From July 15 to 23, the ninth “Jūrmala Festival”, the grandest musical event of the summer, will take place in the Dzintari concert hall, gathering excellent Latvian and foreign musicians, with ten magnificent concerts. World-famous violinist Baiba Skride, tenor Alexander Antonenko, cellist Matthew Barley, piano virtuoso Osokini, accordionist Ksenia Sidorova, Jūrmala Festival Orchestra and others will perform at the concerts.
As the organizers informed, the special guests of the festival will be the stars of Broadway musicals from London. The most beautiful opera arias, the concert performance of Zigmar Liepiņš’s opera “Paris Notre Dame”, the concert “Born in Latvia” with the participation of great and rising stars will also be played.
The festival will already traditionally start with a sunrise concert on July 16 on Dzintari beach with the main organist of the Elba Philharmonic, Iveta Apkalna, known as the queen of the organ. The sunrise concert programs created by her are always distinguished by their well-thought-out content and dramaturgy, in which the selected compositions organically harmonize with the sounds of nature and gradually prepare us for the miraculous moment of sunrise, giving an unforgettable listening experience.
This year’s novelty will also be a special “Night Concert”, on July 15 in the Small Hall of the Dzintari Concert Hall. The outstanding pianist Reinis Zariņš and the British cellist Matthew Barley will perform there. He has already visited Latvia several times and thrilled the audience with his eight-hour long night concerts at the “Ad Lucem” festival, taking the audience to an unusual dimension and providing an indescribable experience. Beethoven’s five sonatas for cello and piano will be played, which cover all stages of the composer’s work and serve as a compass of Beethoven’s life. The concert will also be complemented by free improvisations, paying tribute to Beethoven, the greatest improviser of his time.
On July 16, violinist Baiba Skride, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jānis Liepiņš will perform a concert of symphonic music. Baiba Skride is one of the most remarkable violinists of our time, whose violin playing is heard in the most famous concert halls of the world. Her rare performances in Latvia are a big event and a celebration of music. In 2001, the violinist won the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Music Competition in Brussels. Since then, Baiba has regularly performed with such prestigious orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandahaus Orchestra, the London Philarmonia Orchestra and others.
On July 17 and 18, the audience will have a unique opportunity to hear the iconic concert performance of the opera “Paris Cathedral” by Sigmars Liepins. Zigmar Liepiņš’s opera once became a symbol of Latvian opera music, the production of which was a great success at the Latvian National Opera and was performed 96 times. The CD version of the opera became the most requested recording of Latvian opera music.
On July 19, the virtuoso accordion diva Ksenija Sidorova will perform at the Jūrmala festival together with the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra and its chief conductor Gunti Kuzma. Ksenia Sidorova has become one of the most prominent accordion virtuosos in the world, and her cleverly balanced, carefully designed programs have made it possible to appreciate the accordion, which has been known as a folk music instrument until now, in a completely new quality.
On July 20, within the framework of the festival, the concert “Born in Latvia” will be performed, which has already become a tradition of the Jūrmala festival. At the concert, musicians of different generations will meet on one stage, musical luminaries born in Latvia – both young talents, the most visible artists of Latvian concert life, and Latvian musicians with international fame, whose performances in their homeland are always a welcome event. Among the artists will be tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko, violinist Baiba Skride, accordionist Ksenia Sidorova, as well as talented young musicians. The Jūrmala Festival Orchestra will be conducted by Ainārs Rubiķis, chief conductor of the Berlin Comic Opera.
On July 21, a piano concert with the outstanding pianists of the Osokina dynasty is expected at the festival. The union of three Osokins – two sons and a father – has become a brand of piano art both in Latvia and abroad. The piano playing of Andrej and Georgij Osokina has earned considerable recognition in the international arena, while their father Sergejs is one of the most respected musicians in Latvia. The Osokins’ joint concerts always feature the most beautiful golden repertoire of piano music and classical music masterpieces in original arrangements, both for four-handed, two and even three pianos.
On July 22, the golden selection of Broadway musicals will be visited at the festival by excellent stars of the English stage theater, world-renowned singing actors. Robert Purvis, who has conducted countless productions at the famous West End theater in London, will be at the helm of the Jūrmala Festival Orchestra.
At the end of the Jurmala festival, on July 23, there will be a Gala concert with the most beautiful opera arias. The world-famous Latvian tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko will sing at the concert. The Metropolitan Opera in New York, “La Scala” in Milan, Covent Garden Opera in London are just some of the prestigious stages that have invited Alexander Antonenko to opera productions. In addition to the Jūrmala Festival Orchestra, Antonenko’s other stage friends will also perform at the concert.
40% discount for advance tickets until January 31 at all ticket offices of “Bilešu paradīze”, according to the organizers.
