Ralf Benschu - saxophone Jens Goldhardt - Organ
When you play the organ with the saxophone, the result is undoubtedly ORGELSAX. Ralf Benschu (saxophonist of the group Keimzeit) and Jens Goldhardt (organist of the Margarethenkirche in Gotha) have been playing the organ together since 1997. Ralf Benschu makes use of the special acoustics of each individual church by moving around the room while making music. This creates new sound impressions for the listener and removes the rigidity of an "ordinary" church concert. In addition to classical works by Bach, choral melodies or themes from films such as "Schindler's List", the program leaves plenty of scope for the composer's own compositions.
Box office: admission €15 / children €5
Biographical information
Ralf Benschu: (born in Potsdam in 1962) studied saxophone and clarinet at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin. He has been a freelance musician since 1986 and was a permanent member of the group "Keimzeit" from 1990 to 2008. He also plays in the following line-ups: Guitar & Saxophone, saxophone quartet "Meier's Clan" and has a teaching position at the Potsdam Music School.
Jens Goldhardt: (born 1968 in Weida/Thuringia) studied church music in Eisenach and Halle. He graduated in 1992 with an A examination and "distinction" in organ. He then worked as a church musician at the Stadtkirche St. Trinitatis in Sondershausen from 1992-2007. Since September 2007 he has been working at the Margarethenkirche in Gotha. He performs in numerous chamber music ensembles and as a soloist.
How did orgelsax come about?
When a classically trained church musician and a saxophonist working in the rock and jazz field came together, when two completely different approaches to music collided, the result was an interesting experiment! The new organ of the Trinitatiskirche in Sondershausen was to be inaugurated in 1997 and was to be versatile. So the two musicians met for the first time in 1996 to prepare this project together. The result was a successful premiere. The current concert programs allow the two performers every freedom, from intimate meditation to exuberant joy, indeed almost all human emotions are included. In numerous improvisations, the contrasts become blurred and the audience is whisked away into a diverse world of sound. Through sensitive registration, the saxophone is embedded in an organ sound that sometimes makes it difficult for the listener to perceive the boundaries between saxophone sound and organ. The saxophone becomes an additional organ stop and blends into the overall musical picture.
