Lazise’s Historic Organ Restoration Restores Majestic Sound

The Parish of Saints Zeno and Martino, the final act. The church’s restoration has been completed, and within a few days, the organ will be able to sound once again.

With its 70 visible pipes arranged in a semicircle and an additional 1,400 pipes completing the sound scale, the old Malvestio from 1929, transformed over the years in the 1980s by the organ-building company Marchiori of Padova and housed in the parish in Lazise since the 1950s, will soon accompany the inaugural concert of the schola cantorum.

Disassembled at the end of the 1980s, it remained in the deposits of Silvio Micheli, in Castellaro Lagusello, for a long time. The master, a graduate in trombone from the Verona conservatory and former director of the Brass Group at the Arena di Verona, took to heart the restoration of the monumental organ and dedicated over two years to the project.

Technical details and placement

It now stands atop the wooden choir stand from 1899, which was likewise restored like an antique piece of furniture using lacquer, wax, stuccoes, and natural glues. The tuning was renewed, and the soundboards have been repositioned.

“The console has been rebuilt,” explains Silvio Micheli, “in native walnut, functioning with a new electronic transmission system. One of the best organs in Northern Italy is back in operation, featuring flutes with welded calaltas, which are a true rarity in the organ-building sector.” The console has two manuals, each with 61 keys. The pedalboard has 32 keys; there are 38 registers in total.

Given its monumental size, the organ was installed behind the main altar, in the apse area. The restoration cost over 50 million lire, funded by the generosity of two Lazise families who took on this additional expense and met the commitments, alleviating Father Edoardo Sacchella from further worries.

Restoration activities and liturgical celebration

Micheli foresees that the complex mechanism he installed could be operational within about ten days. On this occasion, the schola cantorum, directed by Giuseppe Castellani, will accompany the sound of the organ with their singing during a solemn liturgical celebration.

The faithful’s unanimous praise for the return of the organ has been positive: majestic and impressive, with a crystalline tone.