Liepāja Symphony Orchestra
Guntis Kuzma (Conductor)
Part I
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Overture to the opera "The Abduction from the Seraglio"
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra
Featuring: "Geister Duo" (David Salmon, Manuel Viellard)
I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Rondo
Part II
Georgs Pelēcis (1947) Concerto for two pianos and orchestra "Tandem" (world premiere)
Featuring: Sergejs Osokins, Andrejs Osokins
I. Canzone
II. Scherzo
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) Concerto for two pianos and orchestra
Featuring: Agnese Egliņa, Elīna Bērtiņa
I. Allegro ma non troppo
II. Larghetto
III. Allegro molto
The concert is broadcast live on Latvijas Radio 3 "Klasika".
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) is remembered in world music history as a representative and co-creator of Viennese Classicism, alongside Joseph Haydn and the next generation’s representative, Ludwig van Beethoven. Mozart’s extraordinary musical talents were realised in enriching, radically reforming, and renewing all the professional music genres that existed at the time.
The genius composer, pianist, violinist, conductor, and educator, despite his short life, became one of the most significant masters in the history of world art.
In 1781, the young and ambitious Mozart arrived in Vienna, and less than a year later – on 16 July 1782 – his singspiel The Abduction from the Seraglio premiered at the Vienna City Theatre, marking the first of the great composer’s most notable stage works.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed The Abduction from the Seraglio at the age of 25. He had left his father’s home, moved to Vienna, and aimed to establish a theatre career with a comic opera – an unusual choice for a genre typically associated with academic and musically dramatic compositions. Mozart approached the work with youthful enthusiasm and great responsibility, fully aware of Vienna’s refined musical audience. However, the new production at the time threatened to spark a musical scandal. This was partly because a seraglio in the Ottoman Sultan’s palace was a restricted area, housing members of the harem.
Although received with mixed reactions, this opera cemented the young composer’s reputation in Austria. Compared to operas of the time, Mozart’s characters were vivid and full of life. The premiere of The Abduction from the Seraglio in 1782 was followed by success across Europe.
Music history also records a famous remark from Emperor Joseph II, who was in power at the time, saying mockingly about the music: “Too beautiful for our ears and terribly many notes, dear Mozart!” To which the composer replied: “Exactly as many as necessary, Your Majesty!”
In 2006, under the baton of conductor Imants Jānis Rešnis, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra staged The Abduction from the Seraglio in Liepāja, selecting the Liepāja Theatre as the venue.
It is unknown when Mozart completed the Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, but research suggests that the cadenzas for the first and third movements were written in his and his father’s handwriting on a type of paper used between August 1775 and January 1777. However, most sources indicate that the concerto was composed in 1779.
It is believed that Mozart wrote it to perform together with his sister, Maria Anna, although there is no evidence to confirm whether this ever took place.
A few years later, when the young composer was striving to establish his reputation in Vienna, he selected this concerto as one of his finest works. To create a more dazzling impression, he expanded the orchestra by adding clarinets, trumpets, and timpani. Today, the concerto is often performed with this orchestration. However, as these additional instruments do not appear in Mozart’s original score or in the earliest printed editions, there is no definitive proof that these additions were indeed Mozart’s work.
In Vienna, Mozart performed alongside his student, Josepha Auernhammer, with whom he had played his sonata for piano four hands and to whom he dedicated several of his violin sonatas. In his letters, Mozart expressed mixed opinions about her playing. He was even less complimentary about her appearance, and rumours that they would marry angered him, even though they ultimately disrupted his courtship of Constanze Weber.
This concerto differs from the typical solo piano concerto due to the dialogue between the two pianos, which exchange musical ideas. Mozart distributes the most striking passages quite evenly between both pianos. The orchestra is also more restrained than in his other piano concertos, leaving most of the musical development to the soloists.
The first movement is lyrical and expansive, as if Mozart is enjoying himself and letting his ideas flow freely. It is followed by a slow and refined middle movement, where the orchestra remains in the background while the playful piano duo takes the spotlight. The final movement presents us with a lively rondo, where moments of lyrical gracefulness lead back to the main rondo theme.
Georgs Pelēcis (b. 1947) is a Latvian composer and musicologist, one of the most renowned music scholars in Latvia, a researcher of early polyphony, a professor at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, and the president of the Riga Early Music Centre.
In the Latvian Music Information Centre Encyclopedia, Lolita Fūrmane writes that the tonality of Georgs Pelēcis’ music seems to reflect a wonderfully clear sense of positivism. This very quality—whose genetic predecessors can be found, on the one hand, in Renaissance and Baroque music, and on the other, in the aesthetics of minimalism—is the most spiritually invigorating aspect of the composer’s work. It introduces into Latvian music a previously unheard freshness, a pulsating dynamism, and a sense of revitalising energy.
