Featuring:
Guntars Freibergs (percussion)
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra
Guntis Kuzma (Conductor)
Part I
Frederick Delius (1862–1934) “Walk to the Paradise Garden”
Andris Dzenītis (1978) Southern Concerto for Metal Percussion and Orchestra (world premiere)
Part II
Johannes Brahms (1833–1897) Symphony No. 1
For many years, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra has been a dedicated promoter of Latvian composers’ music, making it one of its main artistic priorities.
At the season finale concert, the orchestra continues this mission by presenting new, vibrant works to the audience, offering a special event – the world premiere of Andris Dzenītis’ new opus “Southern Concerto for Metal Percussion and Orchestra.”
“Southern Concerto” is an opus for percussion and orchestra by Latvian composer Andris Dzenītis, inspired by the rich musical and ritual traditions of the island of Bali. By fulfilling his long-held dream of visiting Bali, the composer gained rare insight into local communities and ceremonies usually inaccessible to tourists. This experience—encountering gamelan music, ritual dances, and unique cultural expressions—became the foundation for the creation of the concerto.
The solo part of the concerto is written exclusively for metal percussion instruments, thus imitating the characteristic sounds of the gamelan with Western instruments. Each of the four movements of the concerto is dedicated to a significant Balinese tradition or artifact: “Gangsa” – the leading instrument of the gamelan ensemble, “Abuang Peteng” – a religious dance, “Ogoh Ogoh” – the colorful demon statues and their burning ritual, and “Kecak” – the famous “monkey chant” or fire dance. These images and rituals are revealed not as direct illustrations, but as a Western composer’s personal commentary and interpretation of the world of Balinese culture.
In February 2024, I finally realized a long-held dream: visiting Bali, Indonesia. From my early teens, when I first encountered recordings of the Balinese musical drama “Kecak” and the Gamelan music that accompanies shadow theatre, I was captivated by the island’s rich sonic and ritual traditions. A fortunate convergence of circumstances allowed my family and me to embark on this journey, turning dream into reality.
Over recent decades, Bali has grown both densely populated and commercialized, transformed by seekers of enlightenment and digital nomads from the West. Traditions that were once intimate and hidden have often become commodified. Yet through new friendships, I was granted glimpses into communities and ceremonies typically inaccessible to tourists: standing near a sacred Gamelan ensemble, whose mallets are touched only once a year during special rituals; witnessing the dance of maidens celebrating beauty and divinely ordained relationships; experiencing “Kecak” performances; wandering across lava fields to climb a volcano; and immersing myself in the fragrant greenery of the island.
The people of Bali inspire with their warmth, generosity, and openness. While there, I received a message from Guntars Freibergs, inviting me to compose a concerto for percussion—an invitation all the more fitting in the heart of the gamelan tradition. The Gamelan’s instruments, mostly bronze and metal, inspired me to feature only metal percussion in the solo part, presenting the challenge of recreating the characteristic gamelan sounds using instruments available in the West. Hence the concerto’s title. Bali’s music tradition is remarkable in its handling of complex rhythms and subtle tempo shifts, sensed with an almost instinctive sensitivity. When I asked a gamelan player how they manage such sudden, synchronized tempo changes, he did not grasp the essence of my question: these flexible flows of time are guided by the heart.
Each movement of the concerto is dedicated to a significant Balinese tradition or artifact, not merely to illustrate it, but to reflect upon it through my lens as a Western composer—interpreting, responding to, and celebrating the extraordinary musical and cultural world of Bali.
I Gangsa
A richly decorated metallophone from the Gamelan ensemble, usually played by the group’s leader. He is at once conductor and keeper of the melody, the tempo, and its changes. I began writing this movement one evening when I heard the distant sound of a Gamelan from the street—sounds that, in the end, turned out to be a hallucination of my own hearing. The soloist’s rhythmic pulse was my imagined deception, which I immediately rushed to write down. The soloist embarks on a long journey, inviting the orchestral procession to follow.
II Abuang Peteng
The dance „Abuang“ is one of the ceremonial dances performed during religious rituals in the village of Tenganan Pegringsingan. Slow, harmonious, and lasting several hours, the dance symbolizes devotion to the gods through beauty, love, and its celebration, expressing hope for harmonious relationships in the future. The dance is performed by maidens of various ages, dressed in beautiful traditional fabrics. The performance is accompanied by the sacred gamelan ensemble, „Selonding“.
III Ogoh Ogoh
“Ogoh Ogoh” – Large statues made from wood, paper, straw, and other highly flammable materials, vividly and frighteningly depicting various demons and negative figures that threaten the harmony of the universe. They are an essential part of the „Nyepi“ celebrations, marking the Balinese New Year (usually in March). The New Year is celebrated with grand, colorful „Ogoh Ogoh“ parades through the narrow streets of Bali. At the end of the parades, the statues are burned, symbolizing the community’s purification from all evil and a fresh start for the year ahead. This ritual also represents the triumph of the spiritual over the material: crafting these statues is a time-intensive process, and they possess remarkable artistic value. In Balinese thought, kindness embodies virtue, while wrongful actions are manifested as demons.
IV Kecak
Also known as the “Monkey Chant” or “Fire Dance,” Kecak is one of the most iconic symbols of Balinese culture. This vocal performance depicts the gods’ struggle against demons, based on the Hindu epic “Ramayana”. Interestingly, the tradition is not ancient: it was created in the 1930s by the German artist Walter Spies in collaboration with the Balinese dancer Wayan Limbak. Yet its foundation draws on the traditional sacred Balinese dance “Sanghyang”, during which dancers enter a deep trance. “Kecak” is a mesmerizing ritual in which dozens—or even hundreds—of men arranged in a circle perform astonishingly synchronized, complex rhythmic and vocal patterns. Their movements and vocalizations accompany both the dancers and the storytellers. The soloist concludes the orchestral “Kecak” with a virtuosic cadenza—a brilliant eruption on the equatorial horizon, just before the Balinese sunset disappears with remarkable speed.
Andris Dzenītis
Johannes Brahms’s First Symphony is one of the most significant symphonic works of the Romantic era, created after a long and careful period of the composer’s self-development. Brahms worked on this symphony for nearly twenty years, burdened by the weight of Beethoven’s legacy and his desire to create a work worthy of continuing the classical tradition.
The First Symphony is often called “Beethoven’s Tenth” because its dramatic structure, thematic unity, and majestic finale recall Beethoven’s achievements. Nevertheless, in this work, Brahms also brings to life his own individual musical language, harmonic richness, and emotional depth.
The symphony is structured in four contrasting movements: a dramatic and intense first movement, a lyrical second movement with expressive solo episodes, a light and playful third movement, and a triumphant finale featuring the famous theme reminiscent of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” In this symphony, Brahms combines classical forms with Romantic innovations, creating a work that is still considered one of the pinnacles of symphonic music.
INFORMATION FOR OUR VISITORS:
Discounts:
Students, disabled persons, pensioners – 3 euros
Pupils - 50%
Family 3+ card holders - 30%
For a companion of a person with a disability of group I or II - 50%
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.
The Concert is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, State Culture Capital Foundation and the Liepāja City.
