Medins Music School students to give Latvian music concert at Small Guild on 12 November
The Jazeps Medins Riga Music Secondary School will hold a concert of Latvian composers' works, "Zvaigznajā", at the Small Guild on 12 November. The programme includes the premiere of Alvils Altmanis's Divertimento for saxophone quartet.
The Jāzeps Medinš Riga Music Secondary School (JMRMV) will hold a concert of Latvian music, "Zvaigznājā", at the Small Guild in Riga on 12 November. It is the second concert in a series highlighting Latvian composers and marks the school's centenary, which falls next year.
Students will perform works by Ēriks Ešenvalds, Maija Einfelde, Kārlis Lācis, Pēteris Plakidis, Jēkabs Mediņš, Uldis Marhilevičs, Gunārs Ordelovskis, Lolita Ritmane and Mikus Bāliņš. The programme also includes the premiere of Alvils Altmanis's Divertimento for saxophone quartet. The school's mixed choir, led by Nora Žeigure, and its wind orchestra, led by Jānis Retenais, will take part, along with solo and ensemble performances.
Focus on wind instruments
Artistic director Nora Žeigure said the school has now organised a national holiday concert for the second year, and the programme is so extensive that not all of the school's talent can fit into a single concert. She said the school is especially proud of its wind instrument department: excerpts from Maija Einfelde's flute sonata will be played, along with Altmanis's work written specially for the concert. In the second half, the wind orchestra will perform pieces by several Latvian composers.
Ešenvalds's anniversary year
The concert will also open the anniversary year of composer Ēriks Ešenvalds, who turns 50 on 26 January. The audience will hear compositions for harp, as well as for choir and string instruments.
Žeigure described the programme as varied, artistically strong and a fine showcase of the school's range of timbres. The young musicians have been preparing since the previous academic year and will have the chance to perform at the Small Guild on 12 November.
