“Love and Dances”: Gidon Kremer / Julius Asal / Kremerata Lettonica

As we await the magic of Christmas, we invite you to a truly special concert, “Meilė ir šokiai”, at Paliesius Manor! The stage will be graced by the legendary violinist Gidon Kremer, the ensemble “Kremerata Lettonica,” and guest pianist Julius Asal from Germany, performing in Lithuania for the very first time.

The “Meilė ir šokiai” program focuses primarily on the music of three great composers. Through Gidon Kremer, one of the most original artists of his generation, we will hear the music of Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992), the world-renowned Argentine tango master, composer, arranger, and bandoneon virtuoso. Kremer beautifully draws out the emotional tension resting within the composer’s music. Together with the musicians of “Kremerata Lettonica,” this synergy yields passionate, romantic, rigorous, and beautifully melancholic interpretations of Piazzolla’s works.

Joseph Lanner (1801–1843) crafted exceptionally delicate Viennese waltzes and ländlers. He remains one of the most important and prominent dance music composers of the Biedermeier era (the period following the Congress of Vienna in the first half of the 19th century). He invented the form of the Viennese waltz, establishing a rich tradition seamlessly carried forward by the Strauss family. Gidon Kremer is celebrated for his refined and highly nuanced violin sound; when he plays, the music seems to flow almost effortlessly. This very lightness and fluidity are a perfect match for Lanner’s graceful compositions.

The third composer featured in our program is Dmitri Shostakovich (Дмитрий Шостакович, 1906–1975), whom we will explore this time not solely through his classical legacy, but rather through the lens of his film scores. As a student, the young composer played the piano in silent movie theaters, and over the following decades, he went on to write nearly forty film scores. The portrait of Shostakovich would remain incomplete without embracing this aspect of his career.

Alongside these three masters, we will also be treated to the music of Western European composers like Johannes Brahms and Clara Schumann, as well as Eastern European composers Sergei Prokofiev and Alfred Schnittke. In the spring of 2022, the Spanish record label “IBS Classical” released Julius Asal’s debut album, featuring works by Prokofiev alongside his own personal arrangements from the ballet “Romeo and Juliet.”

Gidon Kremer is a violinist and the founder and artistic director of “Kremerata Baltica.” Guided by a fiercely uncompromising artistic philosophy, he has established a worldwide reputation as one of the most original and compelling artists of his generation.

His repertoire encompasses standard classical scores alongside works by the most prominent composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Gidon Kremer champions the work of Eastern European composers and performs many significant new compositions, several of which have been dedicated specifically to him. The violinist’s name is closely associated with composers such as Alfred Schnittke, Arvo Pärt, Giya Kancheli, Sofia Gubaidulina, Valentin Silvestrov, Luigi Nono, Edison Denisov, Aribert Reimann, Pēteris Vasks, Raminta Šerkšnytė, Georgs Pelēcis, Oskars Stroks, John Adams, Victor Kissine, Michael Nyman, Philip Glass, Leonid Desyatnikov, and Astor Piazzolla. He performs their works with a deep respect for tradition while fully embracing their freshness and originality. Also notable is his enduring commitment to “rediscovering” the composer Mieczyslaw Weinberg, for whom Kremer has advocated extensively in recent years. In 2019 and 2021, “Deutsche Grammophon” and “Accentus Music” released albums recorded by and with Kremer featuring Weinberg’s orchestral and chamber works. It is fair to say that no other soloist of comparable international stature has done more to promote contemporary composers and new violin music.

Gidon Kremer has recorded over 150 albums, many of which have won prestigious international awards for their exceptional interpretive insight. His extensive list of honors and awards includes the “Ernst von Siemens Musikpreis,” the “Bundesverdienstkreuz,” Moscow’s Triumph Prize, the UNESCO Prize, and the “Una Vita Nella Musica – Artur Rubinstein” Prize. In 2000, he was awarded the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas, 3rd Class, and in 2004, the Latvian Order of the Three Stars, Latvia’s highest state recognition granted for meritorious service to the homeland. In 2016, Kremer received the “Praemium Imperiale” prize, widely considered the Nobel Prize of the music world. He has also been awarded the Latvian Grand Music Award twice, in 1999 and 2014.

In 1997, Gidon Kremer founded the chamber orchestra “Kremerata Baltica,” with the mission of nurturing outstanding young musicians from the Baltic states. The ensemble tours extensively and has recorded nearly 30 albums for labels such as “Nonesuch,” “Deutsche Grammophon,” and ECM.

