The Orchestra have been performing for over 35 years, received numerous prestigious awards (including the Echo Klassik and the German Record Critics' Award), collaborated with the leading specialists in the field, and they were the first baroque orchestra to open the Salzburg festival. 

Since their beginning in 1987, the FBO have performed on the largest stages of the world, including, the Berlin and the Paris Philharmonics, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall in London, Lincoln Center in New York; they tour from South America to Australia and play festivals from Salzburg and Innsbruck to Tanglewood. 

Johann Sebastian Bach’s cycle of six Brandenburg Concertos was composed in 1721 to be presented to Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt and the uncle of King Friedrich I of Prussia. The recipient valued the Concertos greatly but refused to have them performed in his court as his staff of musicians was too modest for such grandiose partitures. The dedication of concerts to the Margrave is considered a political move on Bach’s part to secure a position in Berlin. The composer stated in his dedication that these were six concertos for ‘several instruments’ (plusieurs instruments). 

The music was forgotten for nearly a century until 1848 when it was rediscovered by Siegfried Dehn, custodian of the Music Department at Berlin Royal Library. The manuscript turned out to be one of Bach’s quintessential opuses and also among the most appreciated by audiences. This music shows the composer’s awe-inspiring creativity with solo instruments and the orchestra. 

At 5 p.m., the audience are invited to a pre-concert conversation with the artistic director of the Concert Hall, music researcher Orests Silabriedis, associate professor of the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music and conductor Andris Veismanis, and Director of the Liepāja Museum Dace Kārkla. The experts will talk about baroque music, the Freiburger Barockorchester, and the historical connection between its artistic director and Liepāja.

Special shuttle bus for concert visitors from Riga

Attendees from Riga have the opportunity to go to the concert on a special bus service that will take them from the centre of Riga to Liepāja Concert Hall Great Amber and back. More information about the special bus service and how to buy a bus ticket can be found HERE.

For larger projects, they have been known to collaborate with master conductors like Pablo Heras-Casado, Simon Rattle, and others. The genius René Jacobs chooses the FBO to perform a number of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century operas and oratorios, including those by Handel, Gluck, Mozart, and Beethoven. Among their frequent collaborators are stars like violinist Isabelle Faust, singers Philippe Jaroussky and Christian Gerhaher, pianists Alexander Melnikov and Andreas Staier, and cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras. 

Gottfried von der Goltz is an impressive violinist with interests from baroque to a contemporary repertoire. His vast range of performances proves him to be an incredibly versatile solo performer and orchestra leader. Born and raised in a family of musicians, he is regarded as a leading expert on the Dresden Baroque and the Bach sons.  

Gottfried von der Goltz performs with collectives like the Berliner Barocksolisten, the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, and other ensembles. For several years he was closely associated with the Norsk Barokkorkester as artistic director, and, as a professor at the Freiburg University of Music, he is a sought-after teacher of baroque and modern violin. 

As to Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, it is worth mentioning that von der Goltz comes from a noble family of the Margraviate of Brandenburg. Moreover, the violinist’s great-grandfather Rüdiger von der Goltz was the governor of Liepāja during a period of crisis in 1919, successful in his efforts against the Bolsheviks, yet rather skeptical of the idea of Latvian independence and the Latvian Provisional Government.

Program:

Part I

Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major BWV 1046

Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat major BWV 1051

Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major BWV 1047

Part II

Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major BWV 1048

Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major BWV 1050

Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major BWV 1049

Artists: 

Freiburger Barockorchester

Artistic director, violinist Gottfried von der Goltz