Rihards Dubra’s Concerto for harp and percussion

On December 3 at 19.00, Rihards Dubra’s Concerto for harp and percussion “Concert pour Deux Dames”, written for percussionist Marta Kauliņa-Pelnēna and harpist Dārta Tisenkopfa-Muselli, will have its world premiere at Liepāja Concert Hall “Great Amber”. The conductor’s stand of the orchestra will be occupied by an outstanding Estonian maestro - Risto Joost.

Rihards Dubra's new double concerto is a new version of a concerto for the plucked string instrument kokle written earlier.

I have wanted to turn the once written concerto for kokle with chamber orchestra into a concerto for harp and chamber orchestra for a long time. The concerto for kokle had turned out complex in the technical sense, allowing it to be actually played by only very few in Latvia. And I'm sorry that this music, which listeners have found to be enjoyable, is currently not used,” says composer Rihards Dubra about his work. “The long-term and highly productive cooperation with the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra allowed me to fulfil my wishes and also encouraged me to turn this music into a practically new composition, since in addition to the harp solo, this concerto features percussion as well.

Concert will be performed for the very first time by both of the outstanding musicians of Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, to whom the concert is dedicated - percussionist Marta Kauliņa-Pelnēna and harpist Dārta Tisenkopfa-Muselli. To honour this fact and also because of the author’s recent fascination with French, the composition has been named “Concerto pour Deux Dames” (Concerto for Two Ladies).

Liepāja Symphony Orchestra has a long history of collaboration with Rihards Dubra, which in 2019 resulted in a co-created Latvian original opera “Saga of Suiti” (Suitu sāga). Dubra is also the author of the Liepāja Concerto No. 3 for Piano and Orchestra, as commissioned by Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, as well as Symphony No. 2 that was created in the framework of the cycle of Latvian Centenary Symphonies.

Marta Kauliņa-Pelnēna also takes part in various music recordings and chamber music projects, collaborating with many Latvian composers, musicians and actors, as well as creates her own music, which can be heard, for example, in the reading of “It Was Uncertain” (Nenoteiktā bija) by Liepaja Radio Theatre and the online concert cycle “Closer” (Tuvāk) by Liepāja Symphony Orchestra. She began her musical education as a flute player at the Aizpute Music School, continued as a percussionist at the Emilis Melngailis Liepāja’s Secondary School of Music and the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music under Edgars Saksons and Rihards Zaļupe.

Dārta Tisenkopfa-Muselli actively performs in chamber music and solo concerts as well. She began her musical education as a pianist, but specialized in playing harp at the Parma Conservatory of Music in Italy, where she was granted a master's degree with honours in 2018. The musician has earned recognition at several international competitions, including the 3rd and 2nd prize at the International Harp Contest in Italy “Suoni d’Arpa”, the 1st prize at the XXVII XXVII Concorso Internazionale Riviera della Versilia “Daniele Ridolfi”, and the 1st absolute prize at the International Clara Wieck Schumann Competition of Musical Performance. She has performed solos with Ventspils Chamber Orchestra, Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, Parma Conservatory Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra Regionale dell’Emilia Romagna.

On December 3, Liepāja Symphony Orchestra will also perform Symphony No. 1 by the introverted Finnish genius Jean Sibelius and one of the most well-known works of the Estonian composer Heino Eller - the symphonic poem “Dawn” (Koit), in a concert conducted by the outstanding Estonian conductor Risto Joost.

The concert will take place with a live audience and will be streamed online as well. Find the tickets here!

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