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Featuring:
Elīna Bukša (violin)
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Normunds Šnē
Programme:
Hector Berlioz (1803–1869) Roman Carnival Overture
Krists Auznieks (b. 1992) Violin Concerto (world premiere)
Robert Schumann (1810–1856) Symphony No. 1 (“Spring”)
In this programme, the idea of a beginning takes on three different meanings. In Hector Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture, material originally composed for an opera begins a new life as an independent concert work; in Robert Schumann’s First Symphony, the musical opening itself becomes the impulse from which an expansive symphonic process unfolds; while the world premiere of Krists Auznieks’s Violin Concerto marks the beginning of the work’s journey to its listeners.
In Roman Carnival, Berlioz returns to material from his opera Benvenuto Cellini. A lyrical melody, first heard on the cor anglais, encounters a rapid carnival dance, until the two worlds are brought together in a dazzling sweep of orchestral movement. Berlioz’s instrumentation invites us to listen not only to melody and rhythm, but also to the constantly shifting relationships between timbres.
At the heart of the programme is the world premiere of Krists Auznieks’s Violin Concerto, with Elīna Bukša as soloist. Normunds Šnē will conduct the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, continuing a collaboration with Auznieks that already includes experience of bringing new works to life: in 2021, Šnē conducted the premiere of Auznieks’s Ir Viens, while May 2026 saw the first performance of Bezgalīgi mirdzošs ceļš, commissioned by Sinfonietta Rīga and dedicated to Šnē. The world premiere of the Violin Concerto thus continues the creative dialogue between composer and conductor.
In Schumann’s First, or “Spring”, Symphony, a call in the wind instruments becomes the impulse for an expansive symphonic process. The idea of spring has a basis in the composer’s own conception: he initially gave the four movements the programmatic titles “The Beginning of Spring”, “Evening”, “Merry Playmates” and “Spring in Full Bloom”, but removed them before the score was published. The symphony therefore need not be heard as a precise depiction of natural processes. Far more interesting is to follow the way the music seems to awaken: the rhythmic impulse of the opening assumes ever new forms, melodies and orchestral colours shift, and the individual movements grow into a unified symphonic trajectory.
By mid-April, spring reveals itself gradually, through ever new signs, much as in music an idea acquires its meaning only as it develops. The beginnings in this programme, too, are not static points: each sets in motion a process in which something emerges, returns or assumes a new form.
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.
