On Sunday, 2 August, the South Kurzeme Festival Rimbenieks opened with a concert by the Baroque ensemble Sonore Antiqua at Grobiņa Lutheran Church. Organised by the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, the festival marks the beginning of its annual summer musical journey across South Kurzeme. Until 16 August, audiences can enjoy a diverse programme of concerts in Bārta, Ziemupe, Aizpute, Gavieze, Medze, Vaiņode and Kazdanga.
The opening concert featured works by some of the greatest Baroque composers, including Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Antonio Vivaldi, Arcangelo Corelli and Georg Philipp Telemann. Their music was performed by the acclaimed ensemble Sonore Antiqua, joined by soprano Gunta Gelgote.
Launched in 2021, the South Kurzeme Festival Rimbenieks has become a cherished annual tradition and an eagerly anticipated cultural event for local residents and visitors from across Latvia. This year’s programme once again offers a rich musical journey, ranging from Baroque masterpieces to works by contemporary composers.
The festival continues on Friday, 7 August, at 19.00 at the Bārta Cultural Centre, where harpist Dārta Tisenkopfa-Muselli will present an intimate and emotionally layered chamber music programme. She will be joined by flautist Reinis Lapa, clarinettist Guntis Kuzma, percussionists Marta Kauliņa-Pelnēna and Matīss Skarevičs, violist Elīna Čipāne, and cellist Klāvs Jankevics.
The programme will feature 20th-century masterpieces, taking audiences on a journey from the refined imagery of Impressionism and neoclassical elegance to existential reflection and the primal force of life. Nature-inspired soundscapes, subtle timbral interplay and the expressive intimacy of solo instruments will culminate in a theatrical, vibrant and emotionally charged encounter between diverse musical traditions from around the world.
The concert’s highlight will be Luciano Berio’s celebrated cycle Folk Songs – a remarkable dialogue between avant-garde music and folk tradition, in which the composer reimagines melodies from different cultures. The work will be performed by soprano Katrīna Paula Felsberga, who will travel from Berlin especially for this performance.
On 8 August at 18.00 the Garden of Spiritual Refreshment in Ziemupe will host a programme dedicated to the music of Georgs Pelēcis, performed by violinist Līva Tomiņa and her brother, percussionist Reinis Tomiņš. Pelēcis Singing Flowers will be presented in its complete form for the first time, alongside two new works for violin and vibraphone composed especially for the siblings.
Joining them will be the Nōna String Quartet, violinist Baiba Lasmane, double bassist Toms Timofejevs, and special guest guitarist Kirils Švidčenko, whose remarkable artistry has inspired audiences despite his blindness and hearing impairment.
On 9 August at 17.00., the Berči String Quartet will perform at the Aizpute Cultural Centre, guiding listeners from the classical clarity of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to the emotionally profound musical language of Pēteris Vasks. The programme will also feature the world premiere of a new work by Alise Rancāne, alongside a fresh interpretation of one of Latvia’s best-loved musical masterpieces, Emīls Dārziņš’ Melancholic Waltz.
On 11 August at 19.00, the Liepāja Horn Quartet will invite audiences at the Gavieze Cultural Centre to experience a colourful and diverse musical programme, bringing together world classics, passionate rhythms and outstanding works by Latvian composers. The warm and powerful sound of the horn will reveal both timeless masterpieces of classical music and the subtle nuances of Latvian compositions, alongside popular rhythms.
On 12 August at 19.00, the West Coast Trio will perform at the Medze Cultural Centre. The trio features clarinettist Kārlis Catlaks and his creative collaborators Georgs Jānis Mažis and Zanda Ciemīte. Accompanied by guitar and piano, the musicians will present beloved and familiar songs by artists including Goran Gora, Kārlis Kazāks, Māra Upmane-Holšteina, The Sound Poets, Ainars Mielavs, Uldis Stabulnieks and Imants Kalniņš, among others, featuring expressive clarinet and bass clarinet performances. The evening promises a warm atmosphere and a heartfelt opportunity for audiences to sing along.
On 14 August at 19.00, oboist Renāte Trapāne will introduce audiences at Vaiņode Lutheran Church to a diverse selection of 20th-century woodwind repertoire. Together with her colleagues – flautist Alise Anna Alksne, clarinettist Madara Eleonora Mežale and bassoonist Edgars Karpenskis Allažs – she will perform a varied programme ranging from the late Romanticism of Karl Gephart, through the elegant and witty neoclassicism of Jean Françaix, to the virtuosic and expressive musical style of Eugène Bozza. The concert will also feature Tālivaldis Ķeniņš’ Trio for Flute, Clarinet and Bassoon, considered one of the recent discoveries in Latvian music repertoire.
The festival’s grand finale will take place on 16 August at 17.00 at the Kazdanga Cultural Centre, with a concert by the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra conducted by Guntis Kuzma. The audience will have the opportunity to hear Ludwig van Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Concerto for Oboe and Orchestra, as well as one of the most beautiful gems of Latvian symphonic music – Emīls Dārziņš’ Melancholic Waltz.
Admission to all festival concerts is free of charge.
The full festival programme is available on the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra website: www.lso.lv/festivali/rimbenieks
Photo: Ēvalds Vanags
The South Kurzeme festival “Rimbenieks” is organized as part of the foundation “Nodibinājums Liepāja 2027.” The programme of “Liepāja – European Capital of Culture 2027” is implemented by the Liepāja 2027 Foundation, with funding allocated by the City of Liepāja, the South Kurzeme and Kuldīga municipalities, the Ministry of Culture, and the State Culture Capital Foundation. The “Liepāja 2027” programme is supported by its main partner in environmental education and sustainability, AS “CleanR Grupa”, Jsc; its main partner in air mobility and international communications, AS “airBaltic Corporation”, legal partner: Sorainen Law Office, Ltd., Jsc; and its land mobility partner, SIA “Lux Express Latvia”, Ltd. Media partners: VSIA “Latvijas Sabiedriskais medijs”, Ltd. and AS “Kurzemes Radio”, Jsc.
