Schwebender Klang : Die Orgel-Skulptur in Alpirsbach
Actually the Romanesque monastery church in Alpirsbach is no place for an organ. But in order to fill the space with organ music, a spectacular solution was found. By means of air cushions the instrument can be moved and be played from different positions in the Church. Its regular position is in the southern transept, where it can accompany sacred services. Thanks to the air cushions the organ can also be moved to the optimal “Solo-concert position; it hovers in the crossing, where it is then turned 90° so that it will be heard even to the last row of seats. Its “Orchestra-concert position is located on the edge of the nave, where the instrument is turned 50°. Thus it soundsfrom the length of the nave and allows the orchestra and/or choir enough room to perform. In cooperation with the organ builder Claudius Winterhalter, the sculptor and painter, Armin Göhringer, has ennobled the instrument into a work of art with his chain saw, by transforming it into a sculpture. The renowned organist Jürgen Essl presents the possibilties of the instrument with works by Bach, César Franck and with his own improvisations.