Preiļi and Rēzekne to mark composer Jānis Ivanovs' 120th anniversary in October
Events for the 120th birth anniversary of composer Jānis Ivanovs will be held in Preiļi on 9 October and in Rēzekne on 16 October. A new album featuring his Symphonies No. 19 and 21 has also been released.
Events dedicated to composer Jānis Ivanovs (1906–1983), a figure of Latgalian culture, will take place at the Preiļi Cultural House and in Rēzekne. They mark the 120th anniversary of his birth.
Events in Preiļi
On 9 October at 4 p.m., an exhibition of paintings titled "Latgale" by artist Diāna Īvis, the composer's granddaughter, will open in the main hall of the Preiļi Cultural House. At 5 p.m., a commemorative event and a meeting with the artist are planned at the concert hall of the Preiļi Music and Art School. Ivanovs' vocal and instrumental chamber music will be performed by school teachers Ilze Savicka, Zita Barševska and Kristīne Abdulvahida, and laureates of the 9th new works competition in music and art will also appear.
At 6 p.m., the anniversary programme continues at the cultural house with the concert "Symphonic Music of Jānis Ivanovs". The soloist is Vestards Šimkus, the conductor is Jānis Stafecks, and the State Chamber Orchestra "Sinfonietta Rīga" will take part. Admission is free.
A day in Rēzekne
On 16 October, the Latgale Music and Art Secondary School will host a full-day event in Rēzekne. The programme includes an opening talk by historian Vladislavs Malahovskis on Latgalian cultural life in the first half of the 20th century, a presentation by fourth-year students about the composer's life and work, and a lecture titled "Jānis Ivanovs. Texts and Subtexts" by Iveta Grunde and Andris Vecumnieks. Ilze Medne will discuss how the composer's personality was reflected in contemporaries' assessments and in musical reflections. The day closes with a concert featuring school students, the Jānis Ivanovs Rēzekne Music Secondary School choir and pianist Rihards Plešanovs.
Teachers will receive a certificate for a professional development course of about nine hours. Participation is free, but a registration form must be completed online by 12 October.
New album
The national record company "SKANi" has released the album "LNSO. Ivanovs. Symphonies No. 19 and 21", performed by the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra under conductor Guntis Kuzma. It includes the 19th symphony (1979) and the unfinished 21st symphony (1983). The composer's catalogue includes 21 symphonies, symphonic miniatures, concertos for violin, cello and piano, chamber music, solo songs, piano works and vocalises for a cappella choir.
The composer's former student Juris Karlsons stresses the drama of Ivanovs' music, while Orests Silabriedis, artistic director of the Liepāja concert hall "Lielais Dzintars", says Ivanovs' scale is hard to grasp. The album is available on Spotify, Apple Music and on CD.
