The National Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 95th anniversary and is about to say goodbye to the Grand Guild / Article

The season opening concert of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) will take place at the Grand Guild on October 8 at 7 pm, where the orchestra will play Beethoven’s First and Ninth Symphonies under the direction of French conductor Jean-Claude Kazadesi. The LNSO celebrated its 95th birthday this autumn, and the first half of the new season is special – it is the last one that the orchestra will spend in its home, the Grand Guild, before the renovation of the house began, the orchestra representatives informed.

“This season is special. First of all, let’s resume meeting with our listeners in person, and we very much hope that it will stay the same! Before the official opening of the new season, a concert will be played, which we were waiting for a year ago – “Rhythm Feast” with a solo release by Edgars Saxons and Rihards Zaļupe. This season, with concerts in Riga, Tallinn and Cēsis, we are happy to welcome our new main guest conductor Kristīna Poska, as well as the season’s resident composer – Andris Dzenīte. In the first half of the season, we will meet with well-known and beloved conductors Jean-Claude Kazadesis, Gintars Rinkēvičs, Māris Sirmo, Andris Pogus, Žiljēns in Masmonde, Guntis Kuzma, as well as brand new talents – Tāvo Oramo and Tarmo, the successors of Finland’s famous conducting tradition. At the beginning of 2022, the long-awaited repairs will begin in the Grand Guild and the orchestra’s concert life will move mainly to regional concert halls, ”said LNSO Director Indra Lukina.

The opening of the 96th season of the LNSO will take place on October 8 at 7 pm in the Grand Guild with a concert “LNSO, Beethoven and Kazades”. In it we will hear the first and last symphony of genius – two different Beethoven. In the first symphony as a young, well-educated and yet to be revolutionary, while saying goodbye to conservative canons. In the Ninth Symphony – dreaming of uniting millions of people and creating an anthem for community and freedom. As enthusiastic as Beethoven, the conductor of this concert, the French maestro Jean-Claude Kazadesi, will return to the music, who will return to the LNSO and prove his life motto – “Serve, dare, give and gain”. Music, he believes, is the purest path to higher spirituality. The concert will be attended by the State Academic Choir “Latvia” and soloists – soprano Perina Madefa, mezzo-soprano Laura Grecka, tenor Mikhail Chulpayev and bass Edgar Ošleja.

The traditional Baltic Symphony Festival will take place in the autumn. The first event of the festival will be a concert “LNSO, Poska and Tchaikovsky”, which will take place on October 29. This will be the first concert of conductor Kristina Poska as the main guest conductor of the LNSO. The concert will feature Arama Hatchaturyan’s Violin Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s Sixth or “Pathetic” Symphony. The LNSO will also visit Tallinn with the same program.

On November 4, the Grand Guild will host the second concert of the festival “LNSO, Wagner and Bruckner”. Wagner’s “Songs of Wesendonka” will be performed in the voice of Lithuanian mezzo-soprano, winner of several competitions Ieva Prudnikovaite. The concert will be conducted by Gintars Rinkēvičs. With this program, the orchestra will visit Kaunas Concert Hall.

A chamber music program is also planned at the Baltic Symphony Festival. On December 1, the LNSO cello Dream Team will perform Jean François’s music for 12 (!) Cellos and Gabriel Forre’s “Pavanu” in the cycle “LNSO Chamber Music”, and in the second part of the concert James Baralet’s music from such legendary films as “Mechanical Orange”, “Pirates of the Caribbean”, “Blade Runner”, “Terminator”, “Requiem for a Dream”, “Lubene” and “Star Wars”.

On December 29 and 30, the “New Year’s Concert” will be performed in the Grand Guild. LNSO, French maestro, conductor Žiljens Masmondē, pianist Daumants Liepiņš and Edgars Cīrulis’ trio will perform on stage, playing French music.

The last LNSO concert in the Grand Guild before the renovation will take place on January 14, and it will be the program “Sibelius the First and Rachmaninov the Second”, conducted for the first time in Riga by Finnish conductor Tarmo Peltokoski.

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