Dance is a symbol for infinity as it involves movement and life. There is nothing wrong with singing, but it seems (especially in recent years) that we might be more of a dancing nation after all.
“Vai, kājiņas, man’ kājiņas,
Dancot gribu, dancot gribu!
Kur tie mani bāleliņi,
Ka tie mani diet neveda?”
We have chosen to celebrate this year’s anniversary of the State of Latvia with symphonic dances. The Liepāja Symphony Orchestra will be led by conductor Ainārs Rubiķis, who has selected a number of dances for the orchestra from prominent Latvian composers with various inspirations.
They will be connected on two narrative levels: the first part will be supplemented by Orests Silabriedis’ etudes on the significance of dance in the fate of Latvia and Latvians, and the second part will be highlighted by a choreography of patterns and lights by the brilliant video artist -8.
Freelance artist -8 has been the lighting designer of the Liepāja Theater and a teacher at the University of Liepāja, with many creative successes at the Liepāja Theater, the Daile Theater, the Latvian National Opera, for events such as the staging of Rihards Dubra’s opera Suitu sāga and Liepāja amateur performers’ concert Saules pielijuši (2023); nominee for several Player’s Night Awards, and honored resident of Liepāja in 2015.
Jurjānu Andrejs’ four-dance cycle is a classic example of stage dance, featuring the famous traditional pair dances ‘Jandāls’ and ‘Ačkups’. Jānis Ķepītis composed in a similar style and crowned his suite with ‘Es mācēju danci vest’, known to any Latvian. Composer Edmunds Goldšteins was inspired by Emilis Melngailis and used his music to paint pictures of a fair in Latgale. Liepāja-born Tālivaldis Ķeniņš drew similar inspirations for his ‘Tautas deja un fūga nr. 2’. Pēteris Plakidis, humorous as always, composed his ‘Dziedošā prelūdija un dancojošā fūga’ to culminate in the famous folk dance motif of ‘Tūdaliņ, tagadiņ’.
We will see elegant ladies and stately gentlemen joined in a gracious dance lit by thousands of candles in Imants Kalniņš’ ‘Balle pilī’, part III of his Symphony No. 6. Jāzeps Mediņš imagined his ‘Fantastisks valsis’ as an interplay between bright chandeliers and mysterious midnight shadows. Ģederts Ramans’ ‘Valsis ekspromts’ was inspired by the purity of a first love. Finally, Romualds Kalsons with a cinema classic, ‘Tango’ from Dzidra Ritenberga’s film ‘Šīs bīstamās balkona durvis’.
Program:
Part I
Jurjānu ANDREJS ‘Latvju dejas’
Pēteris PLAKIDIS ‘Dziedošā prelūdija un dancojošā fūga’
Edmunds GOLDŠTEINS ‘Mērdzenes danči’
Jānis ĶEPĪTIS ‘Latvju dejas’
Part II
Imants KALNIŅŠ ‘Balle pilī’ from Symhony No. 6
Tālivaldis ĶENIŅŠ ‘Tautas deja un fūga nr. 2’
Jāzeps MEDIŅŠ ‘Fantastisks valsis’
Ģederts RAMANS ‘Valsis ekspromts’
Romualds KALSONS ‘Tango’ from the motion picture ‘Šīs bīstamās balkona durvis’
Artists:
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra
Conductor Ainārs Rubiķis
Video artist -8
Orests Silabriedis - moderator
Organised by: Concert Hall "Lielais dzintars".
Useful:
The concert is accessible to people with hearing impairments, as the induction loop function will be activated during it. Based on the experiences of people with hearing impairments when trying this system, the best listening experience is possible in seats in the center parterre area from rows 5 to 12 - from 6 to 28.
