MDG is delighted to present the very first recording on the new experimental organ in the church of St. Martin in Kassel which was finally completed in 2021.

The main organ in the church of St. Martin in Kassel, consecrated in 2017, already boasts numerous innovations; now the experimental organ turns the laws of organ building that have applied for centuries on their head.

With a technically highly innovative trick, the traditional Rieger company has succeeded in having the wind flowing into the organ pipe controlled by the touch of the key, stop slide and bellows system.

The new sound cosmos of swelling and dying tones that opens up inspires young composers to experiment, documented for the first time on a brand-new Super Audio CD that presents both instruments as a convincing unit in an overwhelming spatial sound.

St. Martin has been known for its innovative spirit for centuries, and Johann Sebastian Bach was drawn to Kassel in 1732 to examine the organ. Bach is both the beginning and the end of Eckhard Manz’s programme, which is extraordinary in every respect, with Messiaen’s Pentecost Mass at its centre.

Works by Cabezón, Praetorius, Böhm and de Grigny represent the Renaissance and Baroque, while pieces from Caspar Johannes Walter’s composition class represent contemporary, youthful music.