Church organ with Danzer veneer can be heard at festival in the Slovakian capital

Organ at St. Sebastian's Cathedral in Bratislava made with veneer from hardwood specialist

Dornbirn, Austria/Bratislava, Slovakia. Renowned international organ builder Rieger made the organ for St. Sebastian's Cathedral in Bratislava using maple veneer produced by Danzer. The instrument can be heard at the celebrated Bratislava Organ Festival between the end of June and mid-July. The concerts will cover the full spectrum, from classic organ music to modern compositions. Built using veneer from Danzer, the organ lives up to the organizer’s exacting aesthetic and musical standards.

Bird’s eye maple and European maple veneer manufactured by Danzer was used for the instrument, which was built by leading international organ makers Rieger, from Schwarzach in Austria. The organ, built in 2017 at St. Sebastian's Cathedral in Bratislava, Slovakia, can be heard on three separate occasions between June 28 and July 17 at the seventh Bratislava Organ Festival. In additional to classical organ recitals, the repertoire focuses primarily on modern compositions accompanied by saxophone and bagpipes, among others.       

Construction and history 

“We teamed up with the specialists from Rieger Orgelbau to implement a fascinating project for the organ at St. Sebastian’s Cathedral in Bratislava. We looked at different types of wood together – ultimately deciding in favor of the two maple veneers as they harmonize very well with the numerous gold accents found elsewhere in the church,” explained Walter Mooslechner, Sales Director Danzer Veneer Europe. The organ was built in Schwarzach in the first half of 2017, and transported to Bratislava largely preassembled. It uses Danzer bird’s eye maple veneer and Danzer European maple veneer. “A four-person team from Rieger was responsible for assembling the organ on site ready for its official inauguration on December 17, 2017,” Walter Mooslechner explained. “Famous musicians will also play contemporary pieces on the organ at this year’s organ festival. The three concerts at St. Sebastian’s Cathedral will take place on June 28, July 10 and July 17.