On July 4, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Guntis Kuzma, will begin its summer musical adventures in Liepāja, meeting Latvian violinist Kristīne Balanas and French pianist Lucas Debargue on the stage of the “Pūt, vējiņi!” concert garden.
On this summer evening, the open-air concert garden “Pūt, vējiņi!” invites listeners to a vivid, multicoloured musical experience, where the glow of sunset lends the symphonic soundscape a rich mood of summer romance. The concert program includes scores by Jules Massenet, Georges Bizet, Pablo de Sarasate, George Gershwin, and Maurice Ravel.
The central event of the evening will be Pablo de Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy. This virtuosic piece, inspired by melodies from Georges Bizet’s opera, weaves together passion and irony, the impulse of Spanish dance and operatic drama. The violin part can transform in an instant—from a delicate whisper to a fiery climax. In Kristīne Balanas’s interpretation, Carmen gains an elegant brilliance that dazzles and dissolves into the breeze of a Liepāja summer night.
The violinist’s stage charisma and mastery have earned significant recognition among music professionals. The Times has described Latvian violinist Kristīne Balanas as musician of “eye-popping virtuosity” while critics highlight her for her “savage, bold, dramatic playing” (The Strad).
In the autumn of 2025, Kristīne Balanas and her sister, cellist Margarita Balanas, became the first Latvian musicians to sign a collaboration contract with one of the world’s most prestigious recording labels — Decca Classics.
Equally intriguing is French pianist Lucas Debargue — a musician whose interpretations are often described as intellectually profound. They are at once spontaneous and sensitive, revealing a special ability to illuminate the inner architecture of the score.
Maurice Ravel’s Piano concerto seems tailor-made for such an artistic personality: a sparkling, colourful and witty masterpiece of the 20th century, where classical form naturally blends with jazzy rhythms and a light, urban elegance. Precise impulses alternate with delicate poetry; radiant orchestral colours meet a singing, expansive lyricism. In the finale, the music gathers a playful, electrified momentum, leaving an impression of joyful, vital motion.
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 the Liepāja City.
