Featuring
Elīna Bukša (violin)
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra
Conductor
Normunds Šnē
Program
Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) Roman Carnival
Krists Auznieks (1992) Violin Concerto (world premiere)
Robert Schumann (1810-1856) Symphony No. 1 (“Spring”)
In this program, the beginning takes on three different meanings. In Hector Berlioz’s “Roman Carnival,” operatic material composed earlier begins a new life as an independent concert piece; in Robert Schumann’s First Symphony, the musical opening itself becomes the impulse from which a broad symphonic process grows; meanwhile, Krists Auznieks’s Violin Concerto begins its journey to listeners with its world premiere.
In “Roman Carnival,” Berlioz returns to his opera Benvenuto Cellini. A lyrical melody first sung by the English horn meets a lively carnival dance until the two worlds are joined in a dazzling orchestral motion. Berlioz’s orchestration allows the listener to hear not only melodies and rhythms, but also constantly changing relationships of timbre.
At the center of the program is the world premiere of Krists Auznieks’s Violin Concerto, with Elīna Bukša as soloist. At the podium of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra will be Normunds Šnē, whose collaboration with Auznieks already includes some experience with new works: in 2021, Šnē conducted the premiere of Auznieks’s Ir Viens, while in May 2026 the work Bezgalīgi mirdzošs ceļš, commissioned by Sinfonietta Rīga and dedicated to Šnē, was heard for the first time. Thus, the world premiere of the Violin Concerto is a continuation of the composer’s creative dialogue with the conductor.
In Schumann’s First, or “Spring,” Symphony, the call of the wind instruments becomes the impulse for a broad symphonic process. The idea of spring has a foundation given by the composer himself: initially, he had given the four movements programmatic titles “Beginning of Spring,” “Evening,” “Merry Playmates,” and “Full Spring,” but he deleted them before the score was published. Therefore, the symphony does not need to be understood as a precise illustration of natural events. It is far more interesting to follow how the music seems to awaken: the rhythmic impulse at the beginning takes on ever new forms, melodies and orchestral colors change, and the individual movements grow into a unified symphonic motion.
In mid-April, spring reveals itself gradually, in ever new signs, just as in music an idea gains its meaning only in development. The beginnings of this program are not static points either: each one introduces a motion in which something arises, returns, or takes on a new form.
INFORMATION FOR VISITORS:
The concert uses an extended stage, so in practice row 5 is the first audience row.
Discounts:
Students, disabled persons, pensioners - 5 euros
School students - 50%
3+ family card holders - 30%
Companion of a person with disability group I/II - 50%
Groups (10 or more visitors) - 20%
When purchasing group tickets online, please write to sales@lso.lv
When attending the concert, visitors must present proof of eligibility for the discount.
Useful information:
The concert is accessible to people with hearing impairments, as the induction loop function will be activated during the performance. Based on the expressed experience of people with hearing impairments who have tried this system, the best listening experience is available in the central parterre seating area from rows 5 to 12, seats 6 to 28.
The concert is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia and the City of Liepāja.
