LNSO invites you on a chamber music journey “From Paris to Berlin”

Media information, 8 February 2024.

On Thursday, 15 February, at 19:00 at the Great Guild, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) invites you to the chamber music concert “From Paris to Berlin.” At the centre of the programme are sextets for wind instruments and piano by French and German composers. Nearly all of the works included in the programme will be performed in Latvia for the first time. Joining together in a chamber ensemble for the concert will be LNSO musicians: flautist Egija Sproge, oboist Egils Upatnieks, clarinettist Martins Circenis, bassoonist Raimonds Gulbis, horn player Maris Evelons and pianist Evelina Jekabsone.

The idea for the concept of this LNSO chamber music series concert arose in Paris, while the musicians were on the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra’s concert tour. Alongside two Parisian works, two pieces by Berlin composers will also be performed. The wind ensemble is able to fulfil both an ensemble and a solo role, revealing colourful possibilities of interplay within the musical texture, while the addition of the piano part enriches the creative ideas and sound with splendid textural possibilities.

Teodor Blumer’s (1881-1964) Sextet Op. 45 was premiered in 1922 and is composed in an exciting and nuanced variation form. The composer himself worked not only as a composer but also, for several years, conducted the Dresden Radio Orchestra.

Swiss composer Paul Juon (1872-1940) studied at the Berlin Academy of Music, where he later worked as a professor of composition, teaching a number of highly regarded composers. His Sextet for Piano and Wind Quintet, Op. 51, is an energetically charged work that culminates in an invigorating finale.

French composer Louise Farrenc’s (1804-1875) Sextet for Piano and Wind Quintet, Op. 40, reflects in its piano part the composer’s own virtuosic pianism.

Francis Poulenc’s (1899-1963) Sextet for Piano and Wind Quintet is today considered one of the finest and most popular works in this genre. The composer’s music is characterised by melodic simplicity, rich, fresh harmonies, and the influence of popular music of the time – various dances and jazz.

The concert is financially supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation.

Tickets for the concert are available online. This concert is included in the LNSO chamber music subscription, available for purchase until 15 February. The subscription also includes the concerts “LNSO Chamber Music. A Tribute to the Muses” (7 March) and “LNSO Chamber Music. Tango. An Argentine in Europe” (11 April).