On July 3 and 4, 2021 the head of JVLMA String Instruments Department associated professor Terēze Zīberte-Ijaba and the associated professor of JVLMA Piano Department Toms Ostrovskis visited Sweden with a chamber music programme titled The Inspiration of Nordic Violin, presenting concerts in frames of the Culture Week of the Mariestad’s Cathedral and at the Summer Music Festival in Lundsberg.
Terēze Zīberte-Ijaba comments: “The aim of our chamber music programme was to master and to introduce rarely performed, artistically valuable opuses of Nordic chamber music to our listeners. We were very glad to welcome actual audience to our concerts, which was very refreshing after the prolonged period of mostly online appearances, and that all three sonatas were received with appreciation. After both concerts, we were invited by the members of audience to elaborate on the music of Jānis Ķepītis, whose sonata was deemed especially fresh and moving by the attendees.”
The chamber music programme presented by the two professors consisted of the Violin Sonata in F major by Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson (Iceland), Violin Sonata in C major (1899-1900) by Wilhelm Stenhammar (Sweden) and Violin Sonata in C major (1974) by Jānis Kepītis (Latvia). The contributions of these composers to the instrumental chamber music of their countries are comparable in significance, but, due to the distinctly national musical languages, often unknown in the neighbouring countries. The sonatas reflect the characteristic diversities of national schools, while revealing similar quest for inspirational, emotional discoveries. The lyrical musical language of the Icelandic composer Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson (1847–1927) is full of Scandinavian idioms; he infuses his chamber music pieces with quotes from Icelandic folk songs. In the opuses of the Swedish composer Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871-1927) late German romanticism coexists with distinctly Nordic expressions. The Latvian composer, pianist and music teacher Jānis Ķepītis (1908-1989) after the Soviet occupation sought creative refuge in the non-programmatic chamber music genre, preserving a uniquely romantic approach to art with distinctly Latvian national flavour.
The programme was prepared and presented with the support of the Nordic Culture Point and the JVLMA Scientific and Creative Activities Project.
