On 11 April at 19:00, in the “Symphony CLOSER” concert series the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra invites the audience to discover the Symphony No.3 by Robert Schumann, also known as the Rhenish Symphony, which will be performed in the rendering of the conductor Normunds Šnē.
Robert Schumann’s Symphony No.3 is the last symphony composed by him. It was composed in 1850 after an inspiring trip through the Rhineland with his wife Klara. Schumann included elements of this journey in this music piece, reflecting other events of his life as well.
Schumann composed music in different genres, including chamber music and songs. Although Schumann wrote an incomplete G minor symphony as early as 1832–1833, he only began seriously composing for the symphonic genre after receiving his wife's encouragement in 1839.
Schumann gained quick success as a symphonic composer and his First Symphony, composed in 1841 and premiered in Leipzig with Felix Mendelssohn conducting, was very warmly received.
The work which was later to be published as his Fourth Symphony was also finished in 1841.
The concert series “Symphony CLOSER” created by the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra was created to introduce the listeners to the cornerstones of the world symphonic repertoire – beautiful classical symphonies that everyone should know.
The concert and discussion “Symphony CLOSER” will begin with a welcome speech given by the music reviewer Orests Silabriedis, revealing the context of the time when the symphony was created and the structural specifics of the masterpiece. After the concert guests will also be encouraged to engage in an informal conversation with the conductor Normunds Šnē.
Normunds Šnē, conductor, artistic director of the State Chamber Orchestra “Sinfonietta Rīga”, is one of those Latvian musicians, who is able to not only focus on researching the historical performance of baroque and classical music, but also persistently encourage the creation of new works and the performance of the newest music.
This was already the case when he, as one of Latvia's most outstanding oboists, used to play in various chamber ensembles and perform as a soloist. The 20th and 21st century sheet music has been staged and played with a true sense of mission by all the orchestras created by him – in the past it was the “Riga Chamber Musicians” orchestra (1987-2006) and the Riga Festival Orchestra (1999-2006), while nowadays it’s the orchestra “Sinfonietta Rīga” (2006).
“It seems that being a conductor has made me realize the importance of balance between the rational and the emotional. You can do all the emotional jumping you want, but the orchestra may still not respond to your efforts. I don't like ostentation and I don't agree with the opinion that the conductor has to make a show – the conductor’s job is to help the orchestra play. I believe that every performance contains a message, and every listener has to be able to work it out on their own,” says Normunds Šnē.
Tickets for the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra concerts can be purchased at “Biļešu paradīze” ticket offices.
The Concert is supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, the State Culture Capital Foundation and Liepāja City.
