«Sinfonietta Rīga» string quartet concert «Autumn Lamentations» / Article / LSM.lv

On Monday, September 28, at 6 pm, the Sinfonietta Rīga string quartet – violinists Kristiāna Krūskopa, Agnese Kanniņa, viola player Artūrs Gailis and cellist Kārlis Klotiņš – will perform in the live concert of Latvian Radio 3 “Klasika”. The live broadcast will be listened to on Latvian Radio 3 (LR3), but in video format it can be viewed on LR3’s Facebook page and on the public media portal LSM.lv.

The concert will be hosted and Likae Jakovleva, the program manager of “Klasikas”, will talk to the musicians.

The program “Autumn Lamentations” will feature music by Latvian composers for string quartet: Georg Pelēča’s (1947) “Lamento”, Santa Ratniece’s (1977) “Aragonite” and Maija Einfelde’s (1939) String Quartet.

Gentle, enlightened moods will sound in “Lamento” composed in 1986 in the early opus of Georg Pelēčs. The charged expression and truthfulness often found in Maija Einfelde’s work will also be felt in the String Quartet (1993). The program includes the sound of the Latvian fragile, finely drawing modernist Santas Ratniece’s arabesque string quartet “Aragonite” (2005), the creation of which was inspired by the aragonite crystals seen in Slovak caves.

The Sinfonietta Rīga String Quartet, founded in 2007, includes in its repertoire compositions from practically all periods of music history, whenever a string quartet was written for. The quartet is involved in projects that cross the threshold of academic music, and the ensemble feels most comfortable in contemporary music. The works of Latvian contemporary composers have an important place in the quartet’s repertoire. Andris Dzenitis, Maija Einfelde, Romualds Kalsons, Selga Mence, Anita Mieze and Rihards Zaļupe have dedicated their compositions to the ensemble. The quartets of Raimonds Tiguls, Pēteris Vasks and Mārtiņš Viļums were also performed.

The quartet’s repertoire also includes works by John Adams, Antonin Dvorak, Edward Grieg, Joseph Haydn, Matthew Hindson, Leos Janacek, George Kram, George Ligetti, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Arvo Pert, Steve Reich and many other composers.

The quartet has also collaborated with other Latvian musicians, playing Kristians Lindbergs Trombon Quintet with Artūrs Bērziņš, Magnus Lindbergs Clarinet Quintet with Guntis Kuzmas, Steven McKay’s Electric Guitar Quintet with Artūrs Gailis, as well as Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet and Artūrs Grīnups Quintet with Ints The ensemble has participated in the CD recording of clarinetist Egils Šēfers. The quartet has also collaborated several times with countertenor Sergejs Jēgers, saxophonist Arvīds Kazlauskas, percussionist Ivo Krūskops and double bassist Jānis Stafeckis. Performing compositions involving electronic sound processing, the quartet collaborates with the artistic director of his chamber orchestra Normunds Šnē. The quartet performs not only in Riga, but also in many other places in Latvia – Alsunga, Auce, Daugavpils, both Durbe, Ēdole, Jelgava, Liepāja, Mežotne, Naukšēni, Rundāle, Saulkrasti, Ventspils and elsewhere. Outside Latvia, the ensemble has performed in Austria, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland and Portugal.

The Sinfonietta Rīga String Quartet has been nominated for the Grand Music Award 2007 in the Debut of the Year category.

The concert is supported by the State Cultural Capital Fund.

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