Festival organ, grand organ, monumental organ – when it comes to talk in Klosterneuburg about Johann Freundt’s masterpiece from 1642, people almost exclusively use these superlatives. As the musical jewel of the Augustinian Canons’ monastery Klosterneuburg, it radiates far beyond the borders of Austria and is an important tourist attraction for organ enthusiasts in Central Europe.

If intending to portray such a magnificent instrument as the festival organ in the context of a CD, one soon has to deal with the phenomenon of being “spoilt for choice”. If you look at the European repertoire for organ from around 1642, you quickly realize that much of it can be performed very well on Johann Freundt’s Great Organ. Even if you look a few decades or centuries further back, you will still discover pieces in the organ literature that harmonize wonderfully with the festival organ. This portrait CD is intended to give a small insight into the great variety and possibilities of the organ and also demonstrate its modernity. After all, it is up to us whether an instrument is considered modern or not. In the opinion of the author of these lines, this organ can be played much more authentically than many a new organ, on which, in today’s opinion, “anything can be played”.