CHRISTMAS RHAPSODY

Participants:

Orchestra RIGA

Pianist Rihards Plešanovs

Conductor Valdis Butāns

Concert leader Raitis Zapackis

The concert program CHRISTMAS RHAPSODY, with which the Orchestra RIGA will visit the Valka City Culture House, will permeate joy and brightness, with the bright sounds of wind instruments, waiting for the Christmas season. Rhapsody is a thematically developed composition in the form of fantasy, and at the concert, the audience will be able to let their imaginations run free, listening to two rhapsodies – the iconic “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin and the less frequently performed “Rhapsody” by Latvian composer Raimonds Pauls.

The central piece of the program is the pearl of Latvian music – Raimonds Paul’s “Rhapsody” – which will be performed for the second time in the editorial for solo piano and wind orchestra. Only at the beginning of 2023, the composer, in cooperation with the arranger Jānis Miltiņš, gave the opportunity and his blessing to “Rhapsody” to be performed by other pianists as soloists, thus giving the opportunity to enjoy this composition to a wider audience. The concert will also feature the most popular tunes from George Gershwin’s opera “Porgy and Bess” and Christmas music in special arrangements for the symphonic band.

In this concert, Orchestra RIGA has invited pianist Rihards Plešanovs, who was born and originally studied there, in North Vidzeme, to collaborate. In 2022, Rihard’s performance was highlighted with a nomination for the Great Music Award in the category “For outstanding work in an ensemble”. In this concert, you will have the opportunity to listen to how Plešanovs plays with the musicians of the Orchestra RIGA in the ensemble.

The concert is supported by the Vidzeme Planning Region and the State Cultural Capital Fund. The concert is organized in cooperation with Valka City Culture House.