At the Liepāja International Stars Festival, which will take place in the spring, on March 21 at 7 p.m., pianist Aurelija Šimkus will perform a solo concert in the Dzintars Jurgelaitis chamber hall of the "Lielais dzintars" concert hall.
Aurēlija Šimkus' international career began at the age of 16, when the German record company “Ars Produktion” released her solo album “Scherzo”. The “Piano News” magazine called it the album of the month, stating that “Aurelia Šimkus is an excellent pianist and a real discovery”, while the “Westfalische Rundschau” newspaper admired the soulfulness of her piano playing, filled with the most refined musicality and sensuality. For her second solo album “Bach. Ich ruf' zu dir” Aurēlija received the prestigious “Echo Klassik” award in 2016.
At the Liepāja International Star Festival concert piano lovers will be taken on an exquisite journey through time and get acquainted with brilliant compositions by Johann Sebastian Bach, Sergei Prokofiev and Frédéric Chopin.
Bach's Italian Concerto is a masterpiece of the Baroque era that brilliantly combines contrasting Italian and German styles, setting a new precedent in keyboard instrument literature. Prokofiev's Sonata No.4, composed in the middle of 1917, is known for its strikingly modernist tones and embodies Prokofiev's avant-garde style. The intense emotional depth and innovative musical language of this music piece promotes it as a turning point in the development of 20th century classical music.
The culmination of the concert will be the Polonaise-Fantasy by Frédéric Chopin, one of the world's most prominent piano composers, and Four Mazurkas that embody the emotional intensity of the Romantic era, as well as the Scherzo No.3 filled with technical bravura and emphasizing Chopin's virtuoso brilliance.
The 32nd Liepāja International Stars Festival will take place next spring, from March 9 to 23, in Liepāja concert hall "Lielais dzintars".
Tickets for the Festival concerts can be purchased at "Biļešu Paradīze" ticket offices.
Liepāja International Stars Festival will be held for the twenty-eighth year in a row. Once as the International Piano Stars Festival it was started in 1993 by former artistic director of Liepāja Symphony Orchestra – Imants Resnis. There have been more than 170 pianists participating from all of the world − Europe, Asia, North and South America, Australia. We have had the privilege of seeing such high class artists as Julian Joseph, Mikhail Voskresensky, Freddy Kempf, Noriko Ogawa, Robert Mitchell, Christina Ortiz, Dmitrij Bashkirov, Stanislav Igolinsky, Brigitte Engerer, Lazar Berman, Rolando Luna, Chano Dominguez, Eldar Djangirov and many more.
During the closure of the 23rd International Piano Stars Festival Uldis Lipskis, Board member of Liepāja Symphony Orchestra pointed out that the festival will have its rebirth in the coming year, acquiring a broader scope and featuring not only pianists but also outstanding singers and virtuosos of other instruments to attract even greater audiences. Therefore this is no longer the International Piano Stars Festival, but the Liepāja International Stars Festival
The Festivals' successful cooperation with the foreign soloists and conductors makes the world aware of Latvian culture and ensures residents of Latvia and not only with a high quality live performances.
The Festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, the State Cultural Capital Foundation and Liepāja City.
