Featuring numerous premieres and musical surprises, the beginning of May will mark the annual festival “Latvian New Music Days” organized by the Latvian Composers’ Union. During the festival the listeners will experience six concerts with more than thirty Latvian composers’ works; the main topic of this year’s festival is Encore, “one more” in French.
After a composition or a concert the audience may shout Encore!, asking musicians to return to the stage one more time to repeat a part of their performance or play something extra. This opportunity to prolong joy from listening to the music brings performers even closer to the audience – this is a moment both sides are happy to enjoy once again. This term is often used outside culture as well – in relation to business, career development and lifestyle: that is an opportunity to continue playing, listening, enjoying, creating and achieving, because each of us deserves more.
Most of the music in Europe and Latvia nowadays gets performed only once – many amazing compositions are put aside after their premieres. Even though the Latvian New Music Days program features more than ten Latvian and world premieres, the festival organizers chose Encore! philosophy this year to emphasize the fact that the Latvian contemporary music deserves to be performed and heard way more than just once.
A moment of creation, limitless ideas that keep them up, curiosity about themselves, love towards music, inner fire, passion of learning. These are just a couple of aspects that encourage composers write more, and performers – go on stage to meet their audience again and again. “We’re thrilled when the listeners enjoy our performance so much that they want to hear more of it. Their wish to see us on stage once again is an honor – it strengthens the connection with our audience, inspiring us to put everything we can into every single performance”, – says pianist Linda Leine who will perform at one of the festival concerts as a part of “Trio Fabel”.