For more than 30 years, a Festival that revives the art of improvisation on Bergamo’s most prestigious organs. The Festival formula involves placing interpretation, improvisation and the prestige of the guests at the center.
Convinced of the lack of competent programming that could introduce the city of Bergamo in a stable and authoritative way into an International concert circuit, in 1992 the Associazione Vecchia Bergamo organized, on the Serassi organ of the Church of S. Anna, a ‘taster’ concert. One of the greatest organists of our time, Jean Guillou, owner of the organ of Saint Eustache in Paris, was invited to Bergamo for the first time, with the specific request to introduce in the programming of his concert the extemporaneous improvisation on themes given at the moment by the audience, a discipline that had disappeared from our churches and our conservatories for more than fifty years, but considered of fundamental importance for the training of every organist by all the great European Schools. It was a resounding success, both for the presence of an enthusiastic audience and for the flattering reviews of the local critics, who, accustomed to years of gray and exasperating conformity to the prevailing uncritical philology, immediately grasped the innovative spirit of the proposal.
The following year, with the few means of the members, the International Organ Festival officially started, borrowing, not only for the obvious superstitious auspices, the successful name of the great city Piano Festival.
Since its first edition, the event has been a very flattering success with critics and the public, immediately distinguishing itself for the very high quality and originality of the proposals despite its low costs; this was made possible by creating synergies with the most qualified Italian and foreign organizations.