For the festival “LNSO Summer House 2017”, Jānis Šipkēvics wrote the song cycle “Zenith” for two boys and seven instruments. The cycle takes shape as an intuitively emotional account by Jānis himself and his former classmate, the author of the texts Marts Pujāts, of what they saw and lived through at the Riga Cathedral Choir School.
Jānis Šipkēvics says: “This is a peculiar psychological séance in which the ties to the magical world of schooldays are restored. Musically, the cycle is the kind a child might have written for his imaginary orchestra. With a wish to make sense of what is going on around him and to give it some playful, existential, funny, moving, otherworldly and boyishly everyday meaning.”
The production is directed by Viesturs Meikšāns, with set design by Rūta Briede. The boys’ roles are taken by Riga Cathedral Choir School pupils Eremijs Sējāns, Eduards Jansons, Holgers Štāls and Kristaps Apkalns. The “LNSO Zenith Ensemble” also performs, led by Guntis Kuzma.
The programme has been prepared with the support of the State Culture Capital Foundation under the targeted programme “Creating content for the “Latvian School Bag””.
The song performance “Zenith” has been nominated for the “Kilogram of Culture” award in the category “Surprise of the Year”.
Jānis ŠIPKĒVICS, music
Marts PUJĀTS,poems
Viesturs MEIKŠĀNS, direction
Rūta BRIEDE, set design
Eremijs Sējāns and Eduards Jansons,
Holgers Štāls and Kristaps Apkalns
LNSO Zenith Ensemble led by Guntis Kuzma