From 4 August until 20 August the “Rimbenieks” Music Festival, which is being held for the third time already, organized by the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra in cooperation with the Local Government of the South Kurzeme Municipality, will tour South Kurzeme with 10 different concerts.
Entrance to all festival concerts is free!
The main focus of the Festival will be on chamber music, which will be performed by ensembles consisting of Liepāja Symphony Orchestra musicians, involving other soloists as well.
During the “Rimbenieks” Festival opening event on 4 August at 19:00 the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra will visit the Kazdanga Cultural Centre, where the excellent acoustics of the hall provided a unique symphonic music experience last year as well.
The concert programme will feature the high wave of music of the Romantic era and the golden hit – Violin Concerto by Johannes Brahms, as well as the ingenious and breathtaking “Jupiter” symphony by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In the Brahms concert, Liepāja Symphony Orchestra concertmaster, an experienced violinist Līga Baltābola will play solo, while the Orchestra chief conductor Guntis Kuzma will take the place at the conductor's desk.
The Festival continues with several unforgettable chamber music nights:
On 8 August at 19:00, in the picturesque place called “Dēseles dzirnavas”, music lovers will be delighted by a classy and summery mix of musical instruments, nature-reflecting, easy-to-understand music and top-class musicians, where alongside the talented Liepāja Symphony Orchestra musicians, such as flautist Egija Sproge, French horn player Ingus Novicāns, and the brilliant chamber musician Ieva Dzerve, also Amanda Tauriņa, a musician of the top-class European music band, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra led by Andris Nelsons, will perform.
On 9 August at 19:00 in Kalvene Manor park the brass ensemble “Libau Brass Quintet” together with percussionist Marta Kauliņa-Pelnēna will delight the audience with a cheerful programme, playing arrangements of popular songs by “Coldplay”, “Fools Garden”, “Lucky Chops”, ABBA and other musicians.
On 10 August at 19:00 at Gramzda Church music by Antonín Dvořák, Bohuslav Martinů and Pēteris Vasks will be played by the string quartet named after the prominent Liepāja architect Pauls Makss Berči, consisting of four outstanding musicians of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra younger generation – Gunārs Mūrnieks, Diāna Reimane, Elīna Čipāne and Klāvs Jankevics.
On 11 August at 19:00 at Ziemupe Church, Liepāja Symphony Orchestra violinist Līva Tomiņa will perform together with the Liepāja French Horn Quartet. The four French horns are just perfect for sounding in the midst of summer nature and playing sparkling Mozart-style, touching Ešenvalds-style music, and Piazolla-style passionate beats.
On 13 August at 15:00 at Apriķi Church, Liepāja Symphony Orchestra flautist Agnija Ābrama, violinist Līva Tomiņa and violist Elīna Čipāne will perform the energetic serenade of Ludwig van Beethoven's youthful days, the energetic trio of the late Romantic era composer Jan van Gilse and the ear-pleasing dances of Dmitri Shostakovich. Culmination of the programme will be one of the most beautiful melodies of all time – the transcendentally beautiful second movement of Antonin Dvořák's Symphony No.9 “From the New World”.
On 17 August at 19:00 at Bārta Cultural Centre a lively, invigorating and refreshing baroque music programme, rich in ornamentation, featuring compositions created by geniuses, such as George Frideric Handel, Antonio Vivaldi and Jean-Marie Leclair, will be performed. The programme will be performed by the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra artists playing under the direction of the Orchestra concertmaster Līga Baltābola, and also by the nominee of the Great Music Award 2018 and passionate interpreter of ancient music, harpsichordist Gertruda Jerjomenko.
On 18 August at 19:00, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra brass band will delight the audience in the Grobiņa Evangelical Lutheran Church. The captivating Serenade by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the Sonatine by Richard Strauss, rich in countless voices and overtones, will be performed in the conductor Guntis Kuzma’s rendering.
On 19 August at 20:00 Meditations about the sea and our era for a singing voice, storyteller and video will be performed in the Jūrmalciems Fishnet House. Helēna Sorokina, a contemporary music singer born in Latvia and sought-after in Europe, who can do the impossible with her voice, including portraying playing of the sea waves, and the originally-thinking young video artist Patrīcija Vilsone, will perform at the event. In addition, the narrative by Orests Silabriedis will intertwine all the things seen and heard in one summery evening canvas.
On 20 August at 15:00 the South Kurzeme “Rimbenieks” Festival will take place at Rucava Church with the performance of Liepāja Symphony Orchestra brass band and conductor Guntis Kuzma. The programme will feature the same works as the one on 18 August in the Grobiņa Church: the captivating Serenade by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the Sonatine by Richard Strauss, rich in countless voices and overtones.
Entrance to all festival concerts is free! The festival is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia and the South Kurzeme Municipality.
