Concert Pulse
This month
In Hamburg
In Hamburg
Iveta Apkalna / Herbert Schuch
Elbphilharmonie, Großer Saal (Hamburg)
They both have keyboards – but that is just about where the common ground between the organ and piano ends. One needs wind to produce its sound, while the other has hammers that strike its strings. The former is often associated with the sacred interior of a church, where its monumental form, known as the prospect, often looms high above, while the latter has been a staple item of furniture in many a private living room ever since the 19th century. So there is little overlap between the two, which is why compositions for both instruments together are so extremely rare. Iveta Apkalna, organist-in-residence at the Elbphilharmonie, and pianist Herbert Schuch have now curated a programme that presents the two instruments both separately and together in all their glory. Two works form the focus of this concert, both by Julius Reubke who died young: he composed a large piano sonata and an organ sonata. The latter is an absolute highlight of the repertoire for organ romanticism, transferring the newly created genre of symphonic poetry to the organ with a powerful sound by setting the 94th Psalm of the bible to music. As famous as the organ sonata is, the sister work for piano is rarely performed – although the virtuoso passages and colourful symphonies can certainly stand up alongside Franz Liszt. Set around these two solo works, where Iveta Apkalna and Herbert Schuch have the spotlight to themselves, there are works that prove the organ and piano can complement each other to wonderful effect: the mysterious »Choral’s Dream« by French organ master Thierry Escaich is performed at the beginning. A generation before him, his colleague and fellow countryman Jean Langlais also composed works for organ and piano. And the Latvian composer Andris Dzenītis even stages a world premiere this evening.
