic control of the stop action and the storage options for organ registrations, which will enable rapid changes in sound.

In future, the organ can also be controlled remotely

In future, both registrations of complex organ works and registrations by different organists can be stored almost indefinitely. By installing a digital interface, the instrument will even be remotely controllable and combinable with electronic instruments in the future. Maintenance will also be simplified. A newly installed remote control of the keys will allow the organ to be tuned by just one person in future.

During the entire construction phase, the Jehmlich organ will not be audible. However, the musical performance of vespers and church services is guaranteed. The organ from the workshop of Kristian Wegscheider, which will be permanently installed in the altar area during this time, will serve as a replacement.