The now eagerly awaited tradition – the State Chamber Orchestra Sinfonietta Rīga concert series Summer Night Chamber Music – will once again take place at the Zuzeum Art Centre, this year in the height of August. It’s that time when summer’s splendor still fills the days, yet the evenings already carry a whisper of autumn in the air. These nostalgic seasonal transformations are perfectly suited to the essence of chamber music! Adding a special atmosphere to this year’s series will be the opportunity to view, in person, Zuzeum presentation of a powerful solo exhibition by the influential Austrian sculptor Erwin Wurm.
This year, the orchestra’s vibrant personalities will reveal their artistry as chamber musicians across four distinct concert evenings, enriched by the engaging introductions of Orests Silabriedis. The timeless wisdom of Baroque music will resonate with the untamed energy of contemporary creation, and emotionally charged dell’arte melodrama will interplay with the nuanced strength of Classical brilliance.
On August 27, seasoned experts in early music will take the stage, inviting reflection on everlasting values and the transient nature of life. At the center of the program is Stefano Landi’s hypnotic Passacaglia della Vita, paired with a fiery, tempestuous tarantella, and a selection of chaconnes full of elegance and poignancy by Baroque composers from four different regions. Highlights of the evening include Dieterich Buxtehude’s allegory-rich cantata “As the deer longs for the water brooks”, and the festive Wedding Cantata by the so-called “London Bach.”
The most anticipated highlight of the concert series is the evening of August 28 – a program by the Sinfonietta Rīga String Quartet titled “Wolves of the Dawn,” centered around new works by Latvian composers. Featured is a piece by the talented Aleksandrs Avramecs, who will begin his studies at the prestigious Yale University in the U.S. this fall. His composition creatively explores the phenomenon of wind. Also on the program is a new work by Edgars Mākens, known for his deep insight into theatrical nuance, drawing inspiration from the pinnacles of genre crafted by Pēteris Vasks. Meanwhile, a rhythmically charged composition by Ernests Mediņš – typically associated with percussion performance – promises a dynamic addition to the evening.
A live encounter with Arnold Schoenberg’s iconic melodrama “Pierrot Lunaire” is always a rare and special occasion – not only in Latvia’s concert life. On August 29, it will be performed by Sinfonietta Rīga musicians alongside soprano Katrīna Paula Felsberga, currently on the cusp of international acclaim. Full of aphorisms and symbolism, shocking observations and commentary, this score powerfully resonates with the era and circumstances in which we now live.
And to conclude the cycle – three works that stand tall in the golden repertoire of chamber music. The August 30 program “The Evergreen Acacia Tree” features Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Quintet – which the composer himself considered one of his finest works – radiating Viennese classical brilliance. It will be complemented by Carl Maria von Weber’s Clarinet Quintet, composed a quarter-century later, full of virtuoso flair and captivating melodicism, as well as Leoš Janáček’s wind sextet “Youth”, written a century ago. This work captures attention with its folk rhythms and gentle nostalgia, tasteful humor, and memorable melodic motifs.
Programme:
27th August 8 p.m.
PASSACAGLIA DELLA VITA
Programme:
Stefano Landi Passacaglia de la Vita
Dieterich Buxtehude Cantata Quemadmodum desiderat cervus
Juan Arañés Chaconne Un sarao de la chacona (Chacona 'A la vida bona')
Cristoforo Caresana Tarantella
Johann Christoph Bach Chaconne “Mein Freund ist mein un ich bin sein” from Cantata “Meine Freundin , du bist schon”
Antonio Caldara Chaconne
Jacques Morel Chaconne
Arcangelo Corelli La Follia
Henry Purcell The Plaint from “The Fairy Queen””
Francesco Cavalli Vieni, vieni in Questo seno from opera “La Rosinda”
Solo work for harpsichord (TBA)
Participants:
Agnese Kanniņa /violin/
Māra Botmane /cello/
Vita Rozēna- Gaļicka /flute/
Ieva Saliete /harpsichord/
Dārta Liepiņa /vocal/
Ansis Bētiņš /vocal/
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/
29th August 8 p.m.
PIERROT LUNAIRE
Programme:
Arnold Schoeneberg Dreimal sieben Gedichte aus Albert Girauds "Pierrot lunaire" ("Three times Seven Poems from Albert Giraud's 'Pierrot lunaire'")
Participants:
Katrīna Paula Felsberga /vocal/
Vita Rozēna- Gaļicka /flute/
Mārtiņš Circenis /clarinet/
Ivars Brīnums /violin/
Dārta Trasune /cello/
Rihards Plešanovs /piano/
Conductor Artūrs Oskars Mitrevics
30. augusts 8 p.m.
THE EVERGREEN ACACIA TREEE
Programme:
Carl Maria von Weber Clarinet Quintet op.34
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Quintet for piano on winds Es-dur KV452
Leoš Janáček "Mládí" (Youth) Woodwind sextet
Participants:
Vita Rozēna – Gaļicka /flute/
Māris Kuģis /oboe/
Mārtiņš Circenis /clarinet/
Sigurds Lallo /bass clarinet/
Pauls Gendrikovs /bassoon/
Māris Evelons /french horn/
Antti Petteri Kortelainen /violin/
Signe Šteimane /violin/
Ineta Abakuka /viola/
Madara Norbūte /cello/
Evelīna Jēkabsone /piano/
Concert tickets are available in several price categories:
Standart concert ticket: 25 EUR
Concert ticket with discount (students, seniors): 15 EUR
Concert series subscription (all four concerts): 60 EUR
Concert series with discount (students, seniors): 40 EUR
Ticket prices at the day of the concert at the Zuzeum ticket counter:
Standart concert ticket: 28 EUR
Concert ticket with discount (students, seniors): 18 EUR
Tickets are limited. Purchased tickets cannot be refunded or exchanged.Seats at the event are not numbered, so we invite you to arrive on time to take the most comfortable place!
Zuzeum Cafe and Bar will be available at the event. Entrance with food and drinks purchased outside the Zuzeum is prohibited.
The “Summer Night Chamber Music” cycle is organized by the Sinfonietta Rīga Foundation, Latvijas Koncerti, and Zuzeum.
*By attending this event, you agree to have photos or videos of you or your children taken for Zuzeum marketing purposes. You can refuse to be photographed or filmed by informing the photographer or camera person