Goosebumps, Chills, and Shivers: the Joys of Musical Frisson

Review - Emma Francke Husebø

The January cold in Oslo is biting, the sky is grey and the ground is covered in ice. To counteract, I am seeking refuge in beautiful melodies and haunting harmonies. More specifically, in those from the pipes of the organ at Royal Albert Hall and organist Anna Lapwood.

The organ takes a central space at Royal Albert Hall in London. Photo: Colin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Goosebumps-inducing organ playing

Organist and conductor Anna Lapwood has in the last few years been sharing her experiences with the organ at Royal Albert Hall in London, capturing moments from midnight practises, and events in the hall. In the process she has built a solid following on social media, surpassing a million followers on Tiktok, and 600 thousand on Instagram.

In may of 2022, after a serendipitous meeting with one of Bonobo’s band members, Lapwood joined them for the coming night’s performance of their song “Otomo”. She shared this story in Tiktok, with clips from their first meeting, and their performance. The video went viral and now has over seven million views on Tiktok. She has later credited this moment as the one that started it all. In the years since she has shared videos of other incredible collaborations, four of which will be the focus of this article.

‘Live with an orchestra’ albums are by no means a recent invention, but Lapwoods popularity on social media har certainly put a new focus on them for many. It has definitely brought the organ to an entirely new audience. The organ is among the largest pipe organs in the world, and the second largest in the UK. The power of the instrument, and the poise of Lapwoods playing, not only fills out any orchestration beautifully, but it sweeps you along, immersing you in the music in a way that is difficult to feel unless you are a part of the performance yourself.

Lapwood at the 150-year old organ. Credit: Nick Rutter.

I have narrowed down to a very specific focus of four performances where Lapwood features in the performances of various pop acts, bridging the gap between popular and classical music. And in the process, causing my skin to be covered in goosebumps, experiencing frisson.

Frisson

In English you might say that a particularly moving piece of music gives you “the chills” or “goosebumps”. In Norwegian we often use “frysninger” and “gåsehud” relatively interchangeably, not always adhering to a specific context. “Frysninger” (chills) can just as much describe a feeling of cold that runs through the body, as it can be a reaction to emotional and psychological impressions. In French you have the word: “frisson”, which, according to Merriam-Webster, is more geared towards emotional excitement. While all the terms mean somewhat the same, frisson has been subject to much more mystification than the others.

The phenomenon may have had some new life - or at least attention - breathed into it after the internet got a hold of it, as something “aesthetic”. Though it might mean just the same as its English translations, it has likely become popular due to the beauty and enigma that comes with foreign words. In any case, the word has inspired a new focus on music that inspires such intense emotional rushes. The works highlighted often consist of instrumental movements, orchestral pieces, film music, or generally just songs with strong builds and releases.

This is the feeling that the following works inspire.

1. Bonobo, “Otomo”

In May 2022 DJ and producer Bonobo played five concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, the last of which found place on May 20. The night before, organist Anna Lapwood is doing one of her practices. She has explained that she often practices in the middle of the night, as it is then that she can play without being interrupted, or interrupting others. She shares the moment on Tiktok, where one of Bonobo’s band members hears her playing, they get to talking, and twelve hours later they have written her an organ part, and the same night she takes part in their performance.

Lapwood has later explained that this was one of few times where she has gotten to play the organ at its full power in a performance. She comes in three times in the video linked on the side (at 1:08, 3:00, and 4:53). The first of which was a total surprise for the audience. In the video, you can see the audience turning towards the organ, and raising their arms. The music, along with the element of surprise, is enough to give anyone goosebumps. Her second part is beautiful, but nothing compares to the grand finale, when everything coincides, only to unravel when the organ gets to shine.

Lapwood has spoken about how she herself gets goosebumps when playing, and judging by the sounds of it that is not hard to believe. Being part of an orchestra or band playing pieces like this is an incredible rush, putting your body and your breath into playing, even the smallest parts become a part of a large machine. Knowing that this giant instrument is manned by only you, as you pour yourself into it, must give an incredible adrenaline rush. Lapwood has described it as feeling like flying.

2. Aurora, “The Seed”

As mentioned, Lapwood said that there are few occasions where she gets to play the organ to its full potential. Bonobo was the first performance she mentioned, whilst her performance with Aurora in October of 2024 was the second.

Lapwood has shared videos from their performance of “The Seed” - and this is where she explains how she is able to use the organ at a hundred percent, and that it feels like flying. In a fan-edited video, both the point of view of Aurora on stage and the video clips shared from Lapwood has been edited together. The combination is hair-raising.

Aurora has also taken to Tiktok to share from this exact moment. She calls the moment “magical”. In the video you can clearly see the artist smile, giddy as she feels the organ - a smile that is shared by Lapwood, seated by the organ.

