ARENA will participate in Classical: NEXT 2015 in Rotterdam

From 20 to 23 May, New Music Festival ARENA will participate in the international professional's forum for classical and art music Classical: NEXT in Rotterdam, Netherlands, representing three co-productions by Latvian and foreign artists.

ZAUBER- UND BANNSPRUCHE AUS ALTER ZEIT / SPELLS AND CHARMS FROM ANCIENT TIMES (2013) is created by composer Helena Winkelman (Switzerland) and conductor Antra Drege (Latvia), based on ancient Latvian and Swiss texts. Thirteen new pieces are performed in combination with traditional instrumental Swiss folk dances and Latvian a cappella folk songs. Listen to the excerpts (20 min.) from concert in Alpentöne festival (Altdorf, Switzerland) here and to the final piece “Du lustige Filifausel" (2 min.) here.

CLAYBIRD'S LULLABY (2014) is composed by Latvian composer Santa Ratniece, who has written this work especially for clay birds (ocarinas), made by children in Ziemeli orphanage in Riga under the guidance of swedish artist Knutte Wester who has initiated this project. The clay birds in this piece portray the lives of nine children and is accompanied by eight voices and cello. Listen to the piece here.

CANTICUM CANTICORUM (2014) is a project, inspired by texts of “Song of Songs” and realized with the participation of Latvian Radio Choir (conductor Kaspars Putniņš), ensemble SARBAND (leader Vladimir Ivanoff) and six composers that represent the northern Europe and the Middle East: Lasse Thoresen (Norway), Toivo Tulev (Estonia), Mārtiņš Viļums and Santa Ratniece (both Latvia); Bushra El-Turk (Lebanon / UK) and Vladimir Ivanoff (Bulgaria / Germany). Here is a little insight into the making of the project.