The Willis organ at the Royal Albert Hall, with its 9,999 pipes, 155-year history, and 21-metre height, is a fixture of every London Prom. This Sunday, French organist Olivier Latry performs a mostly Bach programme, showcasing the instrument's core repertoire. However, for those sceptical of the organ, there is much more to discover beyond traditional classical works.
The organ's versatility and modern pioneers
The pipe organ is capable of ear-shattering volume and immense sonic variety, from abyssal rumbles felt as vibrations to delicate birdsong. Modern musicians are expanding its experimental bounds. Jonny Greenwood's X Years of Reverb is an eight-hour piece for two organists, designed to coax out sounds from the building's fabric. James McVinnie and Eliza McCarthy will perform it at Manchester Cathedral in January, celebrating the instrument's 605 years of reverb.
Kali Malone, who began as a pipe-organ tuner, creates albums that reclaim older tunings and ancient musical time cycles. Ellen Arkbro and Anna von Hausswolff also push the organ's boundaries, while Claire M Singer's compositions, often inspired by Scottish landscapes, offer organ-scapes of slow drones and radiant horizons.
Olivier Latry's Prom recital and beyond
Latry's recital represents the organ's traditional repertoire, but as Tom Service notes, the organ is not just for Bach. Anna Lapwood's global advocacy and a generation of experimental musicians are changing perceptions. The Royal Albert Hall was designed around its organ, making the architecture a resonating chamber. Even John Cage's Organ²/ASLSP in Halberstadt, Germany, is scheduled to last 639 years, with a note change on 5 August this year.
Political controversy: Igor Levit and Danger Dan
In Germany, pianist Igor Levit teamed up with rapper Danger Dan on the anti-fascist single Keine Angst ("No Fear"). Their scheduled performance on ZDF's Die Anstalt was cancelled last minute, with the broadcast showing an empty piano and mic stand. The hosts explained it was "not a technical problem, but a political one." ZDF said the lyrics violated programme guidelines. The song ends with sympathy for left-wing activists convicted for violent actions against the far right. Levit and Danger Dan organised their own concert, Die Keine Angstalt, and the single has garnered over a million views on YouTube and Spotify.
Tom Service's listening recommendation
This week, Tom Service recommends Nicholas Collon's debut album with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, featuring Sibelius's seventh symphony. Collon's interpretation finds new depths in the string polyphony, offering a time-suspending strangeness that is breathtaking.
