Continuing its centenary concert series, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) invites audiences to a special concert programme at Riga Congress Hall on 25 September at 7 p.m. and at Cēsis Concert Hall on 26 September at 5 p.m. The programme brings together some of the most striking music of the 20th century and outstanding Latvian musicians. The first half of the concert will open with Ilona Breģe’s symphonic toccata, marking the beginning of the composer’s residency with the LNSO. This will be followed by an appearance by distinguished Latvian violinist Baiba Skride, who will perform Sofia Gubaidulina’s Violin Concerto No. 3 with the orchestra. The concert will be conducted by Kristiina Poska, the LNSO’s Principal Guest Conductor. In the second half, audiences will be invited to immerse themselves in the world of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1.
The LNSO’s 101st season marks the beginning of a residency for Ilona Breģe, one of Latvia’s most prominent contemporary composers. Breģe has maintained a longstanding relationship with the LNSO, both as a composer and as the orchestra’s director. Her contribution to Latvia’s musical landscape is particularly notable for her work as a composer of symphonic works, instrumental concertos and vocal-instrumental music. Her LNSO residency will open with a performance of her 2024 symphonic toccata UP-TIME.
The LNSO’s composer-in-residence programme has been a developing tradition for several years, placing the spotlight each season on a Latvian composer whose work is primarily focused on symphonic music.
Audiences will also have the opportunity to hear acclaimed Latvian violinist Baiba Skride, who has enjoyed a distinguished international career since winning the Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition. She has performed with leading orchestras around the world, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra and many others.
The concert will be conducted by Kristiina Poska, the LNSO’s Principal Guest Conductor. An internationally sought-after conductor who performs extensively across Europe, she has been praised for her charismatic, distinctive and musically compelling artistry. Poska is a laureate of international conducting competitions and the recipient of the 2013 German Conductors’ Award. In recent seasons, she has collaborated with orchestras including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and WDR Symphony Orchestra, among others.
The concert programme features a work in which dialogue plays a central role. Sofia Gubaidulina’s Violin Concerto No. 3, Dialog: Ich und Du (Dialogue: I and You), is built around the interaction of two distinct yet interconnected voices. The composer was inspired by philosopher Martin Buber’s concept of the relationship between “I” and “You”, which here takes the form of a musical dialogue between violin and orchestra.
The second half of the concert will feature Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, also known as Titan — one of the composer’s best-known early works. Written in 1887–1888, the symphony already vividly reveals Mahler’s distinctive musical world, in which sounds and images of nature intertwine organically with musical elements and song melodies.