Online concert Being.Existence.
This year were celebrating the ninetieth anniversary of the poet Vizma Belševica!
In the concert we will hear the youth choir BALSIS perform a cycle of choral pieces ABOUT FLOWERS composed by Andris Sējans with words sourced from the poetry of Vizma Belševica.
The online concert on December 11, 2021 at 20.00 can be listened to at www.balsis.lv and on the choir's Facebook account.
The cycle includes 7 choral pieces, which use themes from the world of flowers to address relationships, heightened emotions and the issues of our time. The illustrative music of the composer Andris Sejans shares power with the verses without doubt recognising Belševica's irony and sharpness, but at the same time also sharing love, longing and the precise feel of the moment.
BALSIS youth choir is always looking for opportunities to introduce unusual concert venues to Riga. This time, the Āgenskalns market has been chosen as the venue for the recording of the concert, giving online viewers a chance to take a look at the pavilion, which will open in March 2022
The choir BALSIS, conductors Ints Teterovskis and Laura Elizabete Godiņa, as well as Dita Lūriņa, a National Theatre actress, who will narrate Vizmas Belševicas verse, will be taking part in the concert Being.Existance. The composer, Andris Sējāns, will also take part.
The composer, Andris Sējāns, states: I wanted to write songs on the topic of women, men, women and men. I read the poems by the poet, in which these theme are, of course, very popular, and somehow my attention was caught by those poems where the themes were addressed, "through the imagery of flowers". Then I just had to make a choice. To me, Vizmas verses seem musical, they sound well when read, are emotionally fulfilling and clear - what more could a maker of music want?
Dita Lūriņa, actress, says: The peoples conscience, unbreakable, strong, and principled. There is no compromise for Vizma this has been clear to me since my school days! The concert and the encounter with Vizmas poetry at this time led me to see how fragile she was, how broken, how gentle, how vibrant, how sad, how quiet, how unbearable much more ...
Dana Biteniece, the director of the concert, also a first soprano in BALSIS tells us: "Not only the newly created choral music, the unusual venue of the concert, the environment rich in reflections, but also Belševicas timeless poetry, will allow the audience to look at the choices made during their life and the consequences, to think about whether everything is not really based on emotions!"
The performance has been crafted by: Dita Lūriņa (voice); musicians - Mārcis Lipskis, Edvards Muzikants; Elīss Balceris, scenography; Uģis Bērziņš, lighting; Ivars Vācers, video; sound - Rihards Gulbis; director - Dana Biteniece; conductors - Ints Teterovskis, Laura Elizabete Godiņa; and, the Youth Choir BALSIS.
The concert is supported by the State Cultural Capital Foundation and the Ministry of Culture. Thanks also to Āgenskalns Market and the Small Guild.
For the best audio quality headphones or a good sound system is highly recommended. The 360 degree camera will allow to view the whole stage, zoom in on various details and walk through the whole Āgenskalns Market pavilion creating a unique musical and visual experience for every listener.
