The main auditorium with a view of the modern façade © Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre

Off to the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre

Opened in October 1990, the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre (Tōkyō Geijutsu Gekijō, commonly known as Geigeki) is the largest cultural complex in the Japanese capital. Designed and funded by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, its mission is to promote culture and the arts to the local public while fostering international exchange.

The organ: origins and design

The organ at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre is world‑famous for its rotating mechanism, which allows three instruments to be presented to the public across two façades, covering four musical styles: – a Renaissance‑style organ (III/P, 26 stops; Netherlands, early 17th century; A = 467 Hz, meantone temperament) – a Baroque organ (III/P, 37 stops; Central Germany, 18th century; A = 415 Hz, Baroque temperament) – a modern French‑inspired classical and symphonic organ (V/P, 63 stops; A = 442 Hz, tuning close to equal temperament)

This unique instrument offers performers a remarkably rich palette of timbres, coming as close as possible to the corresponding historical models.

Read Maya Somiya’s full article on this extraordinary instrument in ON73 (to be published next June).