Home PageHome Page
     
Hospital de los Venerables, Seville.
 

The new organ for the church of the Hospital de Los Venerables in Seville was commissioned by the Focus foundation of Seville and constructed by Gerhard Grenzing to Simon Platt's design.

The organ enriches Seville with an ideal instrument for interpreting the music of Bach and his contemporaries and Iberian music, but its design posed a very delicate challenge. The monumental organ case had to harmonise with the exquisite baroque interior of this 17th century church, covered with frescoes by Valdes Leal and Lucas Valdes (among the greatest painters of the Seville school of their period). There was no way to introduce a discreet contemporary element contrasting with its surroundings -the organ was too large. So a wholeheartedly baroque vocabulary was adopted, borrowing references from other late 17th century organ cases in Mexico and Andalucia. The underlying architectural orders were constructed from Palladio and Vignola. A sculptor, José Barbero and painter, Antonio Díaz, both from the Seville School, collaborated in the creation of carvings, gilding and polychrome finishes, using traditional techniques.

 
   
Height: 9.50 metres
Width: 6 metres
Number of stops: 45 with four manual keyboards and pedal
Budget: 80 million pesetas
Start of design: 1988
Date of inauguration: November, 1991

 

  Back to Organ design