On February 15 at 18:00 at the Lielais dzintars Concert Hall the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Normunds Šnē, will delight the audience with the symphonic fantasies and poems by the most prominent composers of the Romantic era, interwoven with depictions of natural landscapes and philosophical reflections on the emotional world of a human being.
The special guest of the concert will be Florian Pons, a French cellist from Toulouse, who is currently predicted to have a brilliant career in the international classical music arena. The young star of cello music graduated with high honors from the Paris Conservatory, he is a winner of many international competitions and has been a resident of the Queen Elisabeth Chapel for several years. Last year, together with the Trio Nebelmeer, he won the 1st place at the Trieste International Chamber Music Competition.
At the concert Florian Pons will perform Robert Schumann's Concerto for Cello and Orchestra. It is known for its lyrical and emotional character and a virtuoso cello part. The Cello Concerto is one of the last works Schumann wrote before his mental health deteriorated rapidly. This work has influenced many other composers of cello concertos, such as Camille Saint Saëns and Antonin Dvořák. It has become one of the cellist repertoire classics and has been frequently performed at various concerts and festivals around the world.
The concert will begin with the overture The Hebrides by German early romantic era composer Felix Mendelssohn, which depicts the natural landscapes of Scotland. The Hebrides is an archipelago of picturesque islands sheltered from the wind in the west of Scotland, consisting of over 100 islands, about 35 of which are inhabited. These islands are rich not only in nature and dramatic landscapes, but also in history and culture – their inhabitants have preserved their language – Scottish Gaelic – and traditional life values for centuries.
The Hebrides are also an inexhaustible source of inspiration for artists and writers, including Felix Mendelssohn, whose overture “The Hebrides” reflects the peculiar and mysterious landscape of these islands.
Images of nature and philosophical and symbolic reflections on the inner world of a human being continue in the symphonic poem “Forest” by the prominent Lithuanian composer Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis. Mr.Čiurlionis has created a powerful musical landscape, where the forest becomes a symbol of power of life, mystery and the unfathomable majesty of nature.
The work is filled with different moods – starting with mysterious, soft timbres of woodwinds and mystical undulations of strings, and ending with growing intensity. This poetic and deeply emotional symphonic poem is also an example of Mr.Čurlionis' artistic perception of the world, where nature, music and visual art merge into an integral whole, revealing his philosophical view of the cycle of life and the role of a human in it.
And finally Franz Liszt's symphonic poem “Preludes” is one of the most brilliant orchestral works of the Romantic era and one of the first examples of the symphonic poem genre. The work is a philosophical reflection on life, its changing nature and man's relationship with fate. The music flow shifts from soft and lyrical tones to a dramatic and triumphant climax, revealing man's constant struggle with adversity and his unrelenting spirit. The rich orchestration and dramatic contrasts reflect deep emotional resonance and dynamic tension, which is characteristic of Liszt.
Tickets for the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra concerts can be purchased at “Biļešu paradīze” ticket offices.
The Concert is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, State Culture Capital Foundation, Liepāja City.
