Personal thoughts, dreams, questions, the way to realization

 

I have always admired those who, through their persistence, have achieved seemingly  "impossible" goals. Thanks to  almost fanatical perseverance, they have earned membership in the society of those who have created the outstanding achievements of history.

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I myself have long felt the urge to create something special and lasting in the world of classical music, which is an inseparable part of my life. Namely, I felt the urge to create a unique instrument, the like
of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

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As a child, I was touched by the magical sound of the organ and amazed by its enormous size. This boundless admiration for the queen of instruments is unbroken to this day. I was very interested in the timbres and unique sound of the organ, and in organ playing itself, to which I dedicated much of my time, learning the limits of what is possible. During my student years, I planned countless organ dispositions (stop arrangements), experimented with new registrations, from two-manual instruments consisting of a few registers to six-manual monsters with hundreds of stops. During my organ studies,
I was especially attracted to large-scale organ works. I also listened to countless large orchestral and choral masterpieces, often with the aim of creating new, large-scale organ works from them. I created numerous transcriptions of the greatest masterpieces in music history, including: Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony; Verdi’s Requiem; Liszt’s Christus Oratorio, Coronation Mass, symphonic poem Les préludes, and the Totentanz; Schumann’s Spring Symphony; and Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand, to name just a few of the greatest.

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As an organist or pianist who thinks like a composer, producing transcriptions and playing concerts is a real challenge, both physically and mentally. At the same time, it is also an unforgettable experience, since both the great works of organ and piano literature as well as great orchestral and choral works can be played on the instrument.

 

I am always asking myself: what are the physical limits of what is possilbe on the organ?

 

Can music of any difficulty be played, and can any instrument be reproduced with the help of a gigantic console with hundreds of registers, numerous keyboards, several hand and foot pistons, push buttons, swell pedals and crescendo?

 

To answer this question, I have created a so-called sound and instrument research "observatory", which is suitable for reproducing any instrument and for mastering organ technique.

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The idea of creating a gigantic "instrument complex" was born in 2009. The idea was to make possible the performance of music on a scale hitherto unknown in the keyboard music world, whether as a soloist or together with other performers. My plans took shape over the years until the dream became a reality, and thanks to fourteen years of persistent work, the WORLD'S LARGEST KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT is expected to be finished by 2024.

 

This constitutes an historic opportunity to perform the best works of classical music literature in transcription, as well as to present original works and my own musical ideas, primarily through the creative art of improvisation.

It is extremely rare and very impressive to hear two (or more) grand organs sounding at the same time in a cathedral or in a concert hall. It also leaves a deep impression on us when we hear the sound of a symphonic orchestra of amazing size, especially when combined with a choir and soloists. Or we can admire the varied and rich world of folk music and folk instruments from around the world. Curiosity also drives us to discover new sound possibilities, new effects, utopian, multidimensional sounds, innovative sound effects and many other new directions.

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Is it possible to achieve all this in a single virtual instrument? 
 

The answer is: YES.

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KINGBOARD, the "Omnipotent King of Instruments", is a super-instrument that perfectly reproduces musical sounds in high fidelity, where the real and the virtual are combined, resulting in a unified a cavalcade of tones. With numerous keyboards and pedalboards, there are now unprecedented technical and musical possibilities for the organist or the pianist, as well as for more performers.

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In creating the Kingboard, the goal is not to create a competition between virtual and real instruments, since the originality of the latter is beyond question. Rather, the goal is to produce a level of sound fidelity such that the listener is enchanted by what he or she hears, whether it be one of Bach's Concertos, the organ Passacaglia, a Beethoven symphony, a Liszt symphonic poem, a Vierne's organ symphony, or even a huge improvisational journey.

Listening the Super-Instrument means an unparalleled sound experience for all who are open to rediscovering classical music, to perceive its beauty and intimate vibrations, and at the same time are ready to hear exciting, utopian sounds!

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Everyone is welcome to become a member of audience of the extraordinary series of music performances on the Kingboard, the World Record Keyboard Instrument.

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Stay tuned
/Csaba Kiraly/