At the heart of the symphony are 25 storytellers filmed by members of Ešenvalds’ team – director Renārs Vimba and cameraman Dainis Juraga. In the summer of 2017, the trio set out on a creative expedition around the world to discover volcanoes, seek out storytellers, and, with the support of seismologists and volcanologists, explore trails of volcanic activity.
Ēriks Ešenvalds says: “Somewhere near the piled-up spewed stone and slag, amid streams of fiery lava and clouds of muddy dust, in the threatening depths of magma chambers and the chimneys of hot geysers, at a moment when the earth trembled, the sky darkened and it seemed the world was coming to an end, local peoples gave birth to myths, legends and folk songs about volcanoes – “when you strike a stone, it weeps fire”; “and lovers turned into volcanoes – forever side by side, with a burning flame of love within”; “after four hours the man climbed out of the crater and returned home; it turned out that a full forty years had passed”; “Mother Earth sent her sons, the young volcanoes, out into the world to seek a home for themselves. Some settled on islands, others somewhere else, while a third group descended into the legendary underwater world.” In this symphony I have fused together these peoples’ cultural-historical heritage of volcano lore. Like a braid of flowing lava, soloist Dita Krenberga will weave and intertwine it all together with her flute in the concert.”
Ēriks Ešenvalds is one of the most widely performed Latvian composers in the world. From Vita Krauja’s interview with Ešenvalds in the weekly “Kultūrzīmes” on 29 November 2017, we learn that Ēriks’ music is heard every day in concert halls or churches somewhere in the world. Already in 2014,Edition Petersa representative said that, according to sheet music distribution and concert programme data, Ešenvalds was the fifth most performed contemporary composer.
The previous natural phenomenon explored by Ēriks Ešenvalds was the northern lights. In their honour came the production “Northern Lights”, which won the Great Music Award 2015 in the category “Production of the Year”. In November 2017, Renārs Vimba’s film “Northern Lights: A Composer’s Diary” was released, documenting the journey of Ēriks Ešenvalds, Renārs Vimba and cameraman Dainis Juraga in pursuit of the northern lights across Norway, Iceland, Greenland and Alaska.
Ēriks Ešenvalds’ “Volcano Symphony” is one of the new works by Latvian composers staged by the LNSO in honour of Latvia’s centenary. From this cycle of new works, Rihards Dubra’s oratorio “Maria” and Artūrs Maskats’ “Baltic Songs” have already been performed. October 2018 will see the premiere of Pēteris Vasks’ Oboe Concerto, while a new work by Andris Dzenītis is expected in August 2019.
Concert programme available
Dita Krenberga – flute
State Academic Choir “LATVIJA“