В Большой театр доставили орган из Бельгии
В Большой театр доставили орган из Бельгии
According to information from Mikhail Sidorov, the official representative of the general contractor in charge of the renovation and restoration of the Bolshoi Theatre and an advisor to the president of the Summa Group (an organization known until Aug. 16, 2011 as the Summa Capital investment group) an organ is being set up in the theater’s historic building as part of the renovation work.
“The organ can only be installed after the construction work is complete, due to the technical requirements of the installation process for musical instruments of this sort. I should point out that the theater has never before housed this type of musical instrument. It was manufactured in Belgium to meet specific requirements pertaining to the building’s architectural and acoustic features.
“The organ required a very long and involved construction process, primarily due to the fact that all of its components were built by hand. This musical instrument contains 1,819 metal pipes, hundreds of wooden pipes, 31 stops, and 2 manuals. The total weight of the organ, including the bellows and compressors that are located on a level above the musical instrument itself, is eight tons,” asserted Mikhail Sidorov.
The speech of the organ in the renovated stage area received special consideration as the musical instrument was being built. The department of acoustics at Lomonosov Moscow State University, as well as international experts invited from abroad, helped to formulate the technical requirements for the Belgian craftsmen.
“The acoustic engineers and designers worked together to resolve a fairly difficult problem. The sounds of the organ (located in the upper part of the stage area) and the orchestra should combine into a seamless whole for the listening audience. For this reason the musical instrument’s sound capacity was specially designed. They even gave consideration as to whether hard or soft scenery would be used during the performances, because the scenery is placed in the path of the sound between the organ and the auditorium,” emphasized the general contractor’s representative.
“The organ can only be installed after the construction work is complete, due to the technical requirements of the installation process for musical instruments of this sort. I should point out that the theater has never before housed this type of musical instrument. It was manufactured in Belgium to meet specific requirements pertaining to the building’s architectural and acoustic features.
“The organ required a very long and involved construction process, primarily due to the fact that all of its components were built by hand. This musical instrument contains 1,819 metal pipes, hundreds of wooden pipes, 31 stops, and 2 manuals. The total weight of the organ, including the bellows and compressors that are located on a level above the musical instrument itself, is eight tons,” asserted Mikhail Sidorov.
The speech of the organ in the renovated stage area received special consideration as the musical instrument was being built. The department of acoustics at Lomonosov Moscow State University, as well as international experts invited from abroad, helped to formulate the technical requirements for the Belgian craftsmen.
“The acoustic engineers and designers worked together to resolve a fairly difficult problem. The sounds of the organ (located in the upper part of the stage area) and the orchestra should combine into a seamless whole for the listening audience. For this reason the musical instrument’s sound capacity was specially designed. They even gave consideration as to whether hard or soft scenery would be used during the performances, because the scenery is placed in the path of the sound between the organ and the auditorium,” emphasized the general contractor’s representative.
The preliminary tuning of the organ pipes took place in the workshop. Specialists will perform the final tuning one week after the instrument is completely installed.
“The organ at the Bolshoi Theatre has an exceptionally complex system for controlling how it is played. The main mechanical console (Spieltisch) will be built into the musical instrument, and a second electronic console, enabling a musician to play the huge instrument remotely, will be installed in the orchestra pit,” Mikhail Sidorov confirmed.
As a reminder, a gala concert on the main stage is planned for Oct. 28, 2011. Inspections of the ceremonial halls are currently underway in the historical part of the Bolshoi Theatre building.
“The organ at the Bolshoi Theatre has an exceptionally complex system for controlling how it is played. The main mechanical console (Spieltisch) will be built into the musical instrument, and a second electronic console, enabling a musician to play the huge instrument remotely, will be installed in the orchestra pit,” Mikhail Sidorov confirmed.
As a reminder, a gala concert on the main stage is planned for Oct. 28, 2011. Inspections of the ceremonial halls are currently underway in the historical part of the Bolshoi Theatre building.