“Kremerata Lettonica” is an ensemble composed of the Latvian musicians from the chamber orchestra “Kremerata Baltica.” Their first independent concerts took place in the summer of 2020, but it was their final concert of 2020 at the Embassy of Latgale GORS hall that truly brought the musicians into the public eye.

The ensemble has already toured Canada, performing at Toronto’s “Koerner Hall,” the “Bato Medium Security Institution,” Ottawa’s “Carleton Dominion-Chalmers” Centre, and Montreal’s “Salle Bourgie.” In Germany, they have played at the “Ansbach Bach” festival, the 19th “Rolandseck Festival” in Bad Honnef, the “Beethoven-Haus Bonn,” and the International Shostakovich Days in Gohrisch. In Austria, they have performed at the legendary “Lockenhaus” festival. The ensemble has also visited Paliesius Manor in Lithuania and performs regularly in their native Latvia.

“Kremerata Lettonica” maintains a clear artistic direction, combining classical music masterpieces in its repertoire with the performance of unheard scores and entirely new works written and dedicated specifically to the ensemble. In terms of recordings, “Kremerata Lettonica” made its debut in the summer of 2022 when “Kremerata Baltica” and Gidon Kremer, in collaboration with the “Skani” label, released the CD “PPP – Plakidis, Pētersons, Pelēcis,” which includes K. Pētersons’ piece “Music For A Large Ensemble.” In February 2023, the album received the “Golden Microphone” award in the classical music album category. In 2022, the premiere and recording of Giacomo Rossini’s “Religious Prelude” for string nonet (arranged by K. Pētersons) took place for the Latvian Radio archives. This year, the ensemble has also already performed several premieres: L. Desyatnikov’s “Whenever I would die, I will die with a delay” and an unknown composer’s “Hommage A.Schnittke”.

“Kremerata Lettonica” artistic director Madara Pētersone and all the ensemble’s musicians live and perform with passion, energy, and a deep curiosity for the world around them. For several years, the Latvian ensemble has been drawing these qualities from the brilliant musician and violinist Gidon Kremer. By working alongside and playing with a global genius, the members of “Kremerata Lettonica” absorb invaluable knowledge and are ever-ready to share it with their audience!

German pianist Julius Asal was praised by pianist Menahem Pressler for his “exceptionally beautiful sound and special sonority.” The artist has quickly established himself as one of the most promising performers of his generation. In October 2023, “Deutsche Grammophon” announced an exclusive contract with J. Asal. Furthermore, he was recently selected as a BBC New Generation Artist for a two-year period beginning in September 2024.

The young pianist, named a 2024 rising star by “Classic FM,” is a frequent guest at international festivals (Oxford Piano Festival, Rheingau Music Festival, “Festival Piano aux Jacobins” in Toulouse, “Piano Festival Ruhr” in Germany, “Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad,” “L’Esprit du Piano Bordeaux,” etc.) and performs in such prestigious concert venues as “Wigmore Hall” in London, the “Musikverein” in Vienna, “Suntory Hall” in Tokyo, and the “Laeiszhalle” in Hamburg.

In the spring of 2022, the Spanish record label “IBS Classical” released Julius Asal’s debut album, featuring works by Sergei Prokofiev alongside Asal’s own internationally acclaimed arrangements from the ballet “Romeo and Juliet.”

Julius Asal’s first album on the “Deutsche Grammophon” label, “Scriabin-Scarlatti,” was released in the spring of 2024. During this time, the pianist participated in other collaborative projects with “Deutsche Grammophon,” such as a US-based campaign for World Sleep Day, for which he recorded an improvisation. For World Piano Day in 2024, “Deutsche Grammophon” released Asal’s version of Gustav Holst’s “Mars”: the artist modified the composer’s piano duet and expanded it with a third piano part. This flair for improvisation and an almost innate connection to the piano are distinctly evident in his live performances as well, such as his 2024 debut at the Seoul Arts Center and his October 2023 appearance at the “Yellow Lounge,” where the pianist prepared a groundbreaking concept combining classical works with improvisation on remarkably short notice.

His interpretations and programming were described by the French newspaper “Le Monde,” in the article “The Secret and Subtle Alliances of Julius Asal,” as possessing a “mesmerizing uniqueness.”