Finnish conductor Tarmo Peltokoski to take the stage at GORS
Press release, 28 July 2023
On 19 and 20 August 2023, the LNSO Summer Festival for family and friends returns for the fourth time to the heart of the Latgale region, Rēzekne. For the first time, Tarmo Peltokoski, Music and Artistic Director of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO), will perform on the stage of Latgale Embassy GORS together with the LNSO. The artist will be featured in two concerts: on 19 August, he will join British pianist James Sherlock and the LNSO String Quartet for a chamber music programme as a pianist, and, on 20 August, he will conduct a grand symphonic concert. Both events will offer a special children's room to cater to young audience members (reservation required in advance). Moreover, those visiting from the capital are invited to travel to the concerts on special round bus trips Riga–Rēzekne–Riga.
The LNSO Summer Festival is organised by the LNSO and Latgale Embassy GORS. The festival is supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia and the European Regional Development Fund.
Tarmo Peltokoski will be taking the stage already on the first day of the festival – Saturday, 19 August, at 8 PM – for the chamber music concert Peltokoski, Sherlock, and LNSO String Quartet. The audience will have a unique opportunity to see him at the piano for the first time on Latvian stage. With his virtuoso piano playing, Peltokoski has also gained worldwide recognition as a pianist and won prizes in various competitions. He has appeared as a soloist with all major Finnish orchestras including the Finnish Radio Symphony, the Helsinki and Tampere Philharmonic, and Oulu Symphony. He has also shared the stage with the exceptional pianist Yuja Wang, a sensation in the world of academic music. On 19 August, Peltokoski will collaborate with the LNSO String Quartet, featuring violinists Darja Smirnova and Sandis Šteinbergs, violist Pēteris Trasuns, and cellist Dace Zālīte-Zilberte, to present one of the most captivating examples of Romantic chamber music, Robert Schumann's one and only Piano Quintet. Meanwhile, in the second part of the concert, Peltokoski will be joined by the brilliant musician from London, James Sherlock. They will delight the audience with a four-handed performance of works by Johannes Brahms and Franz Schubert. James Sherlock is quickly establishing a name for himself in the music world. He has conducted, among others, Opéra de Paris, the Royal Danish Opera, and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra in addition to being an accomplished piano player, similarly to Peltokoski. Thus, the upcoming concert will provide a one-of-a-kind opportunity to witness the synergy between two young and versatile masters.
The two musicians will reunite on stage for the closing concert, LNSO and Tarmo Peltokoski, on Sunday, 20 August, at 5 PM. The performance will feature James Sherlock at the piano and Tarmo Peltokoski returning to the conductor's podium. In this symphonic concert, we will listen to Richard Strauss' imposing symphonic poem Thus Spoke Zarathustra, inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's transcendental work Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None. The programme also includes a gem of Latvian symphonic music: Rainbow by Latgalian composer Jānis Ivanovs. The second part of the concert will feature James Sherlock at the piano performing Brahms' ambitious Second Piano Concerto. At the time though, the composer told everyone that he had written "a very small piano concerto with a very small and pretty scherzo".
Finnish conductor Tarmo Peltokoski was awarded the title of Principal Guest Conductor in January 2022 by the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the first conductor to hold this position in the orchestra’s 42-year history. That same year in May, Peltokoski was named Music and Artistic Director of the LNSO to start his term in the 2022/2023 season. Shortly after that, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra also announced Peltokoski as its Principal Guest Conductor. In December 2022, Peltokoski was appointed as Music Director of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse.
Peltokoski will spend two more concert seasons with the LNSO, and the LNSO Summer Festival marks his first visit to the Latgale region.
The LNSO Summer Festival offers both academic and non-academic programmes. The main idea behind the festival is to get away from the capital city and closer to the audiences of other concert halls around Latvia. This year's festival marks its ninth edition and will be returning to Rēzekne for the fourth time. Families, friends, LNSO regulars, and everyone looking to enjoy a vibrant musical programme are all welcome to the LNSO Summer Festival.
Half an hour before the start of the concerts The Soldier's Tale by Stravinsky, Peltokoski, Sherlock, and LNSO String Quartet, the dance performance for the youth In the Net, and the concert LNSO and Tarmo Peltokoski, children aged 3 to 7 years will have access to a children's room. It is free of charge. Please apply in advance by calling +371 64633303.
Festival attendees from Riga are welcome to travel to Rēzekne on special round bus trips RIGA–RĒZEKNE–RIGA. On 19 August, the bus will depart from Aspazijas bulvāris 5 in Riga at 11:15 AM, and, on 20 August, it will depart at 12:15 PM. On both Saturday and Sunday, the bus will return to Riga, leaving Rēzekne after the end of the final concert.
Tickets for the concerts, as well as for the special bus trips can be purchased at Biļešu paradīze outlets and online at: https://www.bilesuparadize.lv/en/custompage/3501. Concert tickets are also available at the ticket office of Latgale Embassy GORS and on its website: latgalesgors.lv/en .
We invite you to follow the events of the LNSO on the orchestra's website at https://en.lnso.lv/ and on its Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/LNSO.lv.