The live broadcast can be viewed here
At the end of the 143rd season of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, the Latvian composer Jānis Mediņš and the great masters of German symphonic music Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms will come together in one programme.
The special guest of the concert is going to be the internationally recognized Latvian cellist Margarita Balanas, who will perform the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra by Robert Schumann. It is known for its lyrical and emotional character and a virtuoso cello part. The Cello Concerto is one of the last works Schumann wrote before his mental health deteriorated rapidly. This work has influenced many other composers of cello concertos, such as Camille Saint Saëns and Antonin Dvořák. It has become one of the cellist repertoire classics and has been frequently performed at various concerts and festivals around the world.
The Liepāja Symphony Orchestra has performed together with Margarita Balanas several times. In the spring of 2023, a collective performance of the Concerto No.1 for Cello and Orchestra by Camille Saint Saëns took place in Ogre, while in the autumn of 2021, Antonin Kraft's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra was performed in the “Lielais dzintars” Concert Hall.
Cellist and conductor Margarita Balanas has performed with many excellent orchestras and musicians in prestigious concert halls worldwide.
Johannes Brahms's Symphony No.2 is bright and optimistic, unlike his Symphony No.1, a darker and more dramatic piece. The first part of the symphony includes melodies of alpine horns, reflecting Brahms' summer vacation in the Austrian Alps, which inspired the composer to create this work. A close friend of his, a prominent surgeon and music analyst Theodor Billroth commented on this piece: “Blue sky, purling brooks, bright sunlight and cool green shadows.”
Along with the great German composers, Guntis Kuzma, the Chief Conductor of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, will once again offer music by one of the classics of Latvian symphonic music, and this time it will be Jānis Mediņš, who is one of the founders and further developers of the national opera and ballet. Jānis Mediņš has significantly expanded the scope of emotions and forms of Latvian symphonic music, composing pieces of different genres, such as operas, ballets, symphonies and cantatas.
At the end of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra concert one of his most popular and emotional works, the poem “At the Church”, will be performed.
Featuring:
Margarita BALANAS (cello)
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra
Conductor Guntis KUZMA
Programme:
Jānis MEDIŅŠ (1890-1966) poēma “Pie baznīcas” (1935)
Robert SCHUMANN (1810-1856) Cello Concerto (1850)
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) Symphony No. 2 (1877)
We also offer the listeners of this concert to WATCH IT LIVE on the platform of the digital concert hall www.digitalaisdzintars.lv.
The Concert is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia and Liepāja City.
INFORMATION FOR OUR VISITORS:
Discounts:
Pupils, students, disabled persons, pensioners – 3 euros
3+ family card holders – 30%
Teachers, lecturers and medical workers – 20%
Groups (10 or more people) – 20%
When purchasing group tickets online, please send an e-mail to sales@lso.lv
When attending the concert, the visitor must present a document certifying their eligibility to a discount.
