Heinrich Andreas Contius, from Halle in central Germany, was the most important organ builder in the Baltic states in the second half of the 18th century; his work was especially appreciated by J.S. Bach. None of his instruments have been preserved in their original state, but Joris Potvlieghe (Belgium) and Flentrop Orgelbouw (Netherlands) began in 2012 under the direction of the Contius Foundation an exact reconstruction of Contius' Liepāja organ in its 1779 condition, using materials and techniques that Contius himself would have used.
The project is unique because no other instrument by Contius has been reconstructed so accurately to date. The organ is characterized by a softer and more elegant touch, which is also somewhat rounder and milder than that of earlier instruments by Gottfried Silbermann and therefore well suited to the refinements of the galante style. This is the first recording on which the replica of the Contius Liepāja organ in the Sint-Michiel Vredeskerk in Leuven is used; Bart Jacobs presents here works by composers who are directly connected with Johann Sebastian Bach and with organs built by Heinrich Andreas Contius.
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