Music from Movies and Games – Gunnar Idenstam & Helsinki Music Centre’s Concert Organ

Swedish organ virtuoso Gunnar Idenstam will perform film and video game music on the Musiikkitalo organ on February 26, 2027, at 7:00 PM. The program will also feature Idenstam’s own compositions and arrangements from Carmina Burana. The concert is produced by Fenomen Artists Oy. Tickets are already on sale at musiikkitalo.fi.

Gunnar Idenstam is a concert organist, composer, and folk musician known worldwide for his virtuosic playing, astonishing improvisations, and bold, original approach to organ music. His goal is to broaden audiences’ perception of the organ and to transcend musical genre boundaries. Although classically trained, Idenstam has always maintained a “long-distance love affair” with folk music and 1970s symphonic rock. Today, he blends these influences into his organ music, building bridges between the 20th-century French cathedral tradition, symphonic rock, and Swedish folk music.

To develop his wide-ranging musical expression, Idenstam studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and later in Paris under the masters of the French virtuoso tradition, Marie-Claire Alain and Jacques Taddei. He graduated with the highest honors in both countries. In 1984, he became the first—and to date the only—Northern European musician to win the prestigious improvisation competition Grand Prix de Chartres.

Since 1986, he has pursued an international career, performing at major concert venues around the world. In 2012, he received the Interpreter of the Year Award from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, presented by King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. In June 2013, he was awarded the royal medal Litteris et Artibus in recognition of his contributions to the arts. Idenstam has been a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music since May 2013.

Program

Soundtrack Suite I
Main Theme from the game Battlefield 1942 (© Geek Music)
Gortoz a Ran from the film Black Hawk Down (© Denez Prigent)
Hogwarts Hymn from the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (© Patrick Doyle)

Soundtrack Suite II
The Legend of Zelda Series from the game series The Legend of Zelda (© Koji Kondo)
Lost Woods from the game The Legend of Zelda (© Koji Kondo)
Sweden from the game Minecraft (© C418)
Code of Conduct from the game Call of Duty (© Hans Zimmer, Lorne Balfe)

Soundtrack Suite III
God of War from the PlayStation game God of War (© Bear McCreary)
Hedwig’s Theme from the Harry Potter film series (© John Williams)
Battlefield One from the game Battlefield 1 (© Johan Söderqvist)
Hymn to the Sea from the film Titanic (© James Horner)
Chevaliers de Sangréal from the film The Da Vinci Code (© Hans Zimmer)

INTERMISSION

Carl Orff / arr. Idenstam (1895–1982)

Suite from Carmina Burana
Chume, chum geselle min
Uf dem Anger: Tanz
Cour d’Amors: Dulcissime
Cour d’Amors: In trutina
Blanzeflor et Helena
Fortuna imperatrix mundi

Gunnar Idenstam

Suite from Metal Angel
Falling Angel
Golden Angel
Toccata V