Iveta Apkalna, Orgel

An Organ Celebrates Its Birthday

“In this large, circular hall, where the audience looks at me from all directions, I feel very much at home—just like in a large living room.” Iveta Apkalna, titular organist at the Elbphilharmonie, has settled in perfectly at her workplace over the past ten years. She knows the monumental instrument built by the renowned organ-building firm Klais like no one else. For the organ’s anniversary concert, the Latvian musician has put together a “best-of” program from the past decade. With 4,765 pipes, nearly 70 stops, and a weight of 25 metric tons—the organ in the Grand Hall is quite something, and it fascinates Iveta Apkalna anew every time: “You can play anything on this organ. You have absolute artistic freedom because everything works and sounds great.” She showcases this tonal versatility with works by Mozart, Liszt, and Philip Glass—a journey from the Classical and Romantic periods to modern minimalism.

Cast

Iveta Apkalna organ

Program

Dmitri Shostakovich
Passacaglia from the opera “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk”

Franz Liszt
Fantasy and Fugue on the Chorale “Ad nos, ad salutarem undam,” S 259

Aivars Kalējs
Toccata on the chorale “To God Alone in Heaven Be Glory”

– Intermission –

Philip Glass
Finale from the opera “Satyagraha” (arrangement for organ by Michael Riesman)

Johann Sebastian Bach
Passacaglia in C minor, BWV 582

Franz Liszt
Prometheus / Symphonic Poem No. 5, S 99

Venue: Elbphilharmonie / Grand Hall

Organizer: HamburgMusik