The primary console

The large organ, concert organ and antiphonal division can be played at the primary console (2009), which has more than five manuals, 145 stops and many special functions. A computer system is also installed for the purpose of storing registrations. Located at the north gallery, the manoeuvrable console offers the optimal position for controlling the balance of all the new ensemble’s components and for providing most listeners with a view of the organist.

Because the primary console operates electrically and electronically, it’s possible to allocate all nine manuals and three pedalboards to just about any of the individual keyboards, opening up unimaginable combinations that are possible on very few organ systems. Depending on the style of a musical piece, the organist can optimally position the entire ensemble – comparable to the instrument groups of an orchestra – and dynamically balance it along with the timbres. The voicing of all three organs is so carefully tuned that in the church interior it’s not always possible to tell which stop is being played on which organ. But what is guaranteed is an awe-inspiring spatial experience.