At the opening concert of the 30th Liepāja International Star Festival on Friday, March 4, at 7 pm, due to epidemiological reasons, Gunta Kuzma will be replaced by the conductor of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra Normund Schnea representative of the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra informed the portal “Delfi”.
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At the same time, changes have been made to the concert program, and the originally planned premiere of Arthur Muscat’s “Triple Concert” will not take place. Instead, listeners will have the opportunity to hear Pēteris Vasks’ “Landscape with Birds”, which will be performed solo by flutist Dita Krenberg, as well as Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue Reminora”, performed soloist by organist Iveta Apkalna. In turn, pianist Reinis Zariņš will perform Georg Pelēčs’ composition “Thriving Jasmine” in piano solo.
At the opening concert of the 30th Liepaja International Star Festival, together with the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra, the soloists will also perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s Piano Concerto in Reminora BWV1052, Frank Marten’s Ballad for Flute and String Orchestra, and Paul Hindemit Chamber Music no. 7 for organ and orchestra.
It will also be possible to watch the live video of the concert in the new one digital platform.
Normunds Šnē has an unusually versatile personality – a conductor, oboist, founder and artistic director of several orchestras, music producer and mastering engineer, guitarist and sound director in several progressive rock groups, and a passionate radio amateur. The performance of the artist and his ensembles has been awarded the Latvian Grand Music Prize in various nominations nine times.
Since 2006, he has been the artistic director of the State Chamber Orchestra Sinfonietta Rīga, but before that he has conducted its predecessor, the Riga Chamber Musicians, which he founded in 1987. He founded the Riga Festival Orchestra in 1999 and is its artistic director.
Iveta Apkalna is one of the most notable soloists in the world – instrumentalists. The organist’s performance is highly valued for her ability to feel the style accurately and present it with impeccable virtuosity. The honorary organist of the Elbe Philharmonic is the winner of four Grand Music Awards and two prestigious German Phono Academy Awards “ECHO Klassik”.
In Iveta Apkalna’s performance, we will hear the seventh of eight compositions by the German 20th century composer Paul Hindemit entitled “Chamber Music”. Due to the wide range of performers, it brings the concert closer to the genre of the chamber ensemble and reveals the composer’s characteristic writing style, which is full of humor, energetic passion and musical discoveries.
Dita Krenberga is the most recognizable Latvian flutist – a brilliant soloist, a sensitive chamber musician and a skilled concertmaster in the orchestra (for many years the concertmaster of the flute group of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra). She is a laureate of the Grand Music Prize and a Knight of the Order of the Three Stars.
Dita Krenberg’s virtuoso mastery will be appreciated by the 20th century Swiss composer Frank Martin in a ballad for flute and string orchestra, originally written as a ballad for flute and piano. The composer has filled this piece with multifaceted, artistically saturated and rhapsodic content.
Reinis Zariņš is a master of deep and thoughtful interpretations. His piano technique reveals a rich palette of sound colors and sophisticated texture lines. He is also a four-time winner of the Grand Music Prize and a winner of many international competitions.
Reinis Zariņš’s interpretation tonight will feature a concert by the unbeatable polyphony master Johann Sebastian Bach Reminor – the first of many Bach concerts for harpsichord and also one of the brightest compositions in the composer’s work.
Already on Saturday, March 5, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra under Andris Poga will take the stage of the festival together with the outstanding Latvian violinist Vineta Sareika. An evening of piano music is expected at the festival on March 6 with a performance by the world-famous Russian pianist Alexander Melnikov. Next weekend, the festival will end with a performance by the prestigious British string quartet Albion Quartet on March 10, as well as a concert by the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra with Ukrainian opera star Ludmila Monastirska on March 12.
The Liepaja International Star Festival will take place for the 30th time from March 4 to 12, 2022, and will bring together outstanding musicians of various genres in five concerts. Well-known soloists in Latvia and abroad such as organist Iveta Apkalna, pianists Reinis Zariņš and Aleksandrs Melņikovs, flutist Dita Krenberga, violinist Vineta Sareika, opera singer Ludmila Monastirska and stiga will perform at the festival organized by the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra.
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