28th August
WOLVES OF THE DAWN / PREMIERES OF LATVIAN COMPOSERS
Programme:
Mārtiņš Viļums New work
Edgars Mākens New work
Ernests Mediņš New work
Aleksandrs Avramecs New work
Participants:
Sinfonietta Rīga String Quartet
Agnese Kanniņa /violin/
Kristiāna Krūskopa /violin/
Artūrs Gailis /viola/
Kārlis Klotiņš /cello/
While Sinfonietta Rīga is renowned for championing contemporary music, the string quartet delivers this year’s greatest intrigue with the program “Wolves of the Dawn,” highlighting new works by Latvian composers.
Once known as a figure in the alternative rock scene and a subtle connoisseur of theatrical nuance, Edgars Mākens has, in recent years, enriched the classical concert sphere with his diverse background. His new work, written for the string quartet, is inspired by the genre-defining achievements of Latvia’s national treasure, Pēteris Vasks.
The same Vasks who once guided the early creative steps of Aleksandrs Avramecs, a young talent now set to begin his studies this autumn at the prestigious Yale University. His newest piece, composed on this side of the Atlantic, devotes particular attention to an imaginative exploration of the phenomenon of wind.
For nearly three decades, Mārtiņš Viļums has called Vilnius his second home – a city he first encountered during his student years. His creative worldview, shaped by poetic renderings of extra-musical content, is also evident in his latest string quartet, “The Arkona Nebula,” marked by mysticism.
Infused with rhythmic energy and vivid emotion is a new work by Ernests Mediņš, typically associated with percussion performance, now revealing his expressive range in the realm of string quartet composition.