Featuring:
Vestards Šimkus (piano)
Prizewinner of the 2026 International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition
Symphony Orchestra of the Artur Malawski Podkarpackie Philharmonic in Rzeszów (Poland)
Conductor Norbert Tworzyński (Poland)
Programme:
Franz Liszt (1811–1886) Piano Concerto No. 3
Henryk Wieniawski (1835–1880) Violin Concerto No. 2
Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) Symphony No. 7
The opening concert of the 35th Liepāja International Stars Festival brings together works that explore a recurring question in Romantic music: the relationship between the individual and the collective. Some composers place the soloist’s voice in the foreground, others seek a balance between soloist and orchestra, while still others entrust the narrative to the orchestra itself.
The festival’s opening concert presents this idea in three distinct ways—from Liszt’s rarely performed piano concerto to Wieniawski’s lyrical violin writing and Dvořák’s symphonic thinking.
Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 3 is one of the most unusual works in the composer’s oeuvre. For many years, the piece was virtually unknown and entered the concert repertoire only in the late 20th century, after the score had been reconstructed from manuscripts held in several archives. Conceived as a continuous, single-movement work, the concerto unfolds through a succession of episodes without the traditional division into separate movements. Its uninterrupted flow alternates virtuosic piano passages with lyrical episodes.
In Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 3, virtuosity is combined with a freely unfolding musical form. This makes the work particularly well suited to Vestards Šimkus’s distinctive artistry, which audiences will have the opportunity to experience at the festival’s opening concert.
Henryk Wieniawski’s Violin Concerto No. 2 is one of the most important works of Polish Romantic violin music. The composer was himself an outstanding violinist, and this is evident in the brilliant solo part, in which the violin emerges from the orchestral texture and transforms the musical material into an intensely personal, songful expression.
In Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 7, there is no longer any need for a solo voice: the orchestra carries the drama, transforming individual expression into a unified symphonic narrative.
In this symphony, the dance-like lightness and folk-inspired radiance often associated with Dvořák’s music recede into the background. Instead, the work is shaped by taut rhythmic impulses, a darker harmonic language, and a dense orchestral texture.
The concert will feature the Symphony Orchestra of the Artur Malawski Podkarpackie Philharmonic in Rzeszów, conducted by Norbert Tworzyński. The participation of a prizewinner of the 2026 International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition gives the programme a direct connection to Wieniawski’s legacy and to the Polish musical tradition—an emphasis that, on this occasion, meets Liszt’s virtuosity and Dvořák’s symphonic breadth.
INFORMATION FOR OUR VISITORS:
An extended stage will be used for the concert; therefore, Row 5 will effectively be the first audience row.
Discounts:
Students, people with disabilities, and pensioners – €5
School pupils – 50%
Holders of a 3+ Family Card – 30%
Companions of people with a Group I or II disability – 50%
Groups of 10 or more visitors – 20%
To purchase group tickets online, please email sales@lso.lv.
Visitors must present proof of eligibility for the discount when attending the concert.
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 festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia and the City of Liepāja.
