The old organ, which was given its purpose with the opening of the Brucknerhaus in 1974, had long since ceased to function in concert. Their pitch was too high, which made their use in orchestral concerts impossible. In addition there were static problems and those of accessibility, which made the care and maintenance of the organ difficult. Exact inspection also revealed that the structural substance of the old organ was in very poor condition. For all these reasons, one has strayed from the original idea of a general refurbishment and has decided to build a new one while preserving the original façade.
The Mayor of Linz, Klaus Luger, spoke at the press conference on 7 May 2018 of "a major financial challenge for the city, but we did it. We had to act that way because the organ was out of time."
Brucknerhaus director Dietmar Kerschbaum described the 7th of May 2018 as a "historic day for the Brucknerhaus and for Linz. With the new organ, we are following international standards." He also announced an organ improvisation competition for the future.
Anton Bruckner was once celebrated at home and abroad for his organ improvisations.
The new building was advertised, the contract was awarded by the internationally renowned company Rieger organ construction, which has among others built the new organ in the Great Hall of the Vienna Musikverein and the organ in the new Paris Philharmonic. The costs for the new building amount to almost 1.1 million euros.
Visit a concert of the following subscriptions to experience the sound of the new organ:
Four times a season you also have the opportunity to get to know the new organ of the Brucknerhaus Linz during a guided tour. Martin Riccabona, our organ curator, explains interesting facts about the instrument and pulls out all the stops for you, including sound samples.
The disassembly of the old and the construction of the new organ was recorded with a time-lapse camera. Take a look at this extraordinary documentation!