The construction of a state-of-the-art concert hall has been a key factor in converting the Polish city of Katowice from a mining community to a cultural hub. And centre-stage – literally – is a stunning new five-manual instrument from Škrabl organ builders. In the July/August issue of Choir & Organ, we discover how it stands up to the hype.

Plus, in the centenary year of Hungarian composer György Ligeti, David Wordsworth surveys his choral works and asserts there is much more to his music than ticking metronomes and 2001: A Space Odyssey; William Hunt, artistic director of the In Chains of Gold recordings, argues that the verse anthems of pre-Restoration England yield many riches still to be explored, and that the way in which they are performed should also be reassessed.

James B. Wilson introduces his new work for unaccompanied mixed voices, Last words of those long dead, commissioned by Choir & Organ in partnership with King's College London and supported by PRS for Music; and our International Directory of Pipe Organ Builders.

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