Kristina Arakelyan’s Toccata is currently travelling across Europe in the hands of organist Anna Lapwood. The work was commissioned by the Royal Albert Hall in 2024 and was premiered by Lapwood with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the Hall in May 2025.
This September, Lapwood performed Arakelyan’s Toccata, with the Philharmonia Orchestra on a five-date European tour, visiting Essen, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Cologne and Rotterdam. Praised in the Volkskrant‘s review, Kristina’s Toccata has previously been described as a “wonderful mix of whimsy and horror“, by the Guardian following it’s premiere.
Lapwood, whose charisma and energetic presence are central to the Volkskrant’s portrait of her, has become one of the most recognisable young advocates for the organ. Her performances combine the instrument’s extraordinary sound with an ability to connect with audiences beyond the traditional concert hall.