Waldkirch Orgelfest : provisional programme
The Director of the Elztalmuseum has sent me the provisional programme for the Waldkirch Organ Festival 2008: Theme: "Paris in Waldkirch" Programme FRI 13.06.08 Opening event From 15.00 Catering on the Museum Square 15.00 Dragon Rap and Organ Sound Musical highlights with U. Querfurth 16.00 - 17.30 Programme with SWR 4 (radio station) 18.00 Reception in the Museum: The restored 89-pipe Gavioli 20.00“Bienvenue” Museum Hock with catering and lively stage programme from the baroque sonata to the chanson SAT 14.06.08 From 11.00 Museum Open Air Minor arts in the vaults Museum Tours in a variety of languages From 10.30 Presentations: D, NL, USA From 14.00 Minor arts in the vaults 16.00 “Dragon Rap and Organ Sound” Musical with U. Querfurth (in the Stadthalle) Children’s programme in the Organ-Makers Room Workshop in the Organ-makers Room 16.30 Church concert “La France and Waldkirch” with Prof. Klomp, Adrian Oswalt, Ian Aldermann, Dr.Jürgen Braun and the “Badisch Mechanical Band”, Evangelical Church 17.00 A Franco-German work of art from Waldkirch: the 89-pipe Gavioli in concert at the Elztal Museum From 19.00 “Au Clair de la Lune” Surprise musical programme on the Museum Square (Museumsplatz) incl. Altobella meets rock band and harmony band, Chilean group of barrel organs, vocal ensemble, the U. Anna ballet group. A dance organ plays – for dancing Workshop party at J&B Open Day at the organ-maker’s workshop SUN 15.06.08 9.30 Service with organs, St. Margarethen 11.00 “Paris in Waldkirch” Festival Concert with Pierre Charial from Paris, the Baroque Room From 11.00 Museum Open Air Minor arts in the vaults 15.00 Organ parade on the marketplace with competition for prize of one of the foundation’s organs 16.00 Musical “Dragon Rap and Organ Sound” with U. Querfurth (in the Stadthalle) From 16.00 A Bientôt Musical leave-taking in front of the Museum 20.15 “Music from Paris” Organ concert on the Walcker Organ in St. Margarethen church. Organ transcriptions by Prof. Thierry Mechler, (Society of the Preservation of the Walcker Organ) Open Day at the organ-builder’s workshop Programme subject to change without notice!"

Official Press Release for the Festiva: "Paris in Waldk
PRESS RELEASE: "French charm made in Waldkirch" The international reputation of Waldkirch’s organ-building companies, with their excellently trained craftsmen, attracted successful French companies to Waldkirch during the early 19th century to profit from local craftsmanship and conquer the German market. In 1896, the respected organ-building company Gavioli & Cie from Paris opened a branch in Waldkirch. The branch’s Director was Richard Bruder from the well-known Bruder organ-building dynasty. In 1908, the Parisian company Limonaire Frères followed. Both brought substantial French charm and new scientific impetus to the small town on the Elz, which was famous for its craftsmanship at that time. The punched card system developed by Gavioli to control the musical programme of the large automatic music machines was taken up by the old-established companies, and ensured their competitiveness on the world market during subsequent years. The instruments made by Gavioli & Cie and Limonaire Frères in Waldkirch impress with their interesting mixture of French innovation and German craftsmanship, the excellent quality of their technical construction, and their characteristically French sound. The instruments’ facades were based on typically French models that were largely produced in the Waldkirch branches. They formed elegant frames for these Franco-German artworks. Unfortunately, only a few of these first-class fairground and concert organs with their independent characteristics were created in the Waldkirch branches of the two Parisian companies between 1896 and the start of the First World War in 1914. Experts would now consider these instruments, if they were still in their original state, more valuable than those of the Parisian parent companies. This blue-white-red bond between a world city and Waldkirch still exists. The International Organ Festival 2008 celebrates this melodious connection between Paris and Waldkirch with its motto "Paris in Waldkirch" – a companionable event full of savoir-vivre. A Franco-German work of art from 1907 All the parts of this large 89-pipe Gavioli concert organ were constructed by the Waldkirch-based Gavioli branch in 1907. This late example of the company’s work has the final and most sophisticated 89/4 Gavioli scale and shows the typical signature of the Waldkirch branch’s Director, Richard Bruder. He understood how to create a successful synthesis of French and German organ-building skills with the Gavioli instruments under his management. The instrument exhibits an excellent technical construction quality with impressive musical possibilities and an independent sound with French influences. The façade produced in Waldkirch is designed in the French style. The organ has a large musical repertoire with excellent treatments, largely supplied by the company Alfred Bruder during the 1920s. At this time, the legendary musical transcriber Gustav Bruder was arranging and transcribing notes for Alfred Bruder. The repertoire of notes alone indicates the impressive musical possibilities integrated in this unique instrument. The history of this instrument can be traced until 1922, thanks to information handed down orally. During this year, the organ was purchased by Mathieu, the company producing fairground equipment in Munich, for the modern and sensational Zeppelin carousel. After the war, the organ played until about 1960 in the so-called “Wall of Death” run by Kitty Mathieu. The owner offered spectacular performances riding a motorbike around the vertical walls of a steel cage. After the business came to a close, the organ (together with various other instruments) was sold to a buyer in England in 1965. Following the death of the new owner, the city of Waldkirch succeeded in buying back this instrument, unique in the organ-building history of Waldkirch. Experts believe that the 89-pipe Gavioli organ, which is now housed in the Elztal Museum, is the only almost perfectly preserved original of this size from the Waldkirch branch. This unique instrument has undergone comprehensive restoration in the workshops of Waldkirch’s organ builders and is now capable of playing. Another organ produced at Gavioli’s Waldkirch branch that is also still in its original state is currently owned by the open-air museum of Arnheim in the Netherlands and is called “De Schelm”. The instrument, however, has a smaller 87-pipe scale, without any register stops. Unfortunately, most of the few remaining Franco-German fairground and concert organs from Waldkirch have been so drastically modernised and modified that the works hardly reflect the workmanship of the originals. E. Flögel 9.2.2008

Can anyone suggest the easiest way to get from Waldkirch to London after the festival? Is there a nearby airport with service to London? Is there any kind of bus or shuttle to get from Waldkirch to the airport? Unfortunately the few words of German I learned from my grandmother aren't being a lot of help in navigating the sundry travel web sites that probably contain the answer to my questions. Cheers, Roger

Hello Roger, It's very easy to get from Waldkirch to London. Take the train (or bus) to Freiburg, then there's either a coach from Freiburg to Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg Euroairport English website here or the train to Basel, then bus to the airport. Easyjet do one flight a day each to London Luton departing at 16:25 local time or to London Stansted at some unearthly hour of night (about 22:30) and it's about a 1 1/2 hour flight to either. Then either a train or Green Line Coaches service 757 to London's West End and Victoria station from Luton - other coach operators probably run similar services from Stansted. There probably other ways to do it, but this is the one I use as Luton is my nearest airport. I would imagine both British Airways and SwissAir also fly from Euroairport to Heathrow. Alternatively, there's Strasbourg airport a little further north-west (but I haven't investigated how easy it is to get to from Waldkirch) or Stuttgart to the north-east (ditto). Or, as a final alternative, drop Linda or Boz an e-mail at tours@historyinharmony.com as they may also be able to help. See you all there! Jeremy.