At the Liepāja 400th Anniversary International Star Festival, Georgs Pelēcis’ Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra Tandem will receive its world premiere.
The composition consists of two contrasting movements – Canzona and Scherzo.
The soloists are expected to deliver both virtuoso passages and lyrical expressions. The orchestral texture also carries concerto-like qualities, adding great vitality and vibrancy to the overall piece.
The musical style is characteristic of the composer, engaging listeners with its positive imagery, melodicism, consonant harmonies, energetic rhythms, and deep roots in classical art traditions.
Francis Poulenc (1899–1963) was a distinguished French composer and pianist, renowned for his diverse musical contributions, which include songs, piano works, chamber music, choral compositions, operas, ballets, and symphonic music.
Poulenc was born in Paris into a wealthy family, where his mother introduced him to music at an early age. At the age of 16, he began formal piano lessons, but his musical development took a significant turn after he attracted the attention of Erik Satie, who introduced him to the Parisian avant-garde music scene.
Poulenc was a member of the composer group Les Six, which also included Louis Durey, Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, Germaine Tailleferre, and Georges Auric. This group emerged as a reaction against the traditions of Romanticism and Impressionism, striving for simplicity and clarity in music.
Poulenc’s body of work is extensive. Among his most notable compositions are the ballet Les biches (1923), the Concerto for Two Pianos (1932), the Organ Concerto (1938), and the opera Dialogues des Carmélites (1957). His music is characterised by melodic richness, lush harmonies, and a playful spirit, reflecting both his lighthearted and serious sides.
Poulenc was one of the first composers to recognise the importance of the gramophone and made numerous recordings from 1928 onwards.
His music embodies the duality of his personality – a carefree joie de vivre and profound spirituality. Poulenc’s contribution to music has left a lasting impact on 20th-century music, and his works continue to be regularly performed and celebrated worldwide.
The Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra was composed over three months during the summer of 1932. It is often described as the culmination of Poulenc’s early period.
The composer wrote to the Belgian musicologist Paul Collaer: "You will see for yourself what a huge step forward this is from my previous work, and that I am truly entering my great period."
The concerto was commissioned by and dedicated to Princess de Polignac, a New York-born heiress to the Singer sewing machine fortune and a patron of the arts, to whom many early 20th-century masterpieces were dedicated. Her Parisian salon was a gathering place for the musical avant-garde.
The premiere took place in 1932 in Venice with the La Scala orchestra, conducted by Désiré Defauw, who would later become the conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The piano parts were performed by Poulenc himself alongside his childhood friend Jacques Février.
The audience received the work warmly, and later, in 1945, Poulenc performed the Concerto for Two Pianos with Benjamin Britten.
The orchestration and "jazz" elements of the piece are reminiscent of Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major, which premiered in January 1932 in Paris. Comparisons are often drawn with Mozart’s Concerto for Two Pianos, yet the graceful and simple melody of the second movement, along with its delicate accompaniment, evokes associations with another of Mozart’s piano concertos. Poulenc himself admitted that he had deliberately returned to Mozart’s style, as he greatly valued melodic lines and considered Mozart superior to other composers.
Information about the Soloists
Geister Duo is a chamber music ensemble formed by two outstanding French pianists – David Salmon and Manuel Vieillard – who stand out for their artistic synergy and are regarded as one of the most promising duos of their generation.
Salmon and Vieillard began their collaboration as students at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris. Their ambition was not merely to perform together as two soloists sharing a stage but to develop a true chamber music ensemble. After successfully completing their respective solo piano courses and winning international competitions, they refined their artistry as a duo.
In 2019, the duo won second prize at the International Schubert Piano Duo Competition in the Czech Republic, as well as first prize and the audience award at the International Four-Hand Piano Competition in Monaco. In 2021, they were awarded first prize at the prestigious ARD International Music Competition in Munich, along with five special prizes.
Agnese Egliņa is a three-time recipient of the Grand Music Award – For Outstanding Ensemble Work (2010), For Outstanding Performance Throughout the Year (2020), and For Outstanding Interpretation as part of the State Chamber Orchestra Sinfonietta Rīga (2021).
The pianist actively performs with Latvia’s leading musicians and internationally renowned soloists, regularly creating concert programmes with outstanding instrumentalists.
Egliņa has performed extensively across Europe, South Africa, Brazil, the United States, and China.
She always takes great pleasure in performing in Liepāja alongside the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra. In recent concert seasons, Agnese has played Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto, George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, as well as piano concertos by Latvian composers Pēteris Plakidis and Kārlis Lācis with the LSO.
Born in Liepāja, Agnese Egliņa received her first music education at the Emīls Melngailis Music Secondary School under the guidance of teacher Anita Poļanska.
