Letters to a Young Poet. Latvian Radio Choir
11 April 2026, 18:00 — Liepāja Concert Hall Great Amber, Great Hall
Participants:
Latvian Radio Choir
Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš
Conductor: Kaspars Putniņš
Program:
Juste JANULITE (Justė Janulytė) “L'Attente” – world premiere
Rolands KRONLAKS “Darkness” – world premiere
Krists AUZNIEKS “Orpheus” – world premiere
Lisa HIRŠA (Liisa Hirsch) – world premiere of a new work
Juste JANULITE (Justė Janulytė) “L'Attente” – world premiere
Rolands KRONLAKS “Darkness” – world premiere
Krists AUZNIEKS “Orpheus” – world premiere
Lisa HIRŠA (Liisa Hirsch) – world premiere of a new work
World premieres by: Justė Janulytė, Liisa Hirsch, Rolands Kronlaks, Krists Auznieks
"Letters
to a Young Poet" is based on the texts of Rainer Maria Rilke, in which
he reflects on the nature of artistic work for a young creator: inner
discipline, patience, and the ability to trust one’s own voice even when
clear answers are not yet in sight. This idea resonates directly with
the festival motto "We Live in Different Times": composers, poets, and
artists often inhabit a different temporal reality, one that demands
prolonged concentration, solitude, and the slow maturation of ideas.
Four
new works have been commissioned for this concert, all of which will
receive their world premieres. These are not compositions about Rilke in
a general sense, but musical dialogues with the letters themselves,
whose content will also be heard in spoken form throughout the
programme. Lithuanian composer Justė Janulytė is known for her slow
processes and gradually unfolding transformations. Latvian composer
Rolands Kronlaks is a master of spatial thinking and refined electronic
textures. The music of Estonian composer Liisa Hirsch is characterised
by precision, transparency, and a sensitive engagement with time and the
act of listening, while Krists Auznieks focuses on sonic richness,
revealing sound through layered and luminous harmonic fields.
The
Latvian Radio Choir stands at the centre of this programme. Under the
direction of Kaspars Putniņš, the choir’s finely honed dynamic control,
precise intonation, and exceptional ensemble coherence allow Rilke’s
texts to be not only heard, but fully embodied on an emotional level.
The works will unfold in dialogue with spoken excerpts from the letters
and an electronic layer, enabling listeners to follow text and music
simultaneously and to perceive their mutual resonance.
Letters
to a Young Poet is a concert about the time of creativity – about how a
work comes into being, how a voice is formed, and why, at times, the
most important thing is not a quick answer but a carefully shaped
question. It is also a rare opportunity to experience the birth of new
works across the span of an entire concert, in collaboration with the
Latvian Radio Choir, one of the world’s most distinguished interpreters
of contemporary choral music.
Location: Great Hall
Duration: one-part concert, approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes
Organized by: Great Amber in cooperation with the Latvian Composers’ Union
Supported by: Liepāja City Council, State Culture Capital Foundation
Tickets: starting from € 15.00 (Ticket prices may change closer to the event)
Suggested age of attendees: 7+
Unnumbered tickets only for visitors in wheelchairs.
Suggested age of attendees: 7+
Unnumbered tickets only for visitors in wheelchairs.
Discounts:
Students, teachers, seniors – 25%
Persons with group I and II disabilities and their companions – 50%
For holders of the Honorary Family Card (“3+ Ģimenes karte”) or LT (“Šeimos kortelė”) or EST (“Perekaart”) – 25%
Persons with group I and II disabilities and their companions – 50%
For holders of the Honorary Family Card (“3+ Ģimenes karte”) or LT (“Šeimos kortelė”) or EST (“Perekaart”) – 25%
NB. Upon attending a concert, the attendee must show personal identification.
Group tickets:
10–30 persons – 20%
30 and more persons – 25%
10–30 persons – 20%
30 and more persons – 25%
TICKETS