For the 30th time already the Liepāja International Stars Festival will take place from 4 to 12 March 2022. The Festival consisting of five concerts organized by the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra will gather outstanding musicians performing in various genres and will offer premieres of new compositions.
The opening concert (March 4 at 7 pm) of the anniversary Festival together with the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra on the stage of the Concert Hall “Lielais dzintars” will feature a number of soloists that are well-known both in Latvia and abroad, such as organist Iveta Apkalna, pianist Reinis Zariņš, flautist Dita Krenberga.
The concert will feature works by the classics Johann Sebastian Bach, Frank Martin and Paul Hindemith, as well as the premiere of Arturs Maskats’ triple concert “Childhood's Butterflies Dances”.
On March 5 (at 6 pm) Under direction of Andris Poga the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and the outstanding violinist Vineta Sareika will perform Johannes Brahms' Violin Concerto. This concert will also feature the world premiere of Andris Dzenitis’ 2nd Symphony "Warm wind".
An evening of piano music is expected at the festival on March 6 at 6 pm. The world-renowned Russian pianist Alexander Melnikov will delight the audience with Claude Debussy's Preludes and Hector Berlioz's “Symphonie Fantastique” in the piano transcription of Ferenc Liszt.
The prestigious British string quartet "Albion Quartet" will visit the "Great Amber" chamber hall on March 10 at 7 pm with a very special concert program. The concert will feature music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Antonin Dvořák and Jāzeps Vītols.
At the Liepāja International Stars Festival 30th anniversary closing concert taking place on March 12 at 6 pm, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra in cooperation with the Uniting History Foundation will offer an opera music programme featuring the outstanding Russian soprano Hibla Gerzmava as a soloist.
Hibla Gerzmava, together with the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra directed by its principal conductor Gintaras Rinkevičius, will perform arias from the world-famous and well-loved operas by the great Italian classic Giuseppe Verdi and compositions by the French romantic music composer Camille Saint-Saëns. The audience will also be delighted to enjoy compositions from the time-proved operas of Vincenzo Bellini, Georges Bizet and other composers.
Imants Resnis, the former artistic director of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, once started the Liepāja International Star Festival in 1993 as the International Piano Festival. Around 200 pianists from all over the world have performed at the festival.
Since 2016, when the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra resides the concert hall "Great Amber", the festival has been reborn in a wider format, attracting both pianists and outstanding singers and virtuosos of other instruments. Now such names as Misha Maisky, Gidon Kremer "Carion Quintet", Iveta Apkalna, Alexander Antonenko and many others can be added to the festival's star list.
The 30th Liepāja International Stars Festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture of Latvia, Liepāja Municipality, State Cultural Capital Foundation and Uniting History Foundation.
Tickets for the festival concerts can be purchased at the ticket offices of “Biļešu paradīze”.