The Lviv Organ Hall ( uk, Львівський органний зал) is a concert hall located within the Church of St. Mary Magdaline in the city of

Lviv Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...

, constructed in the 17th century. It is home to one of the largest

organs In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a f ...

in Ukraine, and hosts concerts of organ, symphonic, and chamber music. It is roughly 800 square meters and size and can hold up to 350 people, hosting roughly thirty performances each month.

History

The hall resides in the former walls of the St. Maria Magdalene Roman Catholic Church. However, from 1753-1758 the architect Martin Urbank set about renovating the central tower, while later Sebastian Fesinger would add a decorative facade depicting the saints St Dominic and St Hyacinth. By the end of the 18th century, Austrian authorities had permanently closed the building. It would later be transferred into a women's prison until 1922. The

Rieger–Kloss Rieger–Kloss is a company specializing in the manufacturing of pipe organ. Its headquarters as well as the production facilities are located in Krnov, Czech Republic. History Rieger–Kloss date their establishment to 1873, by the Rieger brot ...

styled organ installed within the concert hall was commissioned by Gebrüder Rieger in 1932 and was installed in 1933. During the

Soviet period The history of Soviet Russia and the Soviet Union (USSR) reflects a period of change for both Russia and the world. Though the terms "Soviet Russia" and "Soviet Union" often are synonymous in everyday speech (either acknowledging the dominance ...

, the concert hall served a variety of purposes, including as a sports hall and dance hall. Until the 1960s, the space was owned by the Polytechnic Institute, but was repurposed by the Lviv Conservatory into the organ hall, a purpose which it retains to this day. As an official concert organization, the ''Lviv House of Organ and Chamber Music'' was established in 1988.

Organ

The organ consists of 77 registers, 5 of which are transmission. It has four manuals each with a single pedal. All of the first, second, and third manuals are located on the choir balcony on a specially built concrete platform, while the fourth manual was placed above the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...

. There are two consoles: one in the choir balcony and one in the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

. In 1969, the organ was partially refurbished and reorganized by Gebrüder Rieger. Primarily, the main console was replaced with a three manual version and was situated on a stage. Additionally, the pipes of the organ were restored, with new ones replacing old pipes, and the membranes in the tone channels and relay chambers were replaced.

Pictures

References

{{coord missing, Ukraine Concert halls in Ukraine Lviv Organs (music)