3. Toccata - Baltisches Dreigestirn

In the organizer's words:

Baltic triumvirate

Iveta Apkalna Organ

Organ works by Bach | Vasks | Pärt

Ever since her sensational concert with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and its former chief conductor Claudio Abbado in 2007, Iveta Apkalna has been a guest on almost every major stage in the world and on the most magnificent concert organs around the globe. But she is at home in Hamburg, as the titular organist of the Klais organ in the Great Hall of the Elbphilharmonie, which she inaugurated in 2017 with the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra and Kent Nagano himself. The Latvian organist will focus her concert in Duisburg on her compatriot Pēteris Vasks, who celebrates his 80th birthday on 16 April 2026 and is one of the biggest names among contemporary composers. His work is closely linked to his Latvian homeland: to traditional folklore as well as the painful history of his people. The Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, who like his colleague is a celebrity among living composers, also comes from the Baltic States: In September 2025, he will be a proud 90. The two contemporaries are joined by the baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach, one of the greatest composers of all time. Incidentally, he not only composed, but was also one of the best organists of his era.