On 6 and 7 October this year, at 19:00 at the Great Guild, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) will delight audiences with two season-opening concerts. Under the direction of artistic director and chief conductor Tarmo Peltokoski, the orchestra together with clarinettist Anna Gagane will perform “Arctic Night Visions,” a concerto for clarinet, orchestra and electronics by the new season’s composer-in-residence Eriks Esenvalds. In the concert’s second half, together with opera soloists from Finland, the first act of Richard Wagner’s opera “Die Walkure” will be performed.
At the season opening, clarinettist Anna Gagane will take the stage, performing together with the orchestra under Tarmo Peltokoski’s direction the composer-in-residence’s clarinet concerto “Arctic Night Visions,” in which electronic sound elements join the musical dialogue between soloist and orchestra. In creating the work, the composer drew inspiration from the nocturnal North, seeking through this music to reveal the mystery of existence.
In the opera’s story, the hero draws the sword Notung from the tree trunk and, together with his sister, leaves the house of her cruel husband Hunding. The story carries listeners through an emotional whirlwind full of brave heroes and cunning gods. The lead roles will be sung by Finnish opera singers: soprano Hannakaisa Nirenena, tenor Jirki Antila and bass Erik Rousi.
LNSO chief conductor Tarmo Peltokoski has shown a personal connection to the composer’s work since childhood. In an interview this July with journalist Anna Mara Burve, the conductor revealed that he often calls Richard Wagner the meaning of his professional life. As it turns out, Wagner’s scores were an indirect reason for Peltokoski’s choice to become a conductor: he originally wanted to perform the composer’s opera scores on piano, but realised such music required an orchestra.
Clarinettist Anna Gagane has been assistant principal clarinet of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra since October 2019, alongside her other musical activities.
Among the composer-in-residence’s most significant world premieres are “Lakes Awaken at Dawn” performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, “Pleiades” at the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago, the premiere of “Shadow” at the BBC Proms, “Dreams Under Your Feet” at the Leipzig Gewandhaus, “Whispers of the Prairie Wind” performed by the Utah Symphony Orchestra and Utah chamber musicians, “The Passion of Luke” with the Latvian Radio Choir and Sinfonietta Riga, “Arctic Night Visions” performed by the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra, as well as the striking multimedia symphonies “Northern Lights” and “Volcano Symphony,” which premiered in Latvia and later around the world. In 2016, his opera “The Walled-In” premiered at the Latvian National Opera.
The opening concerts will also bring listeners a pleasant surprise: in the 98th season, the LNSO’s assistant concertmaster will be Belgian violinist Verle Haubraken, whom musicians and audiences already came to love during several LNSO concerts last season. She is also first violin of the Flanders Symphony Orchestra and performs in the chamber ensemble Odysseia.
The concert is financially supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation.
Tickets for LNSO’s new season concerts can be purchased at the Great Guild box office, at Bilesu Paradize outlets, and online. The 7 October concert is included in the LNSO Autumn Subscription 2023, available for purchase until 7 October.