The concert program will center on one of the most outstanding English composers, Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto and Orchestra. It is the central work of the composer’s late period and one of the most significant pieces in the cello repertoire. Margarita Balanas, described by critics as one of the most brilliant cellists of her generation, will take the stage alongside the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra to perform this piece.
“Elgar’s Cello Concerto demands deep inner concentration from the soloist, the ability to sustain dramatic tension, and a personally revealing, profound expression. In my opinion, Margarita Balanas playing possesses the dramatic power and intensity this work requires. Her interpretations always reveal a rich timbral imagination, poetic sensibility, and the ability to imbue every motif with meaning,” comments Guntis Kuzma. “As a conductor herself, Margarita shapes the solo part as a living dialogue with the orchestra. I look forward with great interest to seeing how the grandeur, lyricism, and human warmth of this concerto will unfold in her interpretation.”
Under the baton of Maestro Douglas Bostock, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra will also perform Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “London Symphony.” It is one of the most significant British symphonic works of the early 20th century, marking the composer’s transition from a national-romantic style to a broader symphonic vision.
This symphony, in which elements of London—the motifs of the Westminster bells, the echoes of street musicians, and the city’s rhythmic tension—can be heard, holds a special place in the history of British music not only because of its ambitious form but also because of its aesthetic program: In it, Vaughan Williams affirms his conviction that national identity in music can be expressed not only through the direct use of folk music quotations, but also through the harmonic thinking and flow of time inherent in the musical language.
Meanwhile, Gustav Holst’s (whose family roots, incidentally, are also connected to Riga) "Phantastes Suite", included in the concert program, will have its first performance in Liepāja since its premiere way back in 1912. As conductor Douglas Bostok points out, after this single performance, Holst withdrew the work and excluded it from his official list of compositions, considering it an artistically incomplete realization of his vision. Consequently, "Phantastes Suite" remained outside the concert repertoire, unlike Holst’s other works from that period, which later became established in the canon.
The suite sheds light on Holst’s creative journey as a composer: it weaves together vivid symphonic colors, rhythmic vitality, and experimental form, highlighting ideas that would later develop in his more mature works. As such, it provides valuable insight into the formative stage of the composer’s creative language and offers a rare opportunity to explore a lesser-known yet significant chapter in British symphonic music.
Internationally renowned conductor and educator Douglas Bostok, known for his subtle sense of interpretation, the balance of the orchestra’s sound, and his passion—which breathes new life into classical music—stands out for several distinctive features in his artistic work, and one of them is the rediscovery of lesser-known and forgotten repertoire.
Tickets for the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra’s concerts are available through the “Biļešu paradīze” network: https://www.bilesuparadize.lv/lv/organizer/50.
The concerts are supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia, the State Culture Capital Foundation, and the City of Liepāja.
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