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Event Details
VIKTORIJA POLEVA
Messages to one simple man for violin, vibraphone and string orchestra
ALFRED SCHNITTKE
Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra
GEORGS PELĒCIS
Concertino bianco for piano and string orchestra
JĒKABS JANČEVSKIS
Lignum for strings orchestra, svilpaunieki (Latvian ocarinas in the form of birds), glockenspiel and wind chimes
OLLI MUSTONEN
Triptych for string orchestra
Onutė Gražinytė piano
Džeraldas Bidva violin
Andrejs Puškarevs percussion
Kremerata Baltica
Download the concert programme here.
Messages to One Simple Man by the Ukrainian composer Victoria Poleva (born 1962) at times reminds us of the works of musical minimalists. Written in 2009, it is scored for violin (or flute), vibraphone and strings. The first movement, Warm Wind, is filled with onomatopoeic elements heard above the pulsating rhythm created by the strings. The second movement, Lullaby, is meditative in character and begins and ends with the unusual sound of a bow playing on the vibraphone’s metal bars. The simple, constantly repeated, musical theme is then replaced by melodically ambiguous textures. The final movement, Mettā, is intended to express the content of this Buddhist term, which signifies benevolence and the wish for all beings to be happy.
Alfred Schnittke (1934–1998), a Russian composer with German roots, wrote his Concerto for Piano and Strings in 1979. Cast in one movement, the work shows Schnittke’s frequent toying with polystylism and his broad range of musical expression: there are hints of minimalism, strongly contrasting dynamic passages, intentionally banal figurative accompaniment of the solo
instrument, polyphonic voice-leading in the string orchestra, moments of absolute silence and, above all, sharp (yet functional) dissonances exposed in a toccata rhythm.
Concertino bianco for piano and strings was written in 1983 by the Latvian composer and musicologist Georgs Pelēcis (born 1947). The piano – whose soloist uses only the white keys of the instrument – and orchestra, together with a solo violin, gradually warm up and the musical flow issues into a no less calm, yet fervent middle section. The tempo only really gets going in the brief final movement with its dominant, cheerful theme.
Onutė Gražinytė
Since 2015, the Lithuanian pianist Onutė Gražinytė has studied with Roland Krüger at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media. A prize-winner of major international piano competitions, as a soloist she has appeared with orchestras including the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra and National Orchestra of Lyon.
Kremerata Baltica
The string orchestra Kremerata Baltica was founded in 1997 by the leading Latvian violinist Gidon Kremer, who brought together a fine selection of young enthusiastic musicians, mainly
from the Baltics, to present meticulous and fresh programmes to their audiences. The ensemble has inspired new works from such major figures as Arvo Pärt, Giya Kancheli, Pēteris Vasks and others.
Petr Ch. Kalina
Under the auspices of H.E. Elita Kuzma, Ambassador of the Republic of Latvia in the Czech Republic.
