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ENG 1 16.07.–18.07.2021. 4 www.riga-jurmala.com Dzintari Great Hall, Jurmala Latvian National Opera and Ballet, Riga Welcome to the 2021 Riga Jurmala Music Festival! It is a distinct pleasure, more than usual, After only one year, the Riga Jurmala Music to welcome you to the Riga Jurmala Music Festival has arguably marked its territory on Festival. We sincerely hope that the return to the map of summer festivals. One reason is the live performance experience will grant you that few festivals are able to invite so many some respite from what we have all endured distinguished international symphonic over the past 15+ months. orchestras each season. The other may be the We are very proud of the four weekends Festival team’s innovation, as evidenced by its we have put together for you this summer. Four creative responses to the pandemic: Musical orchestras, remarkable soloists (including Soirées, the online Riga Jurmala Academy, a some of the top singers in the world today) and documentary with a new perspective on the many young artists to discover – practically all life of conductor Mariss Jansons. of them making their debut at the Festival. Another such response is the unexpected The concept we introduced with the creation of the Mariss Jansons Festival Riga Jurmala Music Festival in 2019 remains Orchestra. In the face of a last-minute a singular one in the landscape of Europe’s cancellation that could have had seismic summer classical music festivals. It is a consequences on the programming of modular event, composed of weekends a weekend, the team managed with the anchored around a visiting international invaluable help of the orchestra musicians to orchestra and its music director. The weekends put together a wild solution: the creation of are scheduled between early July and early a new symphony orchestra in less than four September, according to the availability of the weeks. The original concept of the Festival ensembles, which are either on tour or receive never envisaged creating a proprietary special invitations. The orchestra performs orchestra; that concept may now be changing two different programmes with outstanding as a result. soloists, while the third evening is devoted to We hope you enjoy your visit with us. We a recital or chamber music with equally superb look forward to welcoming you back to a future artists. Noon concerts on the weekend dates edition of the Riga Jurmala Music Festival. In feature up-and-coming as well as established the meantime, please stay healthy and safe. artists. The repertoire focuses primarily on the core classical music canon. Mariss Jansons Festival Orchestra John Eliot Gardiner, conductor Yuja Wang, piano July 16 at 19.00 Dzintari Concert Hall, Great Hall, Jurmala Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Robert Schumann Overture to Don Giovanni, K. 527 Symphony No. 2 in C major, op. 61 I Sostenuto assai — Allegro, ma non troppo Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart II Scherzo: Allegro vivace Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466 III Adagio espressivo I Allegro IV Allegro molto vivace II Romanze III Rondo, Allegro assai Mariss Jansons Festival Orchestra Conductor Mariss Jansons (1943–2019) BRSO as well as the Berlin Philharmonic, ranked as one of the finest Latvian artists as the Concertgebouworkest, the Oslo well as one of the most exceptional orchestral Philharmonic, the Tonhalle Zurich and the directors of all time. He possessed a gift Vienna Philharmonic. Although many of their for establishing a special rapport with the fellow musicians were already on vacation, they musicians he guest-conducted and particularly enthusiastically agreed to save the show. the four orchestras that he led as chief The Riga Jurmala Music Festival could conductor or music director. never have produced this new orchestra When the Riga Jurmala Music Festival was without the musicians’ organising committee, recently and unexpectedly confronted with the goodwill and flexibility of each musician the prospect of a weekend sans a renowned who answered their call, the librarians of the international orchestra to animate it, it almost BRSO, the stage crew, and of course the seemed natural that the spirit of Jansons unconditional support of John Eliot Gardiner, would lend a hand in the solution. Yuja Wang and András Schiff. It is now almost The musicians of the Bavarian Radio a luxury to ask whether this “accidental Symphony Orchestra spontaneously orchestra” will become a permanent fixture of proposed the idea of creating a new orchestra the Festival. Time will tell. In the meantime, we composed of colleagues united in their fervent realise we have one person to thank most of all admiration for Jansons. In less than four for this happy ending: Mariss Jansons. weeks before this weekend’s performances, they recruited instrumentalists from the Mariss Jansons Photo by Peter Meisel Yuja Wang John Eliot Gardiner Photo by Julia Wesely Photo by Sim Canetty-Clarke John Eliot Gardiner Yuja Wang As the founder and artistic director of Yuja Wang’s brilliant career has been highly the Monteverdi Choir, the Orchestre acclaimed by critics and greatly appreciated