Gidon Kremer. A Tribute to Tālivaldis Ķeniņš

Performers of the evening:

Gidons Krēmers - violin

Rihards Plešanovs - piano

Kremerata Lettonica:

Madara Pētersone - violin

Zane Kalniņa - violin

Jevgenija Frolova - viola

Magdalena Ceple - cello

Jurijs Gavriļuks - double bass

On 29 November at the Ola Foundation Music Salon, world-renowned violinist Gidon Kremer, pianist Rihards Plešanovs, and the musicians of Kremerata Lettonica will meet for a special concert evening to pay tribute to one of the most important Latvian composers, Tālivaldis Ķeniņš.

The concert is dedicated to the recently released album A Tribute to Tālivaldis Ķeniņš, created under the SKANI label and revealing the diversity, depth, and distinctive voice of the composer's chamber music.

Tālivaldis Ķeniņš was a composer whose life unfolded far from Latvia, yet the roots of his music always remained in his homeland. In his works, Latvian sensibility stands alongside a sense of the wider world, intellectual elegance, and a surprising wealth of musical color.

Gidon Kremer's participation gives this evening special significance. He says of Tālivaldis Ķeniņš:

"Tālivaldis Ķeniņš is one of the few Baltic composers who, becoming a Canadian citizen, gained international recognition and still deserves broader appreciation. Ķeniņš's music is characterized by a synthesis of a classical approach and contemporary styles and compositional techniques. It is precisely this combination that makes his work special."

Violinist and artistic director of Kremerata Lettonica, Madara Pētersone, the initiator of the idea and production of Tālivaldis Ķeniņš's chamber music album, says:

"I vividly remember the feeling of discovery and joy that arose toward Tālivaldis Ķeniņš's music after the first rehearsal of Concertino barocco 'Omaggio a J. S. Bach' for two violins. I took the duet score from a far shelf in the library. And this joy kept growing with every concert in which we played this work, feeling the interaction with the audience. It gave me confidence that Ķeniņš's music reaches all of our hearts."

Together with Gidon Kremer, pianist Rihards Plešanovs and the musicians of Kremerata Lettonica will perform - Madara Pētersone, Zane Kalniņa, Jevgenija Frolova, Magdalena Ceple, and Jurijs Gavriļuks.