Engineered for magic (2024)

Written for the 20th anniversary of the Ladegast-Eule organ.

This piece was written for the 20th anniversary of the Ladegast-Eule organ of the Nikolaikirche in Leipzig. The organ is sometimes also, somewhat cheekily, referred to as the “Porsche Organ” due to the significant sponsorship provided by the Porsche car company for its renovation, completed in 2004.

The title of this piece references a 2011 Porsche advertising campaign whose main slogan was “Engineered for magic. Everyday.” The work tries to evoke the feeling that a car advertisement typically aims to convey to its viewers. Its sound world imitates both the intense, thunderous roar of a car engine and the sensation of high-speed driving, while simultaneously showcasing the organ’s vast and powerful sonic possibilities. Inevitably, a clear parallel emerges between car and organ, as the organ has certainly also been, in its own way, “engineered for magic.”