On the evening of August 15 in the White Hall of Rundāle Palace, masterpieces of classical music will once again be heard. At the heart of the concert program will be legendary, world‑renowned works by the Viennese classics — Mozart's Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, while the mood of the evening will be gently shaped by refined lyricism in a jewel of Latvian symphonic music: Melancholic Waltz by Emīls Dārziņš.
The Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Guntis Kuzma, invites listeners to experience a journey from subtle melancholy to the triumph of light—through music that at once consoles, inspires, and lifts us above everyday life.
“For me, one of the most important aspects of the dramaturgy of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is the human ability not to lose one's backbone even in moments of immense uncertainty, acute anxiety, and existential turmoil,” says Guntis Kuzma. “The triumph achieved in the finale of the symphony is not an external brilliance, but a hard-won path to the light. This music reminds us of the immense power hidden in human endurance and the ability to move upward, and that is precisely why it sounds so relevant today.”
“Mozart’s Oboe Concerto, on the other hand, seems to me to be one of those works in which he reveals subtle emotionality, fragile lyricism and elegance with incredible ease,” the conductor continues. “I am sure that our concert guest – virtuoso oboist Roberts Beinaris – will give this work a living breath, the flexible naturalness of the phrases and will reveal the true humanity of this opus.”
Mozart’s Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra offers approximately twenty minutes of pure Classical elegance, with transparent orchestral textures, singing melodies, and the theatrical wit so characteristic of Mozart.
The work was composed during Mozart’s period of creative maturity, when he possessed a particularly subtle ability to combine virtuosity with natural, speech‑like phrasing. Here, the oboe engages in dialogue with the strings and wind instruments, revealing bright elegance and lyrical intimacy.
The oboe concerto was a sensation of its time. In a letter to his father, Mozart wrote that in Mannheim the oboist Friedrich Ramm had already performed the concerto five times, causing a “great sensation”; Mozart referred to it as Ramm’s cheval de bataille—his crowning showpiece.
Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 is one of the most recognizable works of the Western cultural canon. Its four‑note opening motive (often called the “fate motif”) draws the listener from the very first bars into a current of drama and relentless forward motion.
The symphony was composed between 1804 and 1808, at a time when the composer was experiencing a deterioration of his hearing. Yet his music increasingly articulated the idea of inner struggle, concentrated energy, and the light of victory. There are no superfluous decorations here—rhythm, tension, and a precisely constructed architectural sense of form become the primary means of expression.
Music critic and Beethoven’s contemporary Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann wrote the following about the Fifth Symphony:
“How this marvelous composition—rising ever higher and higher to its climax—leads the listener onward into the infinite realm of the spirit! There is no doubt that this entire sweep, like a witty rhapsody, rushes past many, yet the soul of every thoughtful listener is inevitably stirred deeply and intimately by a feeling that is nothing other than ineffable, profound longing; and up to the final chord—indeed, even in the moments that follow—it will be impossible for him to step out of this wondrous spiritual realm, where sorrow and joy embrace him in the form of sound.”
Emīls Dārziņš's Melancholic Waltz, which will enchant the audience from the very beginning of the concert, is an instrumental opus composed in 1904, which has become one of the most popular Latvian symphonic works. It is regularly performed in various musical ensembles not only in Latvia, but in many parts of the world.
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.
