July 16, 2023 20:00
The Great Hall
Opening concert. Baiba Skride and the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra
Dzintari Concert Hall on 16 June at 20.00 invites you to the opening concert of the Jūrmala Festival, where the world-famous violinist Baiba Skride, organist Diāna Jaunzeme–Portnaja, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jānis Liepiņš will perform. The magnificent symphonic music program will include French romantic Camille Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 (“Organ”) and Dance of Death, Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s Violin Concerto, worthy of the brilliance of Hollywood film music, and the brilliant Leonard Bernstein’s overture to the operetta Candide.
The soloist of Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s violin concerto will be the well-known violinist Baiba Skride, whose performances in Latvia are a great and rare event. Baiba Skride’s natural musicality has been loved by many of the most prominent conductors and orchestras of our time. She regularly performs with such orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Boston Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and others. She has close collaborations with outstanding conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach, Edward Gardner, Suzanna Melki, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Dima Slobodenyuk, Tugan Sokhiev and others.
Among the events of the 2022/23 season in the artist’s calendar are the performance and recording of Shostakovich’s Second Violin Concerto for Deutche Grammophone with Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the British premiere of Victoria Borisova-Ollas’ violin concerto, A Portrait of a Lady by Swan Lake, with Cristian Măcelaru and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Gubaidulina’s Offertorium with the NHK Symphony Orchestra.
Jānis Liepiņš is one of the most promising and talented conductors of his generation, a sought-after conductor of opera music who regularly collaborates with outstanding opera singers. Since 2019, he has been the first kapellmeister of the National Opera Theatre in Mannheim. At the Latvian National Opera, he conducted the performances Carmen, The Rake’s Progress, Die Fledermaus, Madama Butterfly, The Flying Dutchman, ballets Antonija #Silmači, Romeo and Juliet, Raimonda, Bajadera and others.
The 20th century Austrian composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold was declared a genius at the age of ten, he was praised by the greatest composers of the time, calling Korngold the “new Mozart”. In the 1930s, he emigrated to Hollywood, becoming a prominent film music composer. In 1938, Korngold received an Oscar for the music for the film The Adventures of Robin Hood. The composer dedicated his violin concerto to Gustav Mahler’s widow, Alma Mahler-Werfel. The romantic piece contains the charm of Hollywood’s golden age, charming melodies from movies, so it is called a “Hollywood concerto”.
The musical handwriting of Camille Saint-Saëns was influenced by French national traditions, examples of the art of Bach, Handel and German romantics, as well as the programmatic symphonism of Liszt. Saint-Saëns is aptly described by Romain Rolland: “He represents the noble classical spirit, the high encyclopaedic nature of musical culture.” Saint-Saëns wrote Symphony No. 3 at the peak of his career as a composer. The organ part is organically included in the piece, the symphony’s music stands out with vivid imagery, grace and brilliant instrumentation. However, Saint-Saëns’ impressive Dance of Death was based on a poem by Henri Casalis, which, according to an old French superstition, contemplates the appearance of death in dance.
Leonard Bernstein’s overture to the operetta Candide wittily, with a touch worthy of Rossini, opens a musical curtain for the mood that sparkles throughout the operetta.
As previously announced, the ninth Jūrmala Festival, the grandest summer musical event, will take place at Dzintari Concert Hall with ten magnificent concerts from July 15 to 23, bringing together excellent Latvian and foreign musicians. World-famous violinist Baiba Skride, tenor Aleksandr Antonenko, cellist Matthew Barley, piano virtuosos the Three Osokins, accordionist Ksenija Sidorova, the Jūrmala Festival Orchestra and others will perform at the concerts. The special guests of the festival will be Broadway musical stars from London. The most beautiful opera arias, the concert performance of Zigmars Liepiņš opera Notre-Dame de Paris, and the concert Born in Latvia with the participation of great and rising stars will also be played.
The festival is supported by Jūrmala Municipality.
Participants:
Baiba Skride, violin
Diāna Jaunzeme–Portnaja, organ
Latvian National Symphony Orchestra
Conductor Jānis Liepiņš
Latvian National Symphony Orchestra
The Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) is the biggest Latvian symphony orchestra, founded in 1926. Since then the orchestra has collaborated with a number of renowned conductors and has performed in prestigious concert halls in Europe and the world. Among the principal conductors were names such as Vasilijs Sinaisks, Olari Eltss, Paul Megi and Karel Mark Chichon. Since October 2013 Andris Poga is the chief conductor of LNSO. The orchestra focuses mainly on the 19th and 20th century world symphonic masterpieces, classical values created by Latvian composers and contemporary musical works, as well as occasional concert or opera performances. The LNSO pays great attention to children's and youth education programmes, has been successfully implementing a series of chamber music programmes for several years, and since 2015 has celebrated the end of the summer at the new festival "LNSO Summer House".
Jānis Liepiņš
ConductorJānis Liepiņš is one of the most promising and talented conductors of his generation, a sought-after conductor of opera music who has regularly collaborated with outstanding opera singers. Since 2019, he has been First Kapellmeister of the Mannheim National Opertheater.
Baiba Skride
ViolinBaiba Skride’s natural approach to her music-making has endeared her to some of today’s most important conductors and orchestras worldwide. She is consistently invited for her refreshing interpretations, her sensitivity and delight in the music. The list of prestigious orchestras with whom she has worked include the Berliner Philharmoniker, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Boston and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, New York Philharmonic, Concertgebouworkest, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Orchestre de Paris, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and NHK Symphony Orchestra. Notable conductors she collaborates with include Marin Alsop, Christoph Eschenbach, Ed Gardner, Susanna Mälkki, Andris Nelsons, Andres Orozco-Estrada, Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Andris Poga, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Tugan Sokhiev, John Storgårds, Juraj Valcuha and Kazuki Yamada.
Diāna Jaunzeme-Portnaja
OrganDIĀNA JAUNZEME-PORTNAJA graduated from J. Ivanovs Rēzekne Secondary Music School, and afterwards, from J. Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, attaining her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in the organ class of prof. T. Deksnis (2005). The organist developed her mastery in the Enschede Academy of Music in the Netherlands (2001), the International Organ Academy in Sweden (2003, 2005), and in master classes in Sweden, Spain and Lithuania. She has frequently performed concerts in churches of Rīga and Latvia both with solo programs and in collaboration with soloists and choirs; performed in Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland and other countries. D. Jaunzeme-Portnaja is a member of the organ duet RIGA ORGANUM DUO since 2013. The organist works as a project manager, as well, organizing concert series in many Latvian churches and taking part for organization of the historical organs festival over the Latvia since 2017.
