I think that there is simply no point in arguing about this. Lack should not be considered the norm, of course not, but lack is what teaches and motivates a person much more actively than abundance. In connection with concert halls, the centers of our regions have flourished so beautifully in the last ten years, but if we had started with a new, large hall in Riga, we might not have gotten anywhere further.
Scarcity turned into wealth.
– How do you feel, performing concerts in the world, but at the same time meeting so regularly with listeners in Latvia?
– If there was only one of the two, it would not be perfection. If I were always just a visiting artist in Latvia, I would always stay that way, longing to spend more time on my native land… But I would have to fly away. And if I were to play exclusively in Latvia, then I am afraid that I would become provincial in my game and thinking, because all the difficulties would take place here and all the successes here too, no higher challenge. Therefore, the foreign concerts at the moment are also very useful for me as a test of my games and thinking, so as not to get bogged down.
I also play Latvian music in almost every program, sometimes exclusively Latvian music, because I’m really proud of it, and I notice that my audience is also sometimes most shocked, moved by the compositions of Latvian authors. I’ve been given music that’s basically a wordless abstraction, but as far as I can tell, most of my listeners read something from it, get it, understand it – in a way they couldn’t understand with words.
I think most of us think we want entertainment when it comes to concerts, but in reality we all need a lot more than entertainment. And what I look for in the music I choose to play in public is not a relaxing, entertaining value, nor a political one, but a transcendental value. Such music is needed at all times – both in war and in peace, because ideally it makes us not so much Latvian as more human.
– Which of the concerts did you have the pleasure and satisfaction of in the last year?
– I think that Rihards Dubra’s Easter work “Visions of the Crossroads. Light” left a lasting aftertaste. [pirmatskaņojums izskanēja 17. martā Latgales vēstniecībā “Gors”]which Richard wrote literally with his own blood, and I learned with mine. For both of us, the events of Easter are fundamentally important, so it was a great blessing to meditate on them as deeply and personally as this opus encourages. The second most significant experience is probably tonight [6. oktobrī] Messiaen’s opus “Twenty glances at the child Jesus” performed in London for the second time. I think that the incredibly high evaluation of the professionals – professionals whose understanding of music I value very highly – makes that satisfaction especially great. I think I have never experienced such ecstasy in the audience after my game.
– In November, you will repeat the concert “Jānis Šipkēvics and Reinis Zariņš. Latvians” in Luznava, Sabile and also in Liepāja. What does this mean for you – a Latvian in the world?
– The concert in Liepāja, which will be played in the “Personal” series, will be called “White Chords”. The most important thing in this program is to hear the song cycle “White songs” written by Andras Dzenīš and Jānis for us, with lyrics by Aleksandras Lines.
That’s the most important thing, because it’s an excellent job! Andris has written something quite beautiful, fragile and strong, just for Jānis’ unique voice and exactly the way I like to play. And Alexandra’s poetry is able to hit both the new generation and hardened listeners equally. The songs of the cycle are surrounded by small piano solo miniatures, which I also like to play in my concerts. The second reason to hear this program is the participation of Mārtiņš Klišan in one very powerful composition, Benjamin Britten’s “Second Canticle”, which could be called a kind of mini-opera. Mārtiņš is the father there, Jānis is his son. I think the impression is stunning.
– Where and in which concert hall do you like to perform best? Maybe it hasn’t been built yet, like, for example, the Riga Philharmonic?
– I like to give concerts where my listeners are. On top of a mountain with a view to the horizon, in an underground tunnel, in your aunt’s yard, in your friends’ living room, anywhere. I like best to perform concerts where afterwards I see that people have experienced something special, something that makes them close, be happy, cry.
Opinion
Ryan Evans“The Guardian” classical music critic: “There are few pianists who can successfully perform Olivier Messiaen’s early masterpiece written in 1944, his reflections on the meaning of the birth of Jesus. Latvian Reinis Zariņš proved himself with this performance, his message about music monumentality and its intimacy was a remarkable event. Zariņš is able to highlight the extremes of Messiaen’s volume – the bright frenzy against breathtaking pianissimo or even silence. The pianist enhances the contrasts of character from wild ecstasy to muted bliss, thus emphasizing the sense of musical engineering – the spider’s web against the massive sound bridges. Playing by heart, without notes, Reinis Zariņš holds the audience’s attention for more than two hours, and although otherwise it might seem endless, time flew by unnoticed and at the same time seemed to stop. /../ Messian’s message is hope: Zariņš gave it .”
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