BACH

Jānis Pēlmanis (organ)

Klāvs Liepiņš (organ)

Programme: J. S. Bach, S. Karg-Elert

At the organ of the Riga Cathedral are two bright young organists who have been educated at the most prestigious European music universities in Vienna and Berlin. Klāvs Liepiņš currently lives in Sweden and Jānis Pēlmanis in Berlin - both musicians are active in concert life in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden and will now delight audiences at home in Latvia by playing Bach's organ music.

Throughout the architectural soundscapes of Johann Sebastian Bach, there seems to be a woven order of metaphysical cosmos. It is both solemn and serenely enlightened, aristocratically dance-like, and energetically affirming, offering solace to the soul and shelter in sorrow. His works encompass a broad range of human emotions – jubilation, joy, zest for life, as well as sadness, gravity, and profound piety.

The legendary 20th-century conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein once said: “For Bach, all music is religious; its creation was a kind of divine service. Every single note was dedicated to God and nothing else.”

Bach's organ music is the golden repertoire of the instrument. Being a remarkable virtuoso of the mighty instrument himself, Johann Sebastian Bach composed organ works throughout his life, imbued with the breath of cathedral grandeur, impressive drama, and elevated virtuosity.