On November 27, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of chief conductor Guntis Kuzma and joined by violinist Kristīne Balanas, will perform at the prestigious Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall in Poland as part of the 8th International Festival of Central and Eastern European Music "Eufonie".
The "Eufonie" festival is one of the region's most significant international music events, organized by the Polish National Centre for Culture (Narodowe Centrum Kultury). The festival aims to explore and connect the rich cultural heritage of Central and Eastern European countries with contemporary artistic creativity. Furthermore, the festival showcases music spanning various eras and styles.
Uldis Lipskis, head of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, emphasizes the significance of this concert: “Our orchestra’s performance at the Warsaw Philharmonic is deeply symbolic—both because of the historical ties that Liepāja and the Kurzeme region share with Poland, and because Warsaw is a thriving European metropolis—a powerhouse for our region. Performing there signifies that our efforts toward growth, quality, and recognition are beginning to bear fruit.”
In the upcoming concert program in Warsaw, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra will take the audience on a journey through three Baltic Sea region countries: Poland, Latvia, and Finland.
“It is especially important to me that we can represent the tradition of Latvian symphonic music in Warsaw, while simultaneously fostering a musical dialogue with the most outstanding composers of our region,” says Guntis Kuzma, Artistic Director of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra. “I have designed this concert program as an encounter between three distinct musical worlds from the Baltic Sea region—worlds united by deeply human values.”
The first part of the concert will feature a neoclassical gem for string orchestra by Polish composer Henryk Mikołaj Górecki: "Three Pieces in Old Style". Audiences will also have the opportunity to enjoy one of Pēteris Vasks’ most striking works for strings — "Vox Amoris", a fantasy for violin and string orchestra in which the composer reveals love as the most powerful force in the world.
In this performance of the emotionally charged work, the orchestra will be joined by a soloist — the internationally acclaimed Latvian violinist Kristīne Balanas, who regularly performs with the world’s leading symphony orchestras at major venues such as London’s Royal Albert Hall and the Sydney Opera House.
In the second part of the concert, the orchestra, under the direction of Guntis Kuzma, will perform the monumental Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43, by the Finnish master Jean Sibelius — a deeply personal work filled with hope that, in its time, became a symbol of the Finnish people's freedom and independence.
“In Gurecki’s music, I discern an expression of folk music that is seemingly simple yet highly concentrated; meanwhile, Pēteris Vasks’s "Vox Amoris" serves as an emotionally powerful message about love’s capacity to stand up to the cruelty of the world. In Sibelius’s Second Symphony, I see a monumental continuation of this idea—a journey from internal struggle and doubt toward an affirmation of light, hope, and freedom,” comments Guntis Kuzma.
Tickets for the concert and further information about the festival are available on the official website of the “Eufonie” festival.
