Liepāja Symphony Orchestra to perform at the Warsaw Philharmonic on 27 November
The Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, led by chief conductor Guntis Kuzma, will perform with violinist Kristīne Balanas at the Warsaw Philharmonic on 27 November as part of the Eufonie festival. The programme features works by Polish, Latvian and Finnish composers.
The Liepāja Symphony Orchestra from Latvia will give a concert at the Warsaw Philharmonic in Poland on 27 November. It will be led by its chief conductor and artistic director Guntis Kuzma, with violinist Kristīne Balanas as soloist. The concert is part of the programme of the 8th International Central and Eastern European Music Festival, Eufonie.
About the festival
Eufonie is described as one of the most significant international music events in the region and is organised by Poland's National Cultural Centre. The festival aims to uncover and connect the cultural heritage of Central and Eastern European countries along with contemporary artistic creation. Music from different eras and styles is presented.
The programme
The orchestra will take listeners through the music of three Baltic Sea region countries: Poland, Latvia and Finland. The first half opens with Three Pieces in Old Style for string orchestra by Polish composer Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, described as a neoclassical gem. It is followed by Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks's fantasy for violin and string orchestra, Vox Amoris, in which the composer presents love as the most powerful force in the world. Balanas will join the orchestra for this piece.
In the second half, the orchestra will perform the Second Symphony by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, a deeply personal and hopeful work that in its time also became a symbol of Finnish freedom and independence.
Words from the orchestra
Uldis Lipskis, head of the orchestra, calls the concert deeply symbolic, pointing to the historical ties between Liepāja, Kurzeme and Poland, and to Warsaw as a growing European metropolis. In his view, playing there shows that the orchestra's efforts towards growth, quality and recognition are starting to pay off.
Kuzma says it is important to represent Latvia's symphonic tradition in Warsaw and to build a musical dialogue with composers of the region. He designed the programme as a meeting of three different musical worlds united by deeply human values.
Tickets and more information are available on the official Eufonie website.
