Nīderlande godina Latviju / The Netherlands celebrate Latvia

The Netherlands celebrate Latvia
As a present for the Latvian Centenary, the Kingdom of the Netherlands presents one of its
finest amateur orchestras. The VU-Orchestra consists of eighty young musicians and is known
for its ground-breaking performances of the late romantic repertoire. Under the baton of
conductor Daan Admiraal, the orchestra has played with many world-class soloists, like Janine
Jansen, Pieter Wispelwey and Amihai Grosz and traveled all over Europe.
During this concert the orchestra will take you on a journey through beautiful landscapes. The
journey starts with the rousing South American rhythms of the Four dances from Estancia by
Alberto Ginastera, a high romantic ballet about love and longing where wringing dissonances
find a place in festive flamboyant melodies.
The tribute to Latvia will be given with the Concert for cello and orchestra by Pēteris Vasks,
which is a stark contrast to Ginastera. Subdued dark and sad melodies interrupted by violent
outbursts tell a raw story. The solo part will be played by the talented cellist Anastasia Feruleva,
second prize winner of the Dutch National Cello Competition 2016.
After the break a real classic is on the program. The second symphony in D by Jean Sibelius
begins with a fairytale, but soon the listener is taken to the northern nature of Finland. These
pastoralistic sounds are intertwined with moments of ominousness, euphoria and almost
majestic pride that alternate in a masterly manner.