July 19, 2023 20:00
The Great Hall
Ksenija Sidorova and the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra
The ninth Jūrmala Festival, the grandest musical event of the summer, will take place with ten magnificent concerts from 15 to 23 July at Dzintari Concert Hall, bringing together outstanding Latvian and foreign musicians.
On 19 July, the virtuoso accordion diva Ksenija Sidorova will perform at the Jūrmala Festival together with the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra and its principal conductor Guntis Kuzma. Ksenija Sidorova has become a global ambassador for her instrument, reaching audiences around the world with her artistry and personal charm. Hailed as a “discoverer” (New York Times) with “breathtaking virtuosity” (The Observer), Ksenija Sidorova has become one of the world’s prominent accordion virtuosos, and her intelligently considered, carefully crafted programmes have brought a whole new level of appreciation for the accordion, hitherto known as an instrument of folk music.
Participants:
Ksenija Sidorova, accordion
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra
Conductor Guntis Kuzma
Ksenija Sidorova
AccordionPraised as “revelatory” (The Telegraph) and playing with “verve, style, attitude and impeccable virtuosity” (ZealNYC), Ksenija Sidorova is the world’s undisputed leading ambassador for the classical accordion. Ksenija’s charismatic performances showcase not only her instrument’s unique capabilities but also her own intense passion and breathtaking skill. Sidorova’s repertoire spans over three centuries from J.S. Bach, Astor Piazzolla, Erkki-Sven Tüür and Václav Trojan. A passionate advocate of new music, several accordion works have been composed especially for her, including Tõnu Kõrvits’s Dances with Paavo Järvi and his Estonian Festival Orchestra at the Pärnu Festival, Sergey Akhunov’s Chaconne with the Riga Sinfonietta and London Chamber Orchestra, and Arturs Maskats’s Accordion Concerto with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. 24/25 will feature a new concerto by Dobrinka Tabakova, with performances with the Stuttgart Philharmoniker at the Bodensee Festival, being Artist-in-Residence at the latter, with Latvian National Symphony Orchestra at the Jurmala Riga Festival and Sofia Philharmonic.
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra is the oldest orchestra in the Baltic States. It was started in 1881, when the first Philharmonic in the Baltics was established. In the repertoire politics special attention is paid to Latvian music – the orchestra has repeatedly premiered and commissioned new works. In recent seasons all the 12 monumental opuses of Liepaja concert series initiated by Liepāja Symphony Orchestra have been submitted to public and specialist evaluation. They have been released by such record labels as “Odradek Records” and “Skani”. Orchestra has two times received the highest national music award – The Great Music Award, as well as numerous Latvian Recordings Awards. The season 2022. / 2023. welcomes Guntis Kuzma as its artistic director and chief conductor. The orchestra regularly tours concert halls in Latvia, and goes on tours abroad.
Guntis Kuzma
ConductorSince 2022/2023 year season Guntis Kuzma is the chief conductor and artistic director of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra. The winner of the Grand Music Award 2018 for two outstanding performances: the interpretation of Ādolfs Skulte's Symphony No.5 at the “Grand Concert of Latvian Symphonic Music”, conducting the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, and the performance of Sebastian Fagerlund's Clarinet Concerto as a soloist. He is the winner of many international competitions.