With electronic aids, it becomes easier to illuminate the strengths that the organ has to offer, in what is called a “Wall of Sound”. There is a lot of electronic music that can give you goosebumps, or chills, or frisson, but I would argue that there is an entirely different feeling coming from a physical instrument that can be seen and felt, especially when you remember that the beast that the organ is is manned by a single human being. Aurora's reactions to the organ playing in Royal Albert Hall is a good representation of this feeling.

3. Florence + The Machine, Symphony of Lungs

The year 2024 marked the 15 year anniversary of Florence + The Machine’s arguably biggest album, Lungs. The album was celebrated with a symphony accompanying their songs in the Royal Albert Hall. The concert was a result of the BBC Proms, which is a series of concerts aimed at celebrating classical music. The series has also featured several pop acts. Florence + The Machine is joined by Jules Buckley and his orchestra, as well as Anna Lapwood. Again, Lapwood share her own experiences. She writes that she often gets goosebumps while playing, and it is here, during “You’ve Got The Love” that she likens it to the feeling of flying. “You’ve Got The Love” is already magical, but the pairing of Florence Welch’s voice and the organ, makes it all the more so.

Unfortunately, there are several songs off the album that Lapwood doesn’t feature on, due to a scheduling conflict. Sad as the lack of organ is, the other performances are still impeccable. The symphonic elements gives the album a new life. “Kiss With A Fist” features a violin played so freely it borders a fiddle. The song is one of the more “rocked” from the bands discography, but with this approach we are taken somewhere new. Suddenly, we can imagine the floor of the hall filled with folk dance. And selfishly I’m choosing to hear it as almost Norwegian folk inspired. “I’m Not Calling You A Liar”, “Bird Song” and “Cosmic Love” feature flutes and harps, and together with Florence Welch's voice, all three become enchanting.

4. Raye, My 21st Century Symphony

The London-born singer Raye has taken the music world by storm in recent years, where “Prada” and “Escapism” have become escpecially popular on TikTok. In February of 2023 she independently released her debut album, My 21st Century Blues. In September, the same year, the album has a “symphonic reinvention”, when she, along with Anna Lapwood, The Heritage Orchestra, and Flames collective - a 30-piece gospel choir - perform at the Royal Albert Hall. The performance was recorded, and later released as its own live-version album, called My 21st Century Symphony.

Raye’s vocals are powerful enough to move anyone, but with the choir’s support it is even more striking. Although Anna Lapwood doesn’t feature on this particular song, Ice Cream Man is absolutely worth mentioning, as it is a beautiful, but harrowing performance. We see Raye stripped bare - both physically and emotionally. The loneliness of her single voice, contrasted by the immense size of the orchestra, as well as the voices of the choir, highlights the artist’s bravery in this vulnerable moment. Not only does the moment elicit goosebumps but could also easily reduce you to tears.

While Lapwood doesn’t accompany every song, she does perform on Escapism. The performance serves as quite the climax after the journey we have just been taken on. The build-up as the songs begins is outstanding, as are the instrumentals in general. The album has an overture, a requiem (adjacent to The Thrill Is Gone), a saxophonist, Graeme Blevins, absolutely shredding the stage (in Mary Jane vs Graeme Blevins) and a prelude (for Worth It). Additionally the album has several funky, and just plain fun moments, where Worth It and some breakdowns in Black Mascara, Buss It Down, and The Thrill Is Gone are highlights. However, nothing can measure with the pure power from the organ in “Escapism” - both as the song opens, as seen in Lapwoods videos, and in its closing. It becomes one massive interplay between all the players of the performance, and ends in a hall-filling, goosebump-inducing, chilling crescendo.

Hopes for the future

The organ is often only considered in a church or religious context, or reminiscent of old or outdated styles of music. The excitement around Anna Lapwood proves them wrong. Many have celebrated Anna Lapwood for bringing the organ and classical music to a new audience. And by that I’d like to celebrate her for proving how cool certain instruments, which might otherwise be overlooked, can be. It has been a true pleasure, following Lapwood on all her endeavours.

As much as we should recognise the influence of computers in music, and the boundaries they push, and as much as I can appreciate them for it, I cannot say they are anywhere near as inspiring as a room full of musicians, artists, all working together to create something beautiful.

‘Live with orchestra’ albums are already a personal favourite, though I have had nowhere near enough. A real hope of mine is that people like Anna Lapwood, and the success of the aforementioned performances, will serve as inspirations for even more symphonic reinventions. My list of albums I’d like to see in this format is long. While the same goes for any music that gives me chills, their orchestral counterparts are in a league of their own. After all, what could compete with the chilling power of the organ?