Credits:

Jan Lehtola

Description:

The first solo album featuring the organ at the Helsinki Music Center, completed in 2024! Although the center opened in 2011, the construction of the pipe organ required significant funds and a long time; thanks to a substantial donation from composer Kaija Saariaho, an inaugural concert was held on New Years Day 2024. Built by the renowned Austrian firm Rieger, this organ is the second-largest ever produced by the company and boasts the title of the largest in Scandinavia. It also garnered attention for its modern-art-like appearance and the use of 3D printing technology and recyclable materials. Jan Lehetola, a leading Finnish organist who knows this instrument inside and out as president and artistic director of the Centers Organ Association, selected 20th-century works from the traditional French organ genre known as Nol. The album opens with a piece by Hakim, who was born in Lebanon, while