Events

MĀRIS SIRMAIS, Conductor

IVETA APKALNA, Organ

 

Lionel Rogg: La Cité céleste, from the cycle Deux Visions de l'Apocalypse, for Organ

William Byrd: Ave verum corpus, for Choir a cappella 

Benjamin Britten: Te Deum in C major, for Soprano, Choir and Organ

Rihards Dubra: Herr, bleib bei uns!, for Choir a cappella 

Pēteris Vasks: Dona nobis pacem, for Choir a cappella

Johann Sebastian Bach: Fantasia in G major (Pièce d'Orgue), BWV 572

Edward Elgar: Lux aeterna, for Choir a cappella (arrangement: James Cameron)

Henry Purcell: Hear my Prayer, O Lord, for Choir a cappella (arrangement: Sven David Sandström)

Thierry Escaich: Evocation II, for Organ

Thierry Escaich: Three Motets, for Choir and Organ

Henry Balfour Gardiner: Te lucis ante terminum, Evening Hymn from the Divine Office, for Choir and Organ

 

A leading figure on the global organ scene, Latvian organist Iveta Apkalna – also the first lady of the grand organ at the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in Hamburg – returns to the Lisinski Hall stage this season after her excellent Zagreb performance in 2023.

 

This time, she will perform with the State Choir Latvija, the largest professional choir in the Baltics and one of Europe’s most prominent choirs, whose repertoire ranges from a cappella pieces to those composed for choir and up to three orchestras simultaneously. Regarding the unique sound of Latvian musicians, Apkalna says: “I dare say that no choir in the world sings like Latvian choirs!” It is perfectly clear that, thanks to their top-level artistic achievements, the State Choir Latvija and Iveta Apkalna are the best ambassadors of Latvia in the world.

 

In the programme that they are bringing to the Zagreb audience they will present a series of classics of the British vocal tradition – intimate works by Byrd, Purcell and Elgar, as well as sumptuous scores by Britten and Gardiner. And especially interesting will be their performances of the pieces by contemporary Baltic and French composers, in which the Latvian State Choir excels with its recognizable sound palette. Apkalna notes that the organ, in addition to its usual sumptuous sound, often has the task of listening to silence, creating something delicate, almost filigree, and that in a programme composed of works by different authors – from Bach to Escaich – she always seeks a common emotional thread that guarantees a unique experience of creating sound.

 

The concert will be conducted by Latvian conductor Māris Sirmais. He is the Artistic Director of the State Choir Latvija and Head of the Department of Choral Conducting and Professor at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. In addition, he has been a jury member at international choir and choral conductor competitions. He is an honorary member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences.