Iveta Apkalna, organ: Glass & Bach by Glass, Bach, J. S., Från (2024/2024), Helsinki Music Centre, Helsingfors, Finland

Latvian organist Iveta Apkalna is one of the world’s brightest stars of the instrument. Music Centre’s new organs receive a worthy guest when Apkalna comes to Helsinki Festival to perform a solo recital, the programme of which consists of a hypnotic mix of Philip Glass’ pulsating contemporary music and Johann Sebastian Bach’s ageless organ works. Since 2017, Apkalna has served as the titular organist at Hamburg’s legendary Elbphilharmonie and performed as a soloist for some of the top orchestras in the world, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw. Apkalna was the organ soloist of NDR Elbphilharmonie at the world premiere of Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Sinfonia concertante in 2023. Apkalna’s Helsinki Festival concert uniquely weaves together organ works by Philip Glass and J.S. Bach. Glass’ trance-like works accented by a penetrating minimalist pulse also introduce a new angle to Bach’s iconic compositions.