Sergey Rachmaninoff composed the Symphonic Dances while being far away from Russia. His work was guided by the wight of his mature age and the nostalgia for the church bells of his native land. Vilnis Šmīdbergs, who was born in Ventspils and now lives in Riga, says “I cannot survive without the sea and this is the reason I inweave the colors of the water. Sibelius, for this part, is sitting in his house in the middle of the forest. With a feeling of well done work he is drawing the last lines of his Violin Concerto. In the forest, in the sea, somewhere far away – what could be a better conclusion to this season?”
Soloist:
Vineta Sareika / violin
Conductor:
Andris Poga
Concert program:
Vilnis Šmīdbergs “Patterns of the Sea” (premiere)
Jean Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor op. 47
Sergejy Rachmaninoff “Symphonic Dances”
