Mon, 17.08.2026
Pure Organ

The Via Claudia was for a long time an important connecting route through the Alps. In his piece of the same name, Jürgen Geiger revisits its eventful history in five evocative scenes – Roman legions, boisterous folk festivals, a mountain idyll, and countless encounters. The rest of the program is also like a journey through time and space. It features music by Bach, who himself never traveled abroad, and by Mendelssohn, who, in contrast, traveled extensively and was particularly enthusiastic about his time in Switzerland. Also included is a lyrical and meditative organ fantasia by Franz Liszt on Arcadelt's Ave Maria, as well as transcriptions of several piano works by Sergei Rachmaninoff. Among the lesser-known names on the program are the Dutch composer Christian Ruppe and Victor Fumet, a student of César Franck.

Jürgen Geiger was born in 1976 and grew up in a musical family in the Pfaffenwinkel region of Bavaria. He studied at the Munich University of Music and Performing Arts, graduating with a concert diploma in piano under Michael Schäfer. He also earned concert diplomas in organ and organ improvisation. Since 2001, he has worked as a church musician in Munich and Weilheim and performs internationally as a pianist and organist, including at the Berlin, Cologne, and Munich Philharmonics, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, and the Auditorio de Tenerife, as well as on organs and in chamber music ensembles in England, Spain, Italy, and France. Geiger is a master of both piano and organ, displaying a virtuosity that has matured over the years. He possesses not only astounding technical fluency but also profound empathy and sensitivity.