Latvian Radio Choir to perform the meditative opus “Rothko Chapel” in Liepāja

The Latvian Radio Choir, under the direction of conductor Kaspars Putniņš and together with leading Latvian instrumental musicians, will bring Morton Feldman’s contemplative masterpiece “Rothko Chapel” inspired by Mark Rothko’s meditative Chapel in Houston, to life at the Liepāja Art Forum on September 28th at 18:00. This performance, a first for Liepāja, promises to transform the Great Hall of the Concert Hall into a sanctuary for reflection, spiritual awareness, and solace.

Inspired by the meditative monumental dark purple canvases in the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Feldman’s composition resonates with the deep introspection evoked by Rothko, encouraging listeners to turn inward and draw strength from within. This piece serves as the centrepiece of the festival’s tenth-anniversary celebration.

Kaspars Putniņš describes Feldman's work as “a journey into Rothko's world, into his vibrant, tense squares of colour and their intricate relationships. This music creates a space where we can truly feel the psychological temperature and rhythm of time as experienced by others. It's a procession of images, forms, and colours—an open form that transcends Rothko, Feldman, and all of us.”

This work will be preceded by thought-provoking works by several other prominent American composers to prepare the audience for this timeless mood. Caroline Shaw’s “And the Shallow” for choir includes themes from Psalm 84 that express longing for home and drawing near to God. John Cage’s “Once Upon a Time”, a rhythmic interplay with words from Gertrude Stein’s children’s book, encourages us to reflect on our relationship with the world, while Steve Reich’s speech melody “Proverb” reveals a saying from Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein’s work “Culture and Value”: “Perhaps what is inexpressible (what I find mysterious and am not able to express) is the background against which whatever I could express has its meaning.”

The concert will also present Japanese Toshio Hosokawa’s emotional piece for percussion, “Die Lotusblume”, which includes the symbolism of the lotus flower in Buddhism, portraying a journey from the muddy earth through water to the open sky—a metaphor for spiritual enlightenment. Hosokawa beautifully explains, “In Buddhism, the lotus flower symbolizes transcendence, with the Buddha seated atop it. The roots of the lotus sink into the muddy ground, rise through the water, and bloom toward the sky. In the moonlight, the closed bud resembles hands folded in prayer, embodying a deep sense of spiritual connection.”

Accompanying the Latvian Radio Choir in this evocative program will be distinguished Latvian instrumentalists Ineta Abakuka (viola), Sanita Glazenburga (celesta), Juris Žvikovs (piano), Juris Āzers (percussion), and Guntars Freibergs (percussion).

The Liepāja Art Forum is organized by SIA “Lielais Dzintars.” Tickets for this and other paid events are available at "Biļešu paradīze" box offices and online at https://www.bilesuparadize.lv/en.

For more details about the festival, visit https://lielaisdzintars.lv/en

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