Allen Provides Music for Papal Masses in Germany




In 2006, Pope Benedict XVI traveled to his homeland of Bavaria, Germany to celebrate open-air Masses in Munich and Regensburg. Allen is honored to have provided instruments for both of these masses-just as it did for the Pope's World Youth Days visit in 2005, and in 1980, when an Allen Organ was the first choice for an open-air church service with Pope John Paul II in Munich's Olympic Stadium.

The Allen instrument used for the outdoor Munich Mass was a 56-Stop Three-Manual Renaissance™, played by Mr. Hans Leitner, renowned Cathedral of Munich (Frauenkirche) organist. The organ was featured as a solo instrument, in duets with a saxophone, and accompanying a number of famous German choirs. In each instance the sound was overwhelming. The reliability of the organ was proved by remaining on the open-air stage for four days and cool and humid nights.

The day after the church service in Munich the organ was moved to the famous Bruckner Concert Hall in Linz, Austria, to perform Kaija Saariaho's "Orion" with the Cleveland Orchestra. The console will be permanently installed in a Catholic Church in Krefeld-Traar, Germany, combining 24 ranks of existing pipes with its 56 digital stops.