Page 3 - Maerki Baumann & Co. AG | Journal 02-2021

Commitment
A musical
accomplishment
4,798 pipes, 80 stops, 1 organ: the new instrument is the centrepiece of the renovated Tonhalle Zurich – and the driving force behind its acquisition was Hans G. Syz-Witmer.
From delicate pianissimo to thunder- ous fortissimo: with its broad spec- trum, the new Tonhalle organ has met with the approval of orchestras, choirs, soloists and the public.
Hans G. Syz-Witmer, Chairman of the Board of Directors of private bank Maerki Baumann & Co. AG, is passion- ate about music – and is especially dedicated to one very specific instru- ment. But the musical pleasure he experienced at concerts in the Zurich Tonhalle was sometimes tinged by a certain irritation. The problem was the organ. “As an accompanying instrument at symphony concerts,” he says, “the organ wasn’t quite up to the job.”
The subject of the organ also came up in the course of the Tonhalle’s ex- tensive renovation. As vice-president of both the Tonhalle Society and the Kongresshaus Foundation, which was responsible for the renovation, Hans G. Syz-Witmer seized the opportunity and campaigned for a new organ. The point of building a new organ was not only to improve the instrument’s sound, but also to rationalise space on the stage – thus improving the acoustic as well.
Since a new organ was not included in the 170-million-franc conversion project funded by the public sector, Hans G. Syz-Witmer took care of its procurement personally. Funding was provided by the Zurich Baugarten Foun- dation, which he chairs.
Christian Schmitt inaugurates the Tonhalle Zurich organ (photo: Joseph Khakshouri)
3