Media information, 22 April 2024.
On Thursday, 25 April, at 19:00 at the Great Guild, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andris Poga, will give a concert featuring French composer Lili Boulanger’s miniature “D’un matin de printemps” (“Of a Spring Morning”), Anton Bruckner’s final – Ninth – Symphony, and Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski’s Piano Concerto, in which the orchestra and conductor will be joined on stage by one of the most highly regarded Latvian pianists of his generation, Reinis Zarins.
French composer Lili Boulanger’s extraordinary talent was noticed already in childhood, and despite frail health and a short life, she managed to become an educated, refined composer who drew inspiration from Debussy, Symbolism and Impressionism. Today, her work continues to gain new recognition and appreciation. In “D’un matin de printemps,” alert, energetic and bright scenes alternate with dreamlike and mysterious sound paintings.
Although Anton Bruckner worked on his Ninth Symphony for nearly nine years, its finale remained only in sketches when he passed away, and in concert this symphony is performed in three movements. Its conclusion – the third movement – takes on symbolic significance: the music fades away in ethereal harmony and closes the doors of earthly time, to open the next ones, leading into eternity.
The concert will also feature Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski’s Piano Concerto – a musical legacy from the 1980s, first performed at the prestigious Salzburg Festival.
The soloist in the Piano Concerto will be pianist Reinis Zarins – one of Latvia’s most notable talents, a master of deeply considered interpretations, a skilled chamber musician and creator of conceptual interdisciplinary art projects. Reinis is a four-time laureate of the Great Music Award (2011, 2013, 2015, 2020) and an Officer of the Order of the Three Stars.
Andris Poga is chief conductor of the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. From 2013 to 2021, he was artistic director and chief conductor of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. Poga currently continues his collaboration with the LNSO as artistic advisor. In previous seasons, the conductor has performed with leading orchestras in Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Scandinavia. This season he continues his regular work with the LNSO and the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, and performs with other orchestras. This season, Poga also makes his debut with the Tokyo Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra.
Tickets can be purchased at Bilesu Paradize box offices.