The Carion quintet, established by Latvian and Danish artists, has a unique style of stage performances: they perform their repertoire without sheet music but rather use choreography, drama, and various other musical ideas. This unique approach has led them to becoming one of the leading woodwind ensembles in the world. Their repertoire is not limited to a single style or age, but rather covers a wide field of music. Some are original pieces composed for the wind quintet, most are results of collaborations with composers and arrangers, including the brilliant horn player David M.A.P. Palmquist.

The concert program presented in Liepāja is titled Journeys, and what a journey it will be – from the traditions of ancient Europe to the lively, ever-shifting sounds of America. Beethoven’s and Ligeti’s works are everlasting values of European musical heritage and include Carion’s theatrical performance style. At the concert, we will enjoy György Ligeti’s Six Bagatelles. The ensemble’s interpretation of this composition has gained almost a million views on YouTube and has become a benchmark for music students across the globe.

As the program continues, the musicians will surround us with unique sounds, immersing us into the world of ‘Thule Ultima’ by American composer Stephen Montague, which creates a hypnotic and transcendental effect. We will also hear compositions inspired by folk music traditions, such as Romanian Folk Dances by Béla Bartók, pulsating with Transylvanian passion and energy, and the ensemble will show a glimpse of their newly discovered world of klezmer music with its soulful vocalizations, the nigunim, and joyful dance steps, the freylekhs. Among these dynamic pieces, we will also experience David M.A.P. Palmquist’s version of the thirteenth-century Danish traditional melody ‘Drømte mig en Drøm i Nat’ (‘I dreamt a dream’).

Finally, the ensemble will take the audience to South America, where all these various influences blend into Júlio Medaglia’s ‘Belle Epoque en Sud-America’, which merges the rhythms of the European waltz, the Argentine tango, and Brazilian chorinho to vividly reflect America as the rich melting pot of cultures that it is.

Carion’s unprecedented approach to chamber music is demonstrated by their highly praised performances at the most prestigious European festivals – the Rheingau Musik Festival, the Kissinger Sommer, the Beethovenfest in Bonn, the Bergen International Festival, the Tonhalle Maag Zürich, ovations from audiences in the US, South America, and the Far East. The ensemble’s discography features six highly regarded albums, critically acclaimed by Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine, among others. These records have earned them an award from the Danish Radio and the title of Best Classical Music Album 2015 on iTunes.

Program:

G. Ligeti - Six Bagatelles
Ludwig van Beethoven Quintet Op. 103 (Octet setting)
J. Medaglia Belle Epoque of South America
S. Montague Thule Ultima
Danish traditional melody / D.Palmquist ‘Drømte mig en Drøm i Nat’ (‘I dreamt a dream’).
G. Cavadlo Klezmer Dances
B. Bartok Romanian Dances

Artists:

Quintet “Carion”:
Dóra SERES, flute
Egils UPATNIEKS, oboe
Egīls ŠĒFERS, clarinet
David M.A.P. PALMQUIST, horn
Niels Anders VEDSTEN LARSEN, bassoon