In the spotlight – accordion and tango. Arturs Maskats’s “Tango” is one of the most famous examples of Latvian symphonic music, rivalled in popularity perhaps only by Dārziņš’s “Melancholy Waltz”. The solo accordion’s long, expansive line carries both vitality and wistfulness, while its lyrical musing is overtaken by a stormy symphonic force. Meanwhile, the Latvian composer Gundega Šmite, who lives in Greece, has dedicated a three-movement concerto to the accordion, which throughout – and especially in its dance-like third movement – makes us think of ancient times, when poetry, song, dance and theatre were a single organism, recalling Nietzsche’s words: I would only believe in a god who could dance.
SOLOIST
Artūrs Noviks – accordion
CONDUCTOR:
Guntis Kuzma
PROGRAMME:
Gundega ŠMITE Accordion Concerto
Arturs MASKATS “Tango”