Orgelkonzert in der Katharinenkirche

The prophetess speaks
When the grand Woehl organ of the Oppenheim Katharinenkirche celebrates its 20th birthday this year, one must not be absent: the Swedish organist Hans-Ola Ericsson.
At the inauguration concert on Pentecost Monday in 2006, he found words filled with the spirit of Pentecost:
“A dream has been realized – and a great and prophetic instrument has been born.”
Prophets are called by God to be messengers. They are to challenge injustices, but they also have the task of encouraging people and bringing them hope. What a great and wonderful task for an organ!
For in the Old Testament, the prophets were not just angry warners who led the people away from wrongdoing with a raised finger. They also knew other tones, shook people awake, opened eyes and ears, and showed the way out of despair. For 20 years now, the Woehl organ at St. Katharinen has acted in this spirit. For 20 years, it has touched people, comforted them, pushed back what burdens, proclaimed, praised God, rejoiced, and drawn people – yes, sometimes even with a prophetically thunderous sound – into its seemingly inexhaustible sound worlds. And it beautifully disproves the reservation that a prophet is of no value in his own land, for while organ concerts in other places often struggle, there is always a large community of enthusiasts and connoisseurs gathered in the Oppenheim Katharinenkirche.  

On Sunday, September 20 at 6:00 p.m., he will come, the one who once recognized and named the prophetic gift of the Woehl organ. Hans-Ola Ericsson will engage in a dialogue with organ works by Johannes Brahms and contemporary works by Robert P. Scott.
The great oeuvre of Brahms is somewhat framed by his organ compositions. While some preludes and fugues date back to the 1850s, during which he engaged in intensive counterpoint studies, the 11 chorale preludes op. 122 are his last work, created in 1896 in close temporal proximity to the death of his esteemed friend Clara Schumann.  

The great oeuvre of Brahms is somewhat framed by his organ compositions. While some preludes and fugues date back to the 1850s, during which he engaged in intensive counterpoint studies, the 11 chorale preludes op. 122 are his last work, created in 1896 in close temporal proximity to the death of his esteemed friend Clara Schumann.  
Hans-Ola Ericsson is one of the leading figures in organ music worldwide. His career as a concert organist has taken him to the galleries and stages in the USA, Canada, Japan, South Korea, China, Scandinavia, and all of Europe. The focus of his wide repertoire, which is deeply rooted in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, lies on the music of the 20th and 21st centuries. His intensive collaboration with composers such as John Cage, György Ligeti, and Bengt Hambraeus has had a lasting influence on his own compositional work as well as his improvisational artistry. He has received numerous awards and is internationally celebrated for his recordings of the complete organ works of Olivier Messiaen.

Sunday, September 20, 6:00 p.m.
Organ concert
Johannes Brahms' organ works in dialogue with contemporary works by Robert P. Scott
Organ: Prof. Hans-Ola Ericsson, Sweden

Tickets: €18.00 p. person / reduced €12.00

Registration required:
Evangelical Church Community Oppenheim
kirchengemeinde.oppenheim@ekhn.de
(06133) 2381