Révolutionnaire et Romantique and the by audiences. Celebrated for her charisma English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner and captivating stage presence, last season is a leader in the international world of music, the Beijing-born pianist again proved that she one of today’s most creative and dynamic is ready to achieve ever-new heights, from musicians, and still at the forefront in terms solo recitals and concert series to lengthy of enlightened interpretation. He is the most residencies and extensive tours with some important figure in the early music revival of the world’s most venerated ensembles movement and a pioneer of historically and conductors. informed performance. He regularly In the autumn of 2019 Wang toured China collaborates with the world’s leading symphony with the Vienna Philharmonic, and in early orchestras and has a repertoire that stretches 2020 she and Gautier Capuçon embarked on from the 17th to the 20th century. a recital tour of Europe, performing at eleven Gardiner’s recordings with his own premiere venues, including the Philharmonie ensembles as well as leading orchestras, de Paris and the Wiener Konzerthaus. among them the Vienna Philharmonic, have Wang received advanced training in Canada been released by major labels and feature a and at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music wide range of styles, from music under Gary Graffman. Her international by Mozart, Schumann, Berlioz, Elgar and breakthrough came in 2007, when she Weill to masterpieces from the Renaissance replaced Martha Argerich in a concert with and Baroque eras. His many recording the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She later accolades include two Grammy Awards signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche and more Gramophone Awards than any Grammophon and has since established her other living artist. place among the world’s leading artists. Mariss Jansons Festival Orchestra Musicians STRINGS First Violins Violas Thomas Reif Concertmaster BRSO Tobias Reifland Principal BRSO Maja Avramovic BPO Christiane Hörr-Kalmer BRSO Julia Becker TOZ Vilém Kijonka CO Marc Daniel van Biemen CO Andreas Marschik BRSO Nicola Birkhan BRSO Martin Stegner BPO Michael Christians BRSO Santa Vižine CO Daniela Jung BRSO Cecilia Anne Wilder OPO Karin Löffler BRSO Jeroen Woudstra CO Daniel Nodel BRSO Franz Scheuerer BRSO Anne Schoenholtz BRSO Cellos Julita Smolen BRSO Hanno Simons Principal BRSO Benedikt Enzler CO Hans Josef Groh OPO Second Violins Katharina Jäckle BRSO Korbinian Altenberger Principal BRSO Jaka Stadler BRSO Celina Bäumer BRSO Uta Zenke-Vogelmann BRSO Susanna Baumgartner BRSO Bettina Bernklau BRSO Amelie Böckheler BRSO Double Basses Øyvind Fossheim OPO Philipp Stubenrauch Principal BRSO Valérie Gillard BRSO Michael Karg BPO Marlene Ito BPO Lukas Richter BRSO Leopold Lercher BRSO José Trigo BRSO Key-Thomas Märkl BRSO WINDS AND PERCUSSION Flutes Stage Crew Silvia Careddu Principal VPOa Giuseppe Cala Natalie Schwaabe BRSO Ronald Herd Martin Wosnik Oboes Stefan Schilli Principal BRSO Librarians Emma Schied BRSO Michael Fritsch Hilde Harrer Clarinets Wenzel Fuchs Principal BPO With very special thanks to Bettina Faiss BRSO Julia Becker Norbert Dausacker Bassoons Stefan Tischler Eberhard Marschall Principal BRSOa Susanne Sonntag BRSO Jesús Villa Ordóñez BRSO Horns Ivo Gass Principal TOZ Norbert Dausacker BRSO Thomas Ruh BRSO Fons Verspaandonk CO Trumpets Martin Angerer Principal BRSO BRSO – Bavarian Radio Symphony Herbert Zimmermann BRSO Orchestra BRSOa – Bavarian Radio Symphony Trombones Orchestra (former member) Hansjörg Profanter Principal BRSO BPO – Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Thomas Leyendecker BPO CO – Concertgebouworkest Uwe Schrodi BRSO OPO – Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra TOZ – Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich Timpani VPOa – Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Raymond Curfs Principal BRSO (former member) The King’s Singers Patrick Dunachie countertenor Edward Button countertenor Julian Gregory tenor Christopher Bruerton baritone Nick Ashby baritone Jonathan Howard bass July 17 at 12:00 Great Guild, Riga FINDING HARMONY I Have a Dream The People Left Behind Mahalia Jackson (arr. Stacey V. Gibbs) Leyb Yampolsky (arr. Toby Young) If I Can Help Somebody S’Dremlen feygl Harry Dixon Loes (arr. Stacey V. Gibbs) This Little Light of Mine In Our Time A selection of new arrangements. Musical Reformation The programme features a selection of Martin Luther and Johann Sebastian Bach pieces in close harmony that show how music Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott continues to unite societies in some of the William Byrd Civitas sancti tui struggles of today’s world. Reflecting on moments as diverse as the Feminist Movement Singing Revolution 1991 and the 2017 Manchester bombings, this Traditional South African (arr. Neo Muyanga) concluding chapter is packed with brand-new Ayihlome + Qula kwedini arrangements that show the prevailing power Gustav Ernesaks Mu isamaa on minu arm of music in the present day. (My Fatherland Is My Love) Lost Songs of the Highlands Traditional (arr. David Overton) Loch Lomond Traditional (arr.