Anna Lapwood is often called the »Taylor Swift of classical music«, and for good reason: she has more than 500,000 followers on TikTok and her clips have millions of views. The young musician is now one of the most famous face behind the organ, and she is leading the way not only in popularising her instrument, but also classical music more generally.
The British organist has performed on all the great organs of the world, and as Associate Artist in London’s Royal Albert Hall, she regularly plays the legendary organ known as »The Voice of Jupiter«. So it is high time that she also paid the Elbphilharmonie organ a visit. In the second part of her »Elbphilharmonie Session«, she plays Maurice Duruflé’s virtuosic »Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d’Alain«, a key work of French organ music.
»The Elbphilharmonie has a warm acoustic and I find it exciting how you can play with the hall to create the illusion of a grand cathedral in terms of sound. It’s a pretty insane building to play in.«
Anna Lapwood
The Artist
Born in High Wycombe near London, Anna Lapwood was 15 when she sat at an organ for the very first time – just a few years later she was already a star. Her remarkable global career began in Oxford, where she was the first woman to be awarded the prestigious organ scholarship in her college’s 560-year history. Today, she gives concerts around the world and is Associate Artist at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Her CD recordings receive rave reviews internationally and her social media channels have millions of followers.
The Cambridge-based musician has always championed the cause of women in the music world, especially in the field of the organ, which was the domain of male (church) musicians for far too long – and not just according to her. When a competition juror advised her to play like a man, the young musician started the popular hashtag #playitlikeagirl, which alongside the clips from nocturnal practice sessions in the Royal Albert Hall is among her most popular platforms. In 2016, Lapwood was appointed Director of Music at Pembroke College (Cambridge), where she also formed the successful Pembroke College Girls’ Choir a few years ago.
»Imaginative, open-minded and a brilliant musician, the organist and conductor Anna Lapwood is the dream ambassador for classical music.«
Gramophone
Other participants:
Thomas Cornelius Sound Engineer
Katrin Irretier Technical Project Management
Moritz Stahl, Tim Fricke, Nicolaj Feilrej,
Michael Vögler, Jakob Holfert Elbphilharmonie Technicians
Xaver Neumann Director of Photography
Ciro Kavouras Steadicam Operator
Jannick Konstroffer Camera Assistant
Yassin Khateeb Chief Lighting Technician
Milan Paul Lighting Technician
André Neske Creative Producer
Cosmo Bandilla Editor
Julian Conrad, Pauline Hahn, Julika von Werder Production Management
The music
Maurice Duruflé (1902–1986) was one of the great organists of the last century. He played with Louis Vierne in Paris’ Notre-Dame and toured Europe and North America as a successful concert organist. Today, the few compositions he published are firm favourites in the concert repertoire – in particular his moving »Requiem« (1947) and the two-movement organ work »Prélude et Fugue sur le nom d’Alain« (1942). The powerful and technically challenging composition is a tribute to Jehan Alain, a fellow organ student of Duruflé’s at the Paris Conservatory who was killed in the war in 1940.
»Whenever I perform this piece, it sounds different. I always pick up new colours.«
Anna Lapwood
The Location
The Grand Hall is the heart of the Elbphilharmonie. Its 2,100 seats are arranged in the vineyard style, with the stage in the middle, surrounded by terrace-like tiers of seating. Woven into the spectacular architecture of the hall, the enormous Elbphilharmonie organ stretches over several tiers – 15 x 15 metres, 25 tonnes and with 4,765 pipes measuring between eleven millimetres and ten metres.
About the series
Artists record exclusive music videos at the Elbphilharmonie and the Laeiszhalle for Elbphilharmonie Sessions – sometimes in unusual locations offstage. Discover the concert halls from the inside. Discover what they sound like.
