‘I must give the strings of my soul some rest every day, to wind them anew, so to speak, so that they retain the right tone and resonance. I succeed best in this in solitude…’

– Queen Louise of Prussia (1776-1810)

Placed on the west gallery, the Reil organ is inspired by the work of Joachim Wagner in the 18th century

Karl Friedrich Schinkel is celebrated as Berlin’s most influential architect and a visionary who helped shape the city’s architectural identity during the 19th century. The Luisenkirche, nestled in the centre of the Gierkeplatz – a peaceful haven that would surely appeal to Queen Louise – dates from 1716 and was redesigned by Schinkel in 1826. In 2024, the church was enriched both architecturally and musically with a fine new organ by Orgelmakerij Reil (Heerde, Netherlands). The previous 1968 Walcker organ, which was in a poor state of repair, was removed and sold in 2022.

On a bright April morning I meet cantor (and fellow Brit) Jack Day, in the Luisenkirche, who points out that the parish’s wish to commission a new organ was included in the job description when he applied for the position: ‘The sale of the Walcker organ was preceded by three years of intensive work – expert reports, the establishment of an organ advisory committee, fundraising and canonical procedures – before going to tender.’

Like its predecessor, the new organ is situated centrally on the west gallery, but positioned significantly further forward. This has the dual advantage of making the new instrument clearly visible from downstairs, while allowing a significant improvement in the tonal egress into the church. One is immediately struck by the tasteful understatement of the case, which blends perfectly into its surroundings with neutral white and grey tones and a hint of blue in the pipe shades, in harmony with the church’s lighting. It betrays something of the character of the silvery sounds that emanate from within. With mechanical key and stop action, the organ comprises Hauptwerk, Positiv and Pedal divisions on slider chests with 30 speaking stops. The Positiv is in an elevated position in the centre of the case, while the Hauptwerk sits beneath on two wind chests on either side and the Pedal Organ is housed at the rear.

Broadly speaking, the Reil organ is inspired by the Berlin school of organ building founded by Joachim Wagner (1690-1749) and continued by his students Marx and Migendt, with echoes of the work of Johann Wilhelm Grüneberg, who built an organ for the Luisenkirche in 1780. Day tells me that ‘having been awarded the contract, the organ builders visited and assessed Wagner organs in Brandenburg, Angermünde and Treuenbrietzen,’ and that ‘the mixtures of the Reil organ are conceived in such a way that the Mixtur of the Positiv can interlock with the Sesquialtera to form a tierce mixture, and the mixtures of each manual are scaled and voiced so as to enable a balanced dialogue – for example, in Bach’s Dorian Toccata.’

There is then a nod to both Joachim Wagner and his students, as well as central German organs, with a relative wealth of 8ft colour combined with a suave, Dutch accent in the reeds and 8ft Principal in particular. Rather than being a slavish copy, the Luisen-Orgel possesses an eclectic, late-Baroque, galant character that is best judged on its own terms.

The organ was voiced by Jan Koelewijn and Henk van der Veen. Its vocal fluework – with fairly prompt, but not aggressive, pipe speech – is a thing of beauty. Owing to the rich harmonic development of the silvery, transparent Principals 8.4.3.2, there is barely a need to add the aforementioned mixtures. The balance of individual character, pipe speech and blend of the stops is well judged throughout, as can be heard, for example, in the (lieblich) Rohrflöte, inspired by the Wagner organ in Angermünde, in the Hauptwerk and its more modest, but no less charming cousin, the Gedackt of the Positiv.

Restrained case design and polished tin façade pipes hint at the silvery sound that emerges

The extremely beautiful 4ft Flute travers (harmonic from middle C) is a distinctive solo voice that is also capable of working in ensemble with its neighbouring flute and mutation stops. As Jack Day points out, ‘The keen voicing of the Positiv is present and speaks clearly downstairs, while the sound of the Hauptwerk is rather more mellow and round, which calls for a more active articulation.’ I love that both narrow and wide-scaled 8ft and 4ft combinations, as well as the distinctive, ‘nutty’ flavour of the Quintadena, are available in the flute and string-driven Positiv, whose Salicional is brighter and slightly more assertive than its counterpart, the Viola di Gamba, in the Hauptwerk.

The intimate quality of the 8ft Viola in the Pedal is charming in instrumental textures, such as trios, while the addition of the Pedal 6ft Quinte (as can be found in several Wagner organs) adds an underpinning richness and fullness in the bass for larger registrations. Alongside the aforementioned Flute travers, another remarkable and beautiful solo voice can be found in the sweet and intimate Oboe d’Amour, which goes back to the Wiegleb organ (reconstructed by Reil) in Ansbach and the Reil organ in St Nikolaus, Rosenheim. The Trompete in the Hauptwerk – a copy of the trumpet in the Hauptwerk of the organ in the Lebuïnuskerk, Deventer – is bright yet smooth, and the Pedal’s somewhat nasal 16ft Posaune and mellow 8ft Trumpet are fundamental-rich but not loud (in the sense of the Silbermann/Wagner tradition) and, therefore, versatile.

The key desk offers a tactile experience that is both historically informed and comfortable

The wind, provided by three wedge bellows, is ‘live’ enough to give a satisfying ‘tug’ when playing large chords and also to respond to a dynamic touch, thus adding an extra dimension to the listening and playing experience. The action is responsive and easy to control, with just enough resistance at the biting point to be rewarding and feel at one with the winding and sound. Day describes the wonderful experience of working with the organ builders, many of whom became friends. ‘Regularly visited by organists from the Netherlands, Germany and elsewhere, the organ feels very much alive in the constantly evolving communities it inspires.’

It could be said that the Reil organ is, in some sense, a present-day reimagining of the Amalien-Orgel with the addition of reed stops in the manuals and a somewhat Dutch accent. Both organs possess an intimate, chamber-like quality, and are charming and particularly well suited to late-Baroque and galant music. It is a marvellous teaching resource; several organ students have already made competition recordings (most recently for St Albans) on the new organ, and future collaborations include a student performance of Bach’s Leipzig Chorales.

The Reil organ produces sounds that are, above all, musical. It offers a rewarding tactile experience that is both historically-informed and comfortable, and it is an important and welcome addition to Berlin’s rich and diverse organ landscape.

A playlist of the organ can be accessed here:

shorturl.at/4U4ZX

Henry Fairs is professor of organ at the Universität der Künste Berlin, honorary professor of organ at the University of St Andrews and adjunct professor of organ at the Syddansk Musikkonservatorium Esbjerg

Luisenkirche,
Berlin-Charlottenburg

Orgelmakerij Reil (2024)

I. HAUPTWERK (C-g3)

Principal 8

Bordun 16

Viola di Gamba 8

Rohrflöte 8

Octav 4

Spitzflöte 4

Quinta 3

Octav 2

Cornett (ab g) III

Mixtur IV-V

Trompete 8

II. POSITIV (C-g3)

Salicional 8

Gedackt 8

Quintadena 8

Fugara 4

Principal 4

Flute travers 4

Nassat 3

Waldflöte 2

Tertia 1³/5

Sesquialtera 2

Mixture III

Oboe d’Amour 8

PEDAL (C-f)

Subbass 16

Gemshorn 8

Violon 8

Quinta 6

Octav 4

Posaune 16

Trompete 8

Tremulant

Cimbelstern

Nachtigal

II-I, I-Ped, II-Ped

This feature originally appeared in the Summer 2025 issue of Choir & Organ – Subscribe today