The Merseburg Organ Festival is one of the major organ festivals in Europe. They have a firm place in the musical life of Saxony-Anhalt and attract numerous music lovers from all over the world to the Merseburg Imperial Cathedral every year in September. This year, too, thehe Freundeskreis Musik und Denkmalpflege in Kirchen des Merseburger Landes e. V. and, above all, the organist of Merseburg Cathedral, Michael Schönheit, from 10 to 18 September 2022 an outstanding musical event is planned.
The motto of the 52nd Merseburg Organ Festival is "So that the soul may be beautified, heaven gave us music" (Robert Schumann) in commemoration of the birthdays and deathdays of great composers.
The Vereinigte Domstifter zu Merseburg und Naumburg and the Kollegiatstifts Zeitz are delighted to have a main sponsor for the Merseburg Organ Festival since this year: MVV Energie. "This will enable us to continue organising a great musical event in Saxony-Anhalt for the next few years, for which we are very grateful to MVV Energie", says Bastian Borck, treasurer of the Vereinigte Domstifter, commenting on the sponsorship agreement. Starting this year, MVV Energie will be supporting the Merseburg Organ Festival for the next five years with an annual sum of Euro 25,000.
MVV Executive Board member Dr Hansjörg Roll: "We operate several green generation plants in Saxony-Anhalt and a state-of-the-art waste treatment plant at TREA Leuna near Merseburg. Making the region sustainable in terms of energy management is just as important to us as supporting this top-class cultural and artistic event with our contribution!"
Programme highlights of the Organ Days are:
Opening concert in Merseburg Cathedral
10 September 2022 19:00
"A symphony of psalms"
Works by Heinrich Schütz, Henry Purcell,
Claudio Monteverdi, Johann Sebastian Bach and others
On the Ladegast organ: DAVIDE MARIANO - Vienna
RIAS CHAMBER CHOIR BERLIN
Director: JUSTIN DOYLE
Celebratory service with cathedral chapter
11 September 2022 10:00
Franz Schubert: Mass in C major op. 48
COLLEGIUM VOCALE LEIPZIG
MERSEBURG COURT MUSIC
On the Ladegast organ: DENNY WILKE
MICHAEL SCHÖNHEIT - Management
Family concert in Merseburg Cathedral
11 September 2022 15:00
MALTE ARKONA presents
"From the organist's life of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy"
At the Ladegast organ: MICHAEL SCHÖNHEIT
The big evening concert in Merseburg Cathedral
11 September 2022 19:00
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: St Paul
Oratorio after words from the Holy Scriptures op. 36
JULIA SOPHIE WAGNER - Soprano, BRITTA SCHWARZ - Alto
ANDREAS WELLER - tenor, KLAUS MERTENS - bass, DENNY WILKE - organ
CANTIAMO, MERSEBURG CATHEDRAL CHOIR
CHAMBER CHOIR OF THE SAALFELD CASTLE CHAPEL
STAATSKAPELLE HALLE
Conductor: DOMKANTOR STEFAN MÜCKSCH
Musical opening of the cathedral
12 September 2022 09:00
Johann Kuhnau: Biblical History I
"The fight between David and Goliath"
OANA MARIA BRAN - Organ
AXEL THIELMANN - Reading, PASTOR SUSANNE MAHLKE - Liturgy
The big evening concert II in Merseburg Cathedral
12 September 2022 21:30
SJAELLA LEIPZIG
Telling of natural phenomena and love, Sjaella combines new arrangements of English baroque music with folk tunes from northern Europe
VIOLA BLACHE - Soprano
FRANZISKA EBERHARDT - Soprano
MARIE FENSKE - Soprano
MARIE CHARLOTTE SEIDEL - mezzo-soprano
FELICITAS ERBEN - Old
HELENE ERBEN - Old
Lunchtime concert in Merseburg Cathedral
13 September 2022 12:00
On the Ladegast organ: HALGEIR SCHIAGER - Oslo
Meditation in Merseburg Cathedral
14 September 2022 21:30
"Heinrich Schütz - a role model for the renewal of church music in the 20th century"
HEIDI MARIA TAUBERT - Soprano
AXEL THIELMANN- Reading
On the Ladegast organs: HOLGER GEHRING - Cross organist in Dresden
The big evening concert II in Merseburg Cathedral
15 September 2022 21:30
Organ and piano
Works by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy,
César Franck, Lefébure-Wély
On the Ladegast organ: ARVID GAST - Organist at the Jakobikirche in Lübeck
JULIAN GAST - Piano
The final concert in Merseburg Cathedral
18 September 2022 19:00
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Elijah
Oratorio after words from the Holy Scriptures op. 70
KATHERINA MÜLLER - soprano, BRITTA SCHWARZ - alto
FLORIAN SIEVERS - Tenor, TOBIAS BERNDT - Bass
DENNY WILKE - Organ
COLLEGIUM VOCALE LEIPZIG
CHAMBER CHOIR OF THE SAALFELD CASTLE CHAPEL
MERSEBURGER HOFMUSIK on instruments of historical scale
Management: MICHAEL SCHÖNHEIT
Information on the Organ Days, the detailed programme and ticket reservations at:
