2004
While preparing for the renovation of its headquarters, which was to begin in 2006, the Slovak Philharmonic was also supposed to prepare, based on the recommendations of organ experts and assessments, the dismantling of the old concert organ in the SF Concert Hall and build a new concert organ that would meet current top artistic and technical requirements.
The original concert organ was installed in the Slovak Philharmonic Concert Hall in 1956. It was manufactured and supplied by Rieger Kloss (Varhany Krnov, designed by Ing. Veverka), based in Krnov in what is now the Czech Republic.
Based on a request from the SF dated May 10, 2004, the Regional Heritage Preservation Authority, as the competent monument authority, issued a decision approving the replacement of the original concert organ in the Reduta with a new organ.
2007
The Ministry of Culture, in its capacity as the founder of the SF and also as the Central Procurement Organization, issued, based on a request from the SF dated October 10, 2007, its consent to commence public procurement for the provision of a new concert organ for the SF with an estimated contract value of SKK 50 million. In November 2007, SF Director General Prof. Marian Lapšanský appointed the members of the working committee for the preparation of public procurement for a new concert organ for the SF.
In November 2007, SF Director General Prof. Marian Lapšanský appointed members of a working committee to prepare the public procurement of a new concert organ for the SF concert hall, composed of leading Slovak organ builders, organists, architects, economists, and representatives of the Heritage Preservation Authority.
2008
A preliminary announcement of a public tender for the contract entitled "New Concert Organ for the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra in Bratislava" under number 2008/S 125 – 166550 was published on July 1, 2008, in the Supplement to the Official Journal of the EU.
The public procurement itself was announced by the publication of a public procurement notice on December 6, 2008, in Supplement No. 238 to the Official Journal of the European Union under the reference number 2008/S 238-316472 and under the title SK-Bratislava: Organs and subsequently on 10 December 2008 in the Public Procurement Bulletin No. 239 under the reference number 05777 - MDT.
In accordance with the legal system of the Slovak Republic, the competitive dialogue method was chosen for the public procurement of the new organ, as it was a particularly complex project with problematic definition of precise technical requirements and specification of legal and financial conditions at the beginning of the public procurement.
2009
Based on the fulfillment of the conditions for participation published in the announcement, 11 bidders from among the world's leading organ companies (from Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, France, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia) were invited to submit partial bids for the above-mentioned public procurement.
Nine bidders (eight foreign bidders from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Austria, and the Czech Republic, and one Slovak bidder) submitted bids for the public procurement within the deadline for submission of bids.
The expert committee for the selection of the contractor was composed of prominent figures in organ music not only in the Slovak Republic, such as Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Klinda, Prof. Ján Vladimír Michalko, PhDr. Marián Alojz Mayer, Mgr. Imrich Szabó, Mgr. Art. Stanislav Šurín, and prominent experts in architecture and design, such as doc. Ing. arch. Ivan Gürtler, as well as invited persons without the right to evaluate, such as doc. akad. soch. Milan Lukáč, doc. PhDr. Dana Bořutová, and Prof. Ing. arch. Štefan Šlachta. The commission selected five candidates who were invited to submit partial bids. After three rounds of competitive dialogue, the commission recommended concluding a contract with Rieger Orgelbau GmbH from Austria, whose bid was determined to be the best from both a technical and architectural standpoint.
The contract with Rieger-Orgelbau GmbH for the delivery of a new organ was concluded on December 22, 2009, in the amount of €1,317,900 excluding VAT (€1,568,301 including VAT), with a delivery date of December 22, 2011 (including voicing and tuning at the place of manufacture). A separate contract was concluded for the dismantling of the existing organ in the amount of €59,840 excluding VAT (€71,209.6 including VAT). (VAT is paid by SF in accordance with the applicable law on value added tax through self-assessment.)
2010 and 2011
The dismantling of the existing organ in the SF Concert Hall was completed by Rieger Orgelbau on February 19, 2010. Documentation on the dismantling of the organ, manufactured in 1956 by Rieger Kloss in the former Czechoslovak Republic (Opus 3210), was submitted on February 1, 2010. The individual components of the dismantled organ are temporarily stored in the Slovak Radio storage facilities.
The Slovak Philharmonic is actively seeking ways to reuse it for its original purpose. The space vacated by the dismantling of the original organ has been freed up for the installation of a new organ.
On November 30, 2011, Amendment No. 1 to the contract with the contractor was concluded, specifying the dates of installation and voicing in view of the state of reconstruction of the Reduta building. The price was also adjusted by EUR 18,300 due to the revaluation of wage costs, to which the SF was contractually obliged.
The installation of the new organ, after it had been inspected at the workshop of the contractor, Rieger Orgelbau from Austria, took place from October 17, 2011, to November 30, 2011.
2012
From January 2012, the organ was voiced and tuned, which continued during its operation in the Reduta until April 30, 2012. On May 20, 2012, a festive inaugural organ concert was held.