Gothic Stories

After the restoration of the monumental Pels organ in Hoogstraten (B) in 2013, the idea grew to capture this magnificent instrument in an original recording. Gunnar Idenstam, who had played the reinauguration concert, conceived the idea of painting an intimate portrait of this colorful instrument, complemented by the German group DoubleBeats. They had just performed together at the Berliner Philharmoniker and there was an instant connection between the three. This recording is the result of two nights of improvisation on some musical ideas by Gunnar. This resulted in a 'gothic' story, born from the ruins of the late gothic Sint-Catharinakerk (Hoogstraten), which was destroyed in 1944 by the departing German troops. The final result is a cinematic musical explosion in which Gunnar's almost elusive virtuosity poetically nestles in the captivating groove of DoubleBeats. Let your imagination run free and enjoy this magical swirl of sound.