It was inside a candlelit chapel where Anna Lapwood stepped forward in silence, and when she began “Drop Down Ye Heavens” from her new EP In the Stillness, the air itself seemed to tremble, her voice rising like a prayer that poured through the arches and spilled into the hearts of everyone listening, some clasping their hands as if in church, others closing their eyes as tears rolled down, and in that fragile moment of music and faith entwined, witnesses whispered they were not just hearing a song, but being lifted into something far greater, something holy, as if heaven itself had bent down to listen.

A portal opened through music

It was not just a performance, but an experience that felt like a gateway between worlds. At the Opus Klassik 2024 Gala in Berlin, the audience sat in stunned silence as Anna Lapwood, Britain’s most celebrated young organist, began weaving together the music of Hans Zimmer and Camille Saint-Saëns. Beneath the grandeur of the concert hall, the first notes rose like whispers, then unfurled into a vast, cinematic wave. Viewers would later say she did not simply play the organ—she “opened a portal,” transporting everyone into a realm where classical and contemporary collided in breathtaking harmony.

A rising star at the heart of classical music

Lapwood’s journey to this stage has been anything but ordinary. Known for breaking barriers in the traditionally rigid world of organ music, she has captivated millions not only in concert halls but also online, where her late-night performances at the Royal Albert Hall and spontaneous duets with passing musicians have gone viral. At Opus Klassik, however, she brought the focus back to her roots: the timeless beauty of the organ as a vessel of both memory and innovation. In recognition of her artistry, she was awarded “Soloist Recording Instrument of the Year” for her acclaimed album Luna.

When Zimmer met Saint-Saëns

What stunned the audience was not simply technical mastery, but the way Lapwood fused two musical worlds. From the atmospheric soundscapes of Hans Zimmer—whose music has defined modern cinema—to the ethereal strains of Camille Saint-Saëns’s Aquarium, Lapwood created a dialogue across centuries. The effect was nothing short of mesmerizing: cathedral-like echoes swirling with cinematic urgency, the past and present intertwined. In that moment, the Opus Klassik stage became more than a celebration of tradition; it became proof that classical music can still surprise, still evolve, and still move hearts.

A legacy in the making

As the final chords faded, the audience erupted, not with polite applause but with the kind of thunder usually reserved for rock concerts. It was a recognition not just of a performance, but of a shift in how classical music is experienced in the 21st century. For Anna Lapwood, Opus Klassik 2024 was not merely an award or a gala appearance—it was a declaration of her role as one of the defining voices of her generation. And for those who were present, it was a night when the organ itself seemed to breathe, carrying Zimmer’s and Saint-Saëns’s music beyond notes on a page, into a living miracle of sound.