In late September and early October, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra will embark on its traditional autumn concert tour across Latvia, while also presenting the tour program at the International Mažeikiai Art Festival in Lithuania on September 25. For this tour, the orchestra has invited one of the most outstanding Latvian violinists of the new generation, Elza Siliņa, to join the performances.
In the concert tour’s multi-layered and emotionally rich program — to be performed by the orchestra under the direction of chief conductor Guntis Kuzma —contemporary contemporary Latvian music will meet the peaks of world symphonic classics.
The program will feature Jean Sibelius’s dramatically ambitious Second Symphony and Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto — one of the most significant and frequently performed violin concertos of the Romantic era. A new work has also been created specifically for the tour: the premiere of Selga Mence’s overture "Orion" will transport listeners into the glittering world of the celestial firmament.
The Liepāja Symphony Orchestra has already established a close musical relationship with violinist Elza Siliņa, whose musicality, natural stage presence, and mature interpretative style capture the attention of both audiences and professionals alike. She first performed with the orchestra following her victory in the Valdis Vikmanis Latvian Young Performers Competition — delivering a brilliant rendition of Sibelius’s Violin Concerto — and later demonstrated her impressive talent in New Year’s Eve concerts.
“With each encounter, our mutual musical trust has grown — something we wish to continue nurturing and deepening,” says Guntis Kuzma. “There is a natural quality and a vivid temperament to Elza’s playing, and the inner determination of her personality is clearly palpable. Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto requires lightness and elegance to coexist with romantic expression and depth; this will be an opportunity for us to see Elza’s creativity in a new light while continuing the journey we have embarked upon together.”
Elza Siliņa says that Felix Mendelssohn has always been one of her favorite composers: “Mendelssohn’s music is distinguished by its delicacy and brilliance, combined with lyricism and fluidity. This is clearly evident in his Violin Concerto in E minor, where the emotional depth takes precedence over technical demands. It is truly a gem in every violinist’s repertoire.”
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra Latvian tour concerts:
On September 26 at 5 PM – At the Ventspils concert hall "Latvija";
On October 1 at 6 PM – At the Lielvārde City Culture House;
On October 2 at 6 PM – At the Daugavpils Vienības Nams;
On October 3 6 PM – At the Tukums City Culture House.
Tickets for the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra’s autumn tour concerts are available through the “Biļešu paradīze” network.
The concerts are supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia.
