On 17 February at 18:00 at the “Lielais dzintars” Concert Hall, pianist Reinis Zariņš accompanied by the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra will play Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.4, which differs from the composer's other piano concertos in its poetic beauty.
It will be the night, when the 5th Symphony Sinfonia E composed by Andris Vecumnieks will be premiered, with the composer himself taking his place at the conductor's desk.
“Extremely poetic purity of thought, clarity, pure beauty – that’s the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.4,” says Mr.Zariņš. “The poetically expressed idea can be understood easily; it is giving, open and so relatably human. It has been half a year since I last played Beethoven, and I must admit that amidst all the music I had let through me in the meantime, Beethoven's clarity shines like a beacon allowing me to find my way around once again.”
Reinis Zariņš is grateful to the composer, conductor and this year's jubilee Andris Vecumnieks, who was the one willing to include Beethoven in the programme of the concert taking place on 17 February along with the premiere of his new symphony, and the pianist chose the Piano Concerto No.4 without hesitation.
“I guess, it’s because of the poetic beauty, which distinguishes this opus from the rest of Beethoven's piano concertos,” explains Mr.Zariņš. “And in general, this programme is beautifully designed.”
In the first part of the concert, Andris Vecumnieks, professor of Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, conductor and composer will introduce the public to his new work: the Fifth Symphony called “Sinfonia E”.
“Just like Sinfonia C, Sinfonia E was also created at the initiative of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, and this time it was intended as a future self-dedication for my 60th birthday,” says Mr.Vecumnieks. “The themed concept of the Sea and Kurzeme in the context of the parallel view and interconnection of world music masterpieces signifies the importance and place of Latvian music in the music culture. Before that, the organically appropriate version of the Wave Song by Jāzeps Vītols will be performed in Gaitis Jānis Pujāts’ instrumentation.”
Beethoven's masterpiece will be performed in the second part of the concert, which, in turn, conjuring up some cosmic landscapes first, will begin with the symphonic miniature “The Unanswered Question” composed by the American modernist Charles Ives. This opus is considered one of the most prophetic and popular compositions written by the composer, because it predicts such musical techniques as collage, spatiality and polytonality or the simultaneous combination of different tonalities within one composition.
Reinis Zariņš is one of Latvia's most notable talents, a master of well-thought-out interpretations, a brilliant soloist and a highly skilled chamber musician. He is doing equally well both in classical and contemporary repertoire, his passion lies in creating conceptual programmes facilitating interaction between music, history and philosophy.
Mr.Zariņš has won awards in many international pianist competitions and is also a four-time winner of the Latvian Grand Music Award (in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2020). By the way, Reinis Zariņš was nominated for the Great Music Award for his interpretation of Beethoven's music also in 2018.
Tickets for the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra concerts can be purchased at “Biļešu paradīze” ticket offices.
The Concert is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia and Liepāja City.
