“Latvian New Music Days” Motto Is PULSE
The “Latvian New Music Days 2022 PULSE” festival, organised by the Latvian Composers’ Union, will take place from April 21 – 30 at concert spaces in Riga and the “Cēsis” Concert Hall. The musical scope of the festival is both recently composed works, long nurtured works, as well as compositions from the archives which have not been performed in decades.
“The principal theme of the festival this year is the PULSE as a constant sign of life in culture. The pulse of the music of Latvian composers can be steady, thrilling, sleepy, tense, i-pulse, e-pulse, and, in every way, is it a confirmation of life – inheritable and preservable” says composer and festival artistic director Anna Veismane.
The festival begins on April 21 at 6 PM with the discussion “Censorship and self-censorship in Latvian music from the years of Soviet occupation until today”. The discussion will be led by composer, music journalist and censorship researcher Edgars Raginskis, aided by composers and musicologists who have encountered censorship of their creative work. The discussion will take place in the “Tintnīca” event space at the Writing and Music Museum, and it will be possible to watch a live broadcast of the event.
On April 22 at 7 PM, at the “Cēsis” Concert Hall, we invite you to the concert “Reinis Zariņš. Spring Pulse”, which is presented in collaboration with the festival “April of Pēteris Vasks' Music”. In pianist Reinis Zariņš’ solo programme we will hear music created by three like-minded composers – Arturs Maskats, Andrejs Selickis, and Pēteris Vasks. There will be premieres of new works and earlier works by these authors.
On April 25 at 6 PM, in the Latvian Radio I studio, singer Ieva Parša, cellist Ēriks Kiršfelds and pianists Herta Hansena and Aldis Liepiņš will meet in the programme “Discoveries”. Previously unheard music will be provided by Mārīte Dombrovska and Leons Amoliņš, and we will also hear works by Aldonis Kalniņš, Juris Karlsons, Juris Kulakovs, Gundega Šmite and Ruta Paidere. The concert will be broadcast live on Latvian Radio 3 “Klasika”.
On April 27 at 7 PM at the Riga Reform Church at the concert “Pulsation” the Sinfonietta Rīga wind quintet will premiere works by Marina Gribinčika un Raivis Misjuns, along with works from the 1980s by Pēteris Plakidis, Jānis Porietis, Viļnis Šmīdbergs and Andris Vecumnieks.
On April 28 at 7 PM at the Riga Art Space, as part of the programme “I-Pulse” we will hear acoustic and electronic music. Solo works by Santa Bušs, Rolands Kronlaks and Jānis Petraškevičs, as well as a new work by Andris Dzenītis will be performed by percussionist Guntars Freibers and violist Ivars Brīnums. There will also be a new work for electronic instruments by Oskars Herliņš and Andris Dzenītis’ electronic music improvisations.
“Latvian New Music Days” will conclude on April 30 at 7 PM in the Gold Hall of the Riga Latvian Society with the concert “Heart Rate”. Sōla, the mixed choir of the Latvian Academy of Culture, led by conductors Kaspars Ādamsons, Laura Štoma and Artūrs Oskars Mitrevics, will premiere works by Sabīne Kezbere and Renāte Stivriņa, and will also perform works by Ēriks Ešenvalds, Jēkabs Jančevskis, Arturs Maskats, Pēteris Plakidis, Evija Skuķe, Raimonds Pauls and Valts Pūce.
The Festival is supported by the State Culture Capital Fund, the “Cēsis” Concert Hall, the Riga Latvian Society, Latvian Radio 3 “Klasika” and the magazine “Mūzikas Saule”.
Purchase tickets at https://www.bilesuparadize.lv
Further information:
Anete Ašmane
+371 29427858
aasmane@gmail.com