A "Bach organ" for Riga

Riga, the old Hanseatic city and capital of Latvia, has a world-famous romantic organ in its majestic cathedral, built by the Walcker company. For many years, musicians, experts and cultural leaders have wanted to add an important baroque instrument (a ‘Bach organ’) to Riga's organ landscape. This idea is now being realised.

As early as 2007, after the cathedral had reverted to church ownership, the organ-building workshop of Kristian Wegscheider in Dresden, which has particular expertise in baroque organ-building, had drawn up a plan for such a project. In close consultation with Latvian musicians and experts, the concept of a baroque organ in the side aisle of the cathedral was developed in the style of the organ-builder Heinrich Andreas Contius (1708-1795), who was esteemed by J.S. Bach and who is considered the most important organ builder of the 18th century in the Baltic States. However, this could not be realised at the time for financial reasons and interest shifted to St. Petri Church, Riga's Reformation Church, with its organ gallery that had been empty for many decades.

Since 2010, the intention has been to reconstruct the baroque organ of the German master Gottfried Kloosen, inaugurated in 1734, in St. Peter's Church. Since 2016, the Förderverein Orgel Petri-Kirche Riga e.V., among other parties, has been campaigning for this, and in January 2023 the Carl Bechstein Foundation, Berlin, promised to cover half of the costs (approximately one million euros).
Since this project will not be realised for the time being, but the Carl Bechstein Foundation wants to stick to its donation and continue to let Riga benefit from it, the 2007 project has been revived. 

To this end, the statutes of the association were amended to also enable the project in the cathedral as an alternative realisation of the association's purpose.
 
On 10 June 2024, a ‘Memorandum of Intent’, i.e. a preliminary contract, was signed in a dignified public ceremony at the cathedral. And a little later, the final contract was concluded between the cathedral administration (client), the organ workshop Wegscheider (contractor) and the association (financier).

Well on the way !

So the dream mentioned above – a baroque counterpart to the romantic organ – will be realised after all, but in Riga Cathedral and not in St. Peter's Church for the time being. 

The organ workshop began the preparatory work in autumn 2024, and the construction should be completed within three years. With the Bechstein donation and the donations already received by the funding association, the organ is largely financed, but around 400,000 euros still need to be raised.

Donations and ideas are welcome and benefit events are being planned. The cathedral administration and parish will be involved in fundraising, making this a truly German-Latvian project. There are already many ideas for concerts, lectures and advertising in Riga and Germany. 

And there is also the possibility of sponsoring organ pipes for this organ, starting at 50 euros. For donations of 500 euros or more, the name of the sponsor will be engraved on the organ pipe. Previous sponsorships for the Petri Church organ will be reallocated to the pipes of the new organ by arrangement.

BECOME A SPONSOR OF THE NEW CONTIUS ORGAN IN THE RIGA CATHEDRAL

You can make a personal and lasting contribution to the reconstruction of the baroque organ in the style of the organ builder Heinrich Andreas Contius (1708-1795).

Sponsor one or more organ pipes. Choose between front and inner pipes and between the different registers...

Organ sponsorship

RETROSSPECTIVE

THE PHOTO CALENDAR 2021 FOR THE FORMER ORGAN PROJECT

The Förderverein Orgel Petri-Kirche Riga e.V. had published a photo calendar for 2021 for the planned organ project in St. Peter's Church.

At the time, this contained additional illustrations on the monthly pages, as well as further information and images on the back of each page. It is still very informative with regard to the former organ project in St. Peter's Church and also documents the well-founded approach of the association.

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