To experience a concert is something special in this year – something valuable, because the COVID-pandemic has been directing our lives since March. To experience live music not only means something special to the listeners but also to the musicians – choirs, ensembles, orchestras and solo artists – as well as the organisers. This is why the Freundeskreis Musik und Denkmalpflege in Kirchen des Merseburger Landes e. V., especially cathedral organist Michael Schönheit, cathedral cantor Stefan Mücksch and canon Hans-Hubert Werner, always believed in the realisation of the 50th Merseburg Organ Days and stuck to their plan to celebrate this anniversary year with a brilliant musical experience. Thanks to the convincing hygiene concept, the 50th Merseburg Organ Days can take place from 12 to 20 September 2020. Main location is the Merseburg Cathedral with its magnificent Ladegast organ.
Excellent organists and ensembles will celebrate the 50th anniversary in over 20 concerts. Besides cathedral organist Michael Schönheit, internationally renowned organists Edgar Krapp (Munich), Rui Soares (Porto) and Martin Lücker (Frankfurt/Main) will participate. Ensembles like the Merseburg Court Orchestra, the Thomas Gabriel Trio or the Leipzig Calmus Ensemble have been a part of the Organ Days for a long time now. This also counts for famous singers like Thomas cantor Gotthold Schwarz, Andreas Scheibner, Tobias Hunger, Britta Schwarz or Julia-Sophie Wagner.
In the family concert “Lis(z)t und Tücke”, ARD children’s channel star Malte Arkona will present Merseburg’s cathedral organ. The TV host, actor and voice actor Malte Arkona is especially known to the younger audience as host of children’s shows like “Tigerenten Club” and “Die beste Klasse Deutschlands”. Accompanied by famous orchestras, he holds concerts for every generation. He is a regular guest of the family concert series at Gewandhaus Leipzig, where the close collaboration between Arkona and organist Michael Schönheit was born. With “Lis(z)t und Tücke”, both artists introduce Franz Liszt’s favourite organ to the older and younger audience.
