ENGELMANIS’ REQUIEM AND THE SYMPHONY OF THE SUN
Venue:
Performing:
Annija Kristiāna Ādamsone (soprano)
State Choir Latvija
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra
conductor Andris Vecumnieks
Programme:
Agris Engelmanis (1936-2011) Requiem
Ēriks Ešenvalds (b. 1977) “In Paradisum” (premiere)
Andris Vecumnieks (b. 1964) Sinfonia G (premiere)
Agris Engelmanis (1936–2011) is regarded as one of Latvia’s most distinctive and significant composers, whose creative life was deeply connected to the city of Liepāja. His music is marked by profound emotional depth, avant-garde thinking, and a unique ability to combine simplicity with complex musical structures. Engelmanis’ works have been performed at the Latvian Song and Dance Festival, and he is considered a representative of post-war Latvian modernism—an artist whose work often anticipated its time.
In April 2026, we mark the 90th anniversary of Engelmanis’ birth. To honour his legacy as a composer, educator, visual artist, and cultural figure, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra presents a concert featuring his Requiem—a work premiered in 1995 at the Great Guild in Riga, yet left unfinished. At the orchestra’s initiative, the final movement, In Paradisum, has been composed by Ēriks Ešenvalds and will receive its world premiere at this concert.
The concert also features the premiere of Andris Vecumnieks’ latest symphonic work — Sinfonia G, or Symphony in G major. This new composition includes vocal elements based on Engelmanis’ poetry, establishing a poetic and musical dialogue between generations.
Engelmanis’ poetry is lyrical and philosophical, woven with imagery of nature, silence, and reflections on the passage of time. Its simplicity conceals emotional and intellectual depth, where sun, snow, and cranes become metaphors for the human inner world.
The new composition will be performed by the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, the State Choir Latvija, and soprano Annija Kristiāna Ādamsone.
