Festival "BALTIC Music Days 2023" / MARCH 18 - 31, 2023 / LATVIA



Since 2021 “Baltic Music Days” has been organized by the Composer Unions of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Each year the festival takes place in a different Baltic country. The first festival, organized by the Estonian Composers Union, took place online. The second festival was hosted in Kaunas, the 2022 European Capital of Culture. This year the festival will take place in Latvia from March 18–31 in Cēsis and Rīga. Nine concerts are planned for the festival, including the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra performing at Cēsis Concert Hall, the State Chamber Orchestra “Sinfonietta Rīga” performing at the Great Guild Hall in Rīga, and the Latvian Radio Choir performing at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music.
A particularly special highlight of the festival will be a performance by the world-famous percussion ensemble “Les Percussions de Strasbourg” on March 19, at Cēsis Concert Hall.
The festival as a whole will include 11 world premieres by Latvian composers.

Overall theme of this year festival is “The Unbearable Lightness of Being”.
We have borrowed this theme from the title of Czech/French writer Milan Kundera’s well-known novel. We came to this idea at the war’s start — a war, which unfortunately has not yet ended. A war which has seeped into our daily lives, into our subconscious; a war which makes us shiver in compassion and demands that we help as much as possible.
“… for there is nothing heavier than compassion. Not even one's own pain weighs so heavy as the pain one feels with someone, for someone, a pain intensified by the imagination and prolonged by a hundred echoes”*
Amid the war and the empathy, life and music continue, offering opportunities for sensitivity and joy. It is unbearably heavy and light at the same time. We have asked the festival’s composers to reflect in their new compositions: is heaviness truly terrible, and lightness wonderful? Is lightness positive and heaviness negative? For the moment, it is only clear that the opposition of heaviness and lightness is the most mysterious and meaningful of all opposites.

Come and listen to it with us!

*Milan Kundera, “The Unbearable Lightness of Being,” 1984.
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KONCERTI / CONCERTS
18.03.2023., 17:00
Koncertzāle Cēsis “ONE”| “Cēsis” Concert Hall |ONE
Latvijas Nacionālais simfoniskais orķestris | Latvian National Symphony orchestra, diriģents | conductor Guntis Kuzma, solists | soloist Mārtiņš Circenis (klarnete | clarinet).
Programmā | Program: Krists Auznieks, Erki Svens Tīrs | Erkki-Sven Tüür, Žibokle Martinaitīte | Žibuokle Martinaityte


19.03.2023, 17:00

Koncertzāle Cēsis | Cēsis Concert Hall |DOUBLE BALTIC CONTRASTS
Les Percussions de Strasbourg | sitaminstrumentu grupa Les Percussions de Strasbourg (Francija | France), Viktorija Pakalniece (soprāns | soprano)
Programmā | Program: Gundega Šmite, Helena Tulve | Helēna Tulve, Vykintas Baltakas | Vīkints Baltaks, Thomas Hummel | Tomass Hummels, Sidney Corbett | Sidnijs Korbets


21.03.2023, 19:00
Rīgas Doms | Riga Cathedral |CO2
Aigars Reinis (ērģeles | organ), Aigars Raumanis (saksofons | saxophone)
Programmā | Program: Tõnu Kõrvits | Tenu Kervits, Andris Dzenītis, Arturs Maskats, Alise Rancāne, Dalia Raudonikytė | Dalia Raudonikīte, Marius Baranauskas | Marjus Baranausks, Madara Pētersone, Galina Grigorjeva | Gaļina Grigorjeva

24.03.2023, 19:00
Lielā ģilde | Great Guild | SPARK
Valsts kamerorķestris “Sinfonietta Rīga” | State Chamber orchestra “Sinfonietta Rīga”, diriģents | conductor Normunds Šnē, solists | soloist Guntars Freibergs (sitaminstrumenti | percussion).
Programmā | Program: Platons Buravickis, Jānis Petraškevičs, Justina Repečkaitė | Justīne Repečkaite, Madli Marje Gildemann | Madli Marje Gildemane

26.03.2023, 17:00
Rīgas Latviešu biedrības Zelta zāle | Riga Latvian Society House Gold Hall | THREE

Ieva Saliete (klavesīns | harpsichord), Artūrs Noviks (akordeons | accordion) (Latvija| Latvia)
Programmā | Program: Jānis Petraškevičs, Juste Janulyte | Juste Janulīte, Linda Leimane, Mirjam Tally | Mirjama Tallija, Indra Riše                                                Stīgu kvartets “Chordos” | String Quartet “Chordos” (Lithuania | Lietuva)

Programmā | Program: Selga Mence, Vykintas Baltakas | Vīkints Baltaks, Helena Tulve | Helēna Tulve, Kristupas Bubnelis | Kristups Bubnelis

Anna-Liisa Eller | Anna Līsa Ellere (kanele | kannel) Taavi Kerikmäe | Tāvi Kerikmee (klavihords, sintezators, elektronika | clavichord, synthesizer, electronics) (Estonia | Igaunija)

Programmā | Program: David Kellner | Dāvids Kelners, Vaida Striaupaité-Beinariené | Vaida Strjaupaite-Beinariene, Johann Valentin Meder | Johans Valentīns Mēders, Jēkabs Nīmanis, Helena Tulve | Helēna Tulve


29.03.2023, 19.00

Spīķeru koncertzāle | Spikeri Concert Hall | QUADRA +
Klavieru kvartets “Quadra” | Piano Quartet “Quadra”, Guntis Kuzma (klarnete | clarinet), Guntars Freibergs (sitaminstrumenti | percussion)
Programmā | Program: Santa Ratniece, Oļesja Kozlovska, Andris Dzenītis, Tatjana Kozlova-Johannes | Tatjana Kozlova-Johannesa, Dominykas Digimas | Dominīks Digims

31.03.2023, 19:00

JVLMA Lielā zāle | Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music Great Hall | THE DREAM STREAM
Latvijas Radio koris | Latvian Radio Choir, diriģents | conductor Kaspars Putniņš
Programmā | Program: Ruta Paidere, Krists Auznieks, Mārtiņš Viļums, Santa Ratniece, Märt-Matis Lill | Merts Matis Lills, Nomeda Valančiūtė | Nomeda Valančūte, Rytis Mažulis | Rītis Mažulis


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The festival is supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation, Baltic Contemporary Music Network, Geothe-Institut Riga, Latvian Concerts, Riga Latvian Society, Concert Hall "Cēsis", Latvian Radio 3 "Klasika", Riga Cathedral