Anna Lapwood looks to the stars in Essen's Philharmonie

Anna Lapwood launched her residency as Essen Philharmonie’s new portrait artist on Sunday night with a programme celebrating outer space in all its manifestations. Joining her on stage, London’s Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by British conductor Kerem Hasan for the first of a busy week of concerts across Germany taking in Hamburg, Frankfurt and Cologne before finishing up in Rotterdam. How would Essen respond to this firecracker of the classical music world whose dedication to film music defines her from other virtuosos? And would the usually rule-abiding German public who only last year were duly rewarded after famously queuing for hours outside Cologne Cathedral, adhere to Essen’s strict in-house policy of no phones/ no recording policy?

The programme

Music in Essen’s Philharmonie

Speaking before the performance, Artistic Director Marie Babette Nierenz enthused about her desire to share in Lapwood’s infectious enthusiasm and audience engagement both on stage and via her immense social media following. To this end, tonight’s collaboration with the Girls’ Choir of Essen Cathedral in the co-commission, Max Richter’s Cosmology, premiered by the Philharmonia in London’s Royal Albert Hall (May 2025), mirrored Lapwood’s commitment to this generation from her time as Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge.

Of similar note is how this region of western Germany unashamedly values culture at its finest. And is similarly unafraid to back warm words with action. Numerous fine concert halls in close proximity are the jewel in the crown: Philharmonie Essen, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Köln Philharmonie and Tonhalle Düsseldorf, to name a few. Even smaller (and less wealthy) cities like Wuppertal, Bochum and the tiny market town of Coesfeld boast halls with international music-making of the highest quality.

Cultivating partnerships

Increasingly, time-honoured partnerships between cultural institutions and local business are key. What makes partnerships forged under Nierenz’s tenure interesting, is their obvious warmth and depth. This is not to say that such partnerships do not exist elsewhere, because of course they do. But in conversations throughout the evening, I was struck not just by assumptions that donations would be used to fund education initiatives and the like, but by business and political leaders’ desire, verging on a responsibility, to share their love of ‘high culture’ with a broad spectrum of their workforce; many of whom I can report, will return on their own steam to start their own musical journeys, perhaps even introducing others. Only in Essen have interval discussions revolved around the exact details of J.S. Bach’s chorale Wachet auf (Awake! the voice is calling) found in the afore-mentioned co-commission. Pride in cultural engagement we can all admire.

Essen’s organ sits centre stage

Pleasantries aside, including warmly received words – in German – from Lapwood herself, proceedings looked skywards in a sequence of numbers familiar to devoted fans from her solo recitals, now with orchestral accompaniment.

Cornfield Chase from Hans Zimmer’s Interstellar Suite seemed a little flat without the usual sea of twinkling phones. However, Richter’s Cosmology immediately summoned a desolate expanse, while luscious lower string harmonies gently cast this brave hero adrift into the unknown. Brass melodies like the rising sun and descending organ pedals gently pushing our astronaut further and further away from the earth’s orbit, provided the most effective storytelling thus far. Richter’s slow-moving textures allowing time to appreciate subtle textural variations hidden within his addictively minimalist structure. Also worth noting is Lapwood’s input in the creative process given that Richter’s score makes no indication of organ voicing. Earthrise’s vulnerable opening strain using a stop evoking a child’s descant recorder, stopped all in its tracks.

Anna Lapwood Portrait artist Essen — © Sven Lorenz

Saint-Saën’s Organ Symphony

All eyes were focused on the treat to come, and as the organ pipes lit up for the finale of Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony, the Philharmonia moved matters up a gear. Hasan’s ability to dissipate all that pent up energy before reducing matters to nothing, was in full flight. Majestic brass and a thunderous bass drum blew the cobwebs from every crevice of the truly magnificent Philharmonie organ.

Kerem Hasan conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra © Sven Lorenz

They had saved the best for last … but not quite. Lapwood’s parting gesture, Ghislane Reece-Trapp’s exquisite In Paradisum turned thoughts heavenward once more. Not just the perfect antidote to Saint-Saëns’ monumental fight against death, but a taste of things to come in Essen this year. It should be fun!