Her first musical collaboration with pianist Elīna Bērtiņa took place in 2015, when the two musicians performed Alfred Schnittke’s Concerto for Piano and Strings together with Sinfonietta Rīga and conductor Andris Poga. In 2021, at the Cēsis Concert Hall, Bērtiņa and Egliņa collaborated with percussionists Guntars Freibergs and Juris Āzers to create the concert programme Music for Percussion and Piano, featuring Béla Bartók’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, George Crumb’s Music for a Summer Evening, and the world premiere of Krists Auznieks’ Fragrant Clock.
Elīna Bērtiņa performs both as a soloist and in collaboration with other outstanding musicians. She was nominated for the Grand Music Award 2021 in the category For Outstanding Ensemble Work. She has performed with the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonietta Rīga, Sinfonia Concertante, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, the Olsztyn Philharmonic Orchestra, and the German String Philharmonic, with whom she embarked on a summer tour in 2018.
Bērtiņa has collaborated with exceptional Latvian musicians, including cellists Gunta Ābele and Ieva Upatniece, clarinettist Mārtiņš Circenis, flautist Ilona Meija, saxophonist Oskars Petrauskis, percussionist Elīna Endzele, and many others. She has also worked with conductors such as Normunds Šnē, Imants Resnis, Atvars Lakstīgala, Andris Poga, Andris Vecumnieks, Tadeusz Wojciechowski, and Yalçın Adıgüzelov.
Bērtiņa has been a frequent participant in the Liepāja Piano Stars Festival.
She holds a master’s degree from the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, where she studied under Sergejs Osokins.
Sergejs Osokins is one of the cornerstones of contemporary Latvian pianism. He is a Commander of the Order of the Three Stars, holds a doctorate in arts, and is a professor at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music.
Osokins’ deep, colourful, and refined interpretations always provide a special delight for connoisseurs of classical music. His repertoire spans a wide range of styles and eras, yet he feels a particular affinity for the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Robert Schumann, Alexander Scriabin, and Alfred Schnittke.
For his performance of Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 2, Osokins was awarded the Grand Music Award of Latvia.
Sergejs Osokins actively performs and conducts masterclasses in Latvia, Germany, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Belarus, and Denmark, where he has maintained a significant collaboration with the Royal Danish Academy of Music for several years.
In recent seasons, he has performed alongside his sons, Andrejs and Georgijs Osokins, in the piano music concerts Three Osokins, held at the Latvian National Opera, Dzintari Concert Hall, and other venues. In December 2015, he inaugurated the new grand pianos of Lielais Dzintars concert hall in Liepāja.
Sergejs Osokins is not only an outstanding pianist but also a highly talented educator. He has mentored some of the most successful and renowned Latvian pianists both in Latvia and internationally, including Elīna Bērtiņa, Andrejs Osokins, Georgijs Osokins, Vestards Šimkus, Aurēlija Šimkus, Katrīna Gupalo, Arta Arnicāne, Rihards Plešanovs, and others.
Andrejs Osokins has participated in some of the world's most prestigious piano competitions, including the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in Tel Aviv, the Long-Thibaud International Competition in Paris, the Leeds International Piano Competition, and the Queen Elisabeth International Piano Competition in Brussels.
In 2008, he received Latvia’s Grand Music Award in the category Debut of the Year.
Critics have praised the pianist for his "hypnotic personal charm, a broad and expressive palette of sound colours, and an exceptionally convincing sense of various musical styles."
Andrejs Osokins regularly gives masterclasses both in Latvia and abroad, as well as leading the piano class at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. In 2018, he was awarded the prestigious title of Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in London.
A passionate advocate for contemporary piano music, Andrejs Osokins actively collaborates with composers to foster the creation of new works for the piano. Alongside his solo piano performances, he has premiered two piano concertos dedicated to him: Juris Karlsons’ Symphony-Concerto (also known as Symphony No. 2, 2019) and Zigmars Liepiņš’ Piano Concerto (2023).
In 2020, the pianist founded the Osokins Freedom Festival, an annual initiative that brings together musicians and audiences, fostering new collaborations and concert programmes. The festival serves as a meeting place for professionals and listeners, reminding us that music and art have the power to unite people and inspire action.
Since 2022, the festival has been dedicated to Ukraine, which has been suffering from the brutal war waged by Russia since 24 February 2022.
In 2023, Andrejs Osokins received Latvia’s highest state honour – the Order of the Three Stars – for his efforts in organising charity events and concerts.
The Festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, the State Culture Capital Foundation, the 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.
Useful:
The concert is accessible to people with hearing impairments, as the induction loop function will be activated during it. Based on the experiences of people with hearing impairments when trying this system, the best listening experience is possible in seats in the center parterre area from rows 5 to 12 - from 6 to 28.
