Featuring:
Daniel Müller-Schott (cello)
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Guntis Kuzma
Programme:
Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) Concerto for Cello and Orchestra
Juris Karlsons (1948) At Sunrise (world premiere)
Arthur Honegger (1892–1955) Symphonie Liturgique
At the opening of its 146th season, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra and its audience will be delighted to welcome back German cellist Daniel Müller-Schott, who made his first appearance here at the Liepāja 400th Anniversary International Star Festival. At the festival’s opening concert, he performed Camille Saint-Saëns’ virtuosic Cello Concerto No. 1.
This time, the programme features one of the cornerstones of the cello repertoire—Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto.
For a long time, Dvořák believed the cello was not suited to a solo concerto. His view changed after hearing Victor Herbert’s Cello Concerto No. 2 performed in New York; it inspired him to create his own.
The work combines symphonic breadth with lyrical intimacy and a dramatic emotional arc closely linked to the composer’s personal life. The lyrical episode in the third movement is a moving memorial to his wife’s sister, Josefína, who was gravely ill while the concerto was being written and passed away shortly thereafter.
The concerto quickly became a mainstay of the cello repertoire. It has been recorded by almost every great cellist—from Pablo Casals and Mstislav Rostropovich to Jacqueline du Pré, Yo-Yo Ma, and many others.
Having read the score, Johannes Brahms is said to have remarked: “If I had known it was possible to write such a cello concerto, I would have tried myself.”
After the concerto’s romantic sweep, the programme moves into the harsher sound world of the 20th century—shaped by the experience of war.
Arthur Honegger’s Symphonie Liturgique is one of the 20th century’s most powerful symphonic statements—a dramatic, existentially charged work composed after World War II. Striking rhythms, sharp contrasts, and austere orchestral colours reveal a world on the brink of collapse, while the final movement brings a fragile, hard-won—yet unmistakable—sense of hope.
Honegger himself wrote an extensive commentary on the symphony, explicitly pointing to the music’s connection with the horrors of war and the longing for peace—an aspiration that remains urgent worldwide even 80 years after the work was composed.
At the season opening, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra will also present the world premiere of Juris Karlsons’ symphonic vision for orchestra, At Sunrise. As the composer explains, the work’s motto is:
“One ray at a time,
One colour at a time.
Then the Sun itself.
Resurrection.”
INFORMATION FOR OUR VISITORS:
Discounts:
Students, disabled persons, pensioners – 5 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 and the Liepāja City.
