Organized by the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, the South Kurzeme Festival “Rimbenieks” filled the region with vibrant concerts throughout August, culminating on Sunday, August 17, in a packed Grobiņa Lutheran Church.
Due to weather conditions, the closing concert was moved at the last moment from the Livonian Order Castle ruins in Grobiņa to the Lutheran Church, also bringing changes to the program. The evening opened with Joachim Raff’s String Quartet No. 6 “In the Old Style” performed by the Liepāja String Quartet, while the second part featured the renowned youth choir Kamēr… under the direction of Jurģis Cābulis and Patriks Kārlis Stepe, performing some of the most beautiful Latvian choral songs. The concert also included soloists Jolanta Strikaite-Lapiņa, Rihards Mačanovskis, and Mārtiņš Zvīgulis, with Jānis Pelše at the organ.
Earlier in the festival:
On August 13, three percussionists of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra – Māris Zīlmanis, Marta Kauliņa-Pelnēna, and Reinis Tomiņš – filled Jūrmalciems Net Hut with the energy of percussion instruments, showing the audience their versatility: harsh and gentle, precise and chaotic, playful and meditative.
On August 14, in Durbe Lutheran Church, clarinetist Alise Gavare, violinist Gunārs Mūrnieks, cellist Klāvs Jankevics, and pianist Ieva Sarja performed Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, one of the 20th century’s most powerful works of sacred music. The evening also featured the premiere of Rihards Dubra’s new composition Les passiones d’été.
On August 15, at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church, the JUNO String Quartet, together with oboist Renāte Trapāne and bassoonist Pauls Gendrikovs, offered a program that ranged from Maurice Ravel to lesser-known composers, blending intimacy, boldness, and sensuality.
The South Kurzeme Festival “Rimbenieks” is implemented within the “Liepāja 2027” programme with funding from the Ministry of Culture of Latvia, Liepāja City, South Kurzeme and Kuldīga municipalities. The festival is supported by LSEZ Terrabalt SIA and Latvian Radio.
On the evening of September 11, four poets, three languages, and contemporary jazz came together on stage at the “Wiktorija”. The poets — Sabine Huynh (France), Gökçenur Ç (Turkey), Gunta Šnipke, and Roberts Vilsons — participated in a collaborative exchange, blending their voices and styles.
The masterclass marked the continuation of Kitija Balcare’s work on the Eco-Design Guidelines — practical recommendations for cultural event organizers to help them work in line with environmentally friendly principles and Liepāja’s sustainable development goals.
On September 27 at 18:00 audiences at Liepāja Concert Hall “Great Amber” will have the chance to experience a concert program to Latvia, which is dedicated to the centenary of the 20th-century revolutionary of contemporary music and brilliant composer Pierre Boulez.
