From 19 to 22 August, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and the State Choir Latvija will travel to France, where they will perform at the Berlioz Festival and the La Chaise-Dieu Festival.
Wednesday, 19 August, at 9.30 PM, Carmelite Monastery, Beauvoir-en-Royans – Grand Celebration. LNSO and State Choir Latvija at the Berlioz Festival.
Performers: State Choir Latvija (Artistic Director Māris Sirmais), Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, conductor Daniel Kawka.
Programme: Carl Orff – Carmina Burana.
About the Festival: Founded in 1994 in La Côte-Saint-André, the birthplace of Hector Berlioz, the Berlioz Festival is one of France’s leading classical music festivals. Held each August under the artistic direction of Bruno Messina, it presents around forty concerts in the courtyard of the Château Louis XI and other historic venues throughout the Isère region. The festival’s programmes combine the great masterpieces of the Romantic repertoire with contemporary works and music from around the world, attracting approximately 28,000 visitors each year and offering a wide range of free public events.
Thursday, 20 August, at 9 PM, Abbey Church of Saint Robert, La Chaise-Dieu – Homage to La Chaise-Dieu: Mass. LNSO and State Choir Latvija at the La Chaise-Dieu Festival.
Performers: Zanda Švēde (mezzo-soprano), Maciej Kwasnikowski (tenor), State Choir Latvija (Artistic Director Māris Sirmais), Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, conductor Andris Poga.
Programme: Éric Montalbetti – Fragments pour une messe (World Premiere); Johannes Brahms – Alto Rhapsody for alto and chorus, Op. 53, and Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny).
About the Festival: Founded sixty years ago by legendary Hungarian pianist Georges Cziffra, the La Chaise-Dieu Festival has become one of France’s most distinguished classical music festivals. Since 1966, each edition has transformed the historic Auvergne village into a vibrant musical destination, centered around its magnificent fourteenth-century abbey. The anniversary edition presents 35 concerts over 13 days, featuring music by Bach, Monteverdi, Mahler, and Montalbetti, performed by leading conductors, soloists, orchestras, and choirs, including Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, Daniele Rustioni and the Orchestra of the Paris National Opera, Leonardo García Alarcón and Cappella Mediterranea, Renaud Capuçon, Bertrand Chamayou, Nemanja Radulović, Sergey Khachatryan, Isata Kanneh-Mason, and many others.
Friday, 21 August, at 3 PM, Abbey Church of Saint Robert, La Chaise-Dieu – From the New World. LNSO at the La Chaise-Dieu Festival.
Performers: Sehun Kim (piano, South Korea), conductor Andris Poga.
Programme: Pēteris Vasks – Song of Gratitude; Ludwig van Beethoven – Piano Concerto No. 4; Antonín Dvořák – Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”.