The Italian organist made his first appearance at the international festival “The Organ of St Anastasia”, crowning his concert with a magnificent improvisation on the theme of the Hymn to St Anastasia.

On Saturday, 12 September 2026, the Cathedral of St Anastasia hosted the tenth concert of the Third International Festival “The Organ of St Anastasia”. Performing on the cathedral’s Eisenbarth organ was Paolo Oreni, an Italian organist and improviser with an extensive international career. It was his first appearance at the festival.

The concert

Oreni performed works from different periods, revealing the breadth of his interpretative skills. He opened with the Sinfonia from Bach’s Cantata BWV 29 in Marcel Dupré’s transcription. Mozart’s Adagio and Fugue, K. 546, and Liszt’s Prometheus followed, both in transcriptions by Jean Guillou. He also performed the Allegro from Widor’s Sixth Organ Symphony, with a cadenza by Guillou. With his virtuosity and sensitivity to tone colour, Oreni revealed the full splendour of the Eisenbarth organ.

The highlight of the evening was Oreni’s improvisation on the theme of the Hymn to St Anastasia. The hymn dedicated to the saint for whom the cathedral and the festival are named became the starting point for a magnificent piece of music created in the moment. The audience that filled the cathedral rewarded him with prolonged applause.

Among the delighted listeners were visitors from Italy spending their holiday in Zadar. After the concert, they approached Oreni to congratulate him and thank him for a beautiful evening of music, and he spoke with them warmly. Encounters like these are especially rewarding, allowing an artist to hear directly how the audience experienced the performance. The organisers also thanked Paolo Oreni for his performance and presented him with a certificate of appreciation and flowers.

A conversation before the concert

Before the concert, we had an opportunity to get to know Paolo Oreni better in an interview recorded at Hotel Bastion in Zadar. The interview was conducted by Damir Granić and filmed by REC Production. Oreni spoke about his musical journey, the portable Wanderer organ he designed, and the programme he had prepared for his performance in the cathedral, including an improvisation on the theme of the Hymn to St Anastasia. He also shared his impressions of Zadar, which had delighted him, and spoke about the Sea Organ. You can watch the interview in the video.

Musical beginnings and education

https://www.paolooreni.com/biography/

Paolo Oreni was born in Treviglio in 1979. At the age of eleven, he began studying organ and organ composition with Maestro Giovanni Walter Zaramella at the “Gaetano Donizetti” Music Institute in Bergamo. With scholarships from Luxembourg’s Ministry of Culture and support from the Municipality and Cooperative Bank of Treviglio, he continued his studies at the National Conservatory of Luxembourg in 2000. There, in 2002, he won his first prize at the international “Prix Interregional – Diplôme de Concert” competition.

Jean-Paul Imbert and Lydia Baldecchi Arcuri influenced his artistic development and helped him broaden his organ and piano repertoire. His encounter with Jean Guillou was particularly significant. Oreni attended several of Guillou’s masterclasses, during which he played the organs of the Tonhalle in Zurich and the Church of Saint-Eustache in Paris.

Awards and international performances

Among Oreni’s distinctions is a mention d’honneur at the 2004 “Ville de Paris” international competition, which brought together sixty organists from around the world.

He has performed with musicians from the Teatro alla Scala Philharmonic Orchestra in Milan, as well as with numerous chamber ensembles and symphony orchestras. His concert career has taken him to music festivals across Europe and beyond, from Italy, France and Germany to Scandinavia and Israel.

Recordings and teaching

Oreni has recorded for the Fugatto and ORGANpromotion labels. His concerts have also been recorded and broadcast by European radio stations, including Bavarian Radio.

Since 2006, he has regularly taught masterclasses in improvisation and the interpretation of organ repertoire, from Bach to contemporary music. His teaching engagements have included the Archdiocese of Munich and the international Academy of Altenberg Cathedral. He also frequently serves on juries at national and international organ competitions.

The Wanderer organ

Alongside his performing and teaching career, Oreni works with European organ builders to design new instruments. These collaborations have resulted in organs for several Italian churches. He also designed his own concert organ, Wanderer, described as the largest portable pipe organ currently in existence.

Concert programme

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)

Sinfonia from Cantata BWV 29 (transcription: Marcel Dupré)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791)

Adagio and Fugue KV 546 (transcription: Jean Guillou)

Franz Liszt (1811–1886)

Prometheus (transcription: Jean Guillou)

Charles-Marie Widor (1844 – 1937)

Allegro from Symphony No. 6, Op. 42 No. 2 (cadenza: Jean Guillou)

Paolo Oreni (1979)

Improvisation on the theme of the Hymn to St Anastasia