ORGAN CYCLE: Christoph Mauerhofer

On Wednesday, October 23, at 8:00 PM, Swiss organist Christoph Mauerhofer will perform at Plečnik’s Church of St. Francis in Šiška. He studied organ and church music at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Lucerne, graduating with honors. Alongside his passion for organs, he has another lifelong love—aviation. Mauerhofer is also a pilot for Swiss airline Helvetic Airways. His work takes him to almost all European countries, but music always accompanies him. He performs in various European capitals and in his homeland, where he enriches liturgical services with his music, and works as a composer of predominantly sacred music and an improviser, combining both careers. This time, he will perform works by César Franck, Max Reger, Marcel Dupré, and composition RUNNING OUT OF TIME I for organ and 9 lead weights by Slovenian composer Uroš Rojko. In the second part, Mauerhofer will improvise on given Slovenian and Swiss themes, including folk and church songs.

“Playing the organ is an expression of will filled with a vision of eternity,” wrote French composer and organist Charles-Marie Widor. As W. A. Mozart also stated, the organ is the king of instruments. This instrument offers the performer endless interpretive possibilities while requiring a well-rounded and versatile musical personality.

To promote and popularize organ music, Radio Slovenia’s Ars program is organizing its fourth organ concert cycle, titled Obiski kraljice v živo (Visits of the Queen). Renowned domestic and international organists are featured, performing selected programs on some of the finest Slovenian organs. This year, the cycle invites four organists: two from Slovenia and two from abroad. Each of them is active as both liturgical and concert organists in their respective countries, and some are also composers, singers, improvisers, organ experts, and professors.

All concerts in the cycle:

• Christoph Mauerhofer – October 23, 8:00 PM, Plečnik’s Church of St. Francis in Šiška, Ljubljana
• Barbara and Ulrich Theissen Pibernik – November 15, 7:00 PM, Chapel of St. Stanislaus Institute in Šentvid, Ljubljana
• Nika Frelih – December 15, 7:00 PM, Parish Church of St. Martin in Bled

Free admission.

The concert will also be broadcast live on the Ars Program.
Recordings from the organ cycle will be aired on Sundays, October 30, November 22, and December 22, at 6:30 PM, in the show Obiski kraljice.

In collaboration with: