Media information, 17 January 2024.

On Thursday, 25 January, at 19:00 at the Great Guild, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Guntis Kuzma, together with narrator Goran Gora, will introduce audiences in a multimedia concert to the work of the giant of Latvian symphonic music, composer Janis Ivanovs. The concert will feature the famous second movement of Ivanovs’ Cello Concerto, with soloist LNSO principal cellist Ieva Upatniece, as well as the composer’s final work, his 21st Symphony. Goran Gora’s narration will be accompanied by video created by artist Krisis Salmanis and animator Pauls Poikans.

“There are many Ivanovs, but Janis Ivanovs is the only one” – so joked none other than Janis Ivanovs himself. Born into a family of Old Believers, the composer inherited his love of folk songs from his mother.

The works to be performed by LNSO on 25 January were written during different periods of the composer’s life. The Concerto for Cello and Orchestra was composed during the last years of Latvia’s independence (1938), capturing the sound of that era as well as the composer’s most active period of symphonic creativity. The 21st Symphony (1983), meanwhile, marks the twilight of the artist’s life. Sadly, Ivanovs did not manage to finish the symphony – it was completed by his student, composer Juris Karlsons.

The main aim of the concert series is to introduce young people and enthusiasts of academic music to symphonic hits and their composers. To make this an educational and exciting experience, the music and life stories of world-famous composers are enhanced with special multimedia elements, produced by the “Symphonic Hit” creative team: director Roberts Rubins, playwright Janis Jonevs, artist Krisis Salmanis, animator Pauls Poikans, content consultant and musicologist Orests Silabriedis, and narrator Janis Holstein-Upmanis, known as Goran Gora.

Performing at the concert will be one of the most acclaimed cellists of her generation, LNSO principal cellist Ieva Upatniece, who has proven her excellence by winning prizes at both national and international competitions.

Conducting the LNSO after a longer break will be Guntis Kuzma, who has been collaborating with the LNSO since the 2014/2015 season and became chief conductor and artistic director of the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra in the 2022/2023 season.

Tickets can be purchased at Bilesu Paradize box offices and online.