From 8 March to 22 March, the Liepāja International Star Festival will shine for the 33rd time, this time in the spirit of Liepāja City 400th anniversary and, in honor of the festival's origins, a special role will be devoted to piano music.
During the city anniversary festival the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra will offer the audience five concerts taking place in the Concert Hall “Lielais dzintars” and will take them on a journey through the generous world of music, stopping over at symphonic classicism and romanticism, jazz, chamber music and opera music.
On 8 March, already for the third year in a row, the Liepāja International Star Festival will be opened by the young stars – the winners of the Valdis Vikmanis’ Latvian Young Artist Competition, creating a unique musical adventure where the passion of the young ones meets the maturity of experienced masters.
One of the world's most sought-after cellists, Daniel Müller-Schott, who will perform Camille Saint-Saëns’ virtuoso Cello Concerto No.1, is renowned for his expressive interpretations and brilliant technique, which promises a musically magnificent collaboration with the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra under the direction of the chief conductor Guntis Kuzma. “The New York Times” refers to his “intensive expressiveness” and describes him as a “fearless player with technique to burn”.
On 14 March, at the Star Festival Austrian cellist and singer deeLinde, who focuses on traditional Austrian folk music as well as yodelling, will perform together with a Brazilian guitarist, trombonist, composer and conductor Emiliano Sampaio, creating an exotic and exciting musical mix.
The duetof these two versatile and experienced musicians will be influenced by Brazilian music, Austrian folk music, jazz and classical traditions, creating a rich and harmonious variety of world music.
On 15 March, honoring the beginnings of the Festival and the input made by its founder, Imants Resnis, marking Liepāja on the world music map, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra will be joined by three brilliant pianist duos in an ambitious pianism star concert.
Agnese Egliņa together with Elīna Bērtiņa will perform Francis Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, where the “jazzy” effects used in its instrumentation evoke associations with Maurice Ravel's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G major, however, inevitable comparisons have also been made with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra, which will be performed by the “Geister Duo” consisting of French artists David Salmon and Manuel Viellard.
“Geister Duo” pianists have been making music together for ten years already, and after winning the first place in the famous ARD piano duo competition in Munich, “Geister Duo” is currently considered one of the most promising piano ensembles of its generation, which stands out for its special artistic symbiosis and musicality.
At this concert a premiere of the Concerto for two pianos and orchestra “Tandēms” by the Latvian composer Georgs Pelēcis will take place, it will be performed by Andrejs Osokins together with Sergejs Osokins.
On 21 March, the Festival will host a concert given by the “Altera veritas” association. This is an ensemble that surprises with its creative approach and new music, offering “another truth” about the kokle, accordion and flute. That’s exactly what the name of the ensemble means in Latin – “another truth”. The ensemble was created in 1999, and over more than 20 years Latvian (and not only Latvian) composers have dedicated more than 90 compositions to “Altera veritas”.
The chamber ensemble will also be joined by soprano Katrīna Paula Felsberga, who received the "Great Music Award 2023" in the "Young Musician of the Year" category.
On 21 March, the festival will conclude with a grand gala concert of opera music dedicated to Liepāja's 400th anniversary. The Liepāja Symphony Orchestra and soloists will be joined by the State Academic Choir "Latvija" and Liepāja choirs, together experiencing an unforgettable encounter with the giants of world opera music.
Among the soloists in this concert we will hear the internationally recognized and beloved Latvian tenor Aleksandrs Antoņenko, the Romanian baritone Bogdan Baciu, whose rich voice and dramatic talent have been recognized in opera houses across Europe, and one of the brightest rising stars in Italian opera houses – Sara Cortolezzis.
The opera gala concert will feature arias, duets, ensembles and overtures from operas by Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Vincenzo Bellini and Pietro Mascagni, offering the audience both popular and not so often performed compositions.
The Star Festival program can be found HERE. Tickets for the Festival concerts can be purchased at "Biļešu Paradīze" ticket offices and www.bilesuparadize.lv.
The 33rd Liepāja International Stars Festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, the State Culture Capital Foundation, the Liepāja City.
