Kaspars Zemītis and The Rīga Cathedral Boys' Choir

The Rīga Dome Boys' Choir, conductor Mārtiņš Klišāns and guitarist Kaspars Zemītis are pleased to invite you to attend a cycle of concert programmes pas part of the "European Christmas" Advent season.  The focus will be on love, compassion and sincerity.  This musical trip will take us back to Renaissance England, where the tradition of boys' choirs began.  We will page through almanacs of spiritual motets in the archives of cathedrals, as supplemented by masters such as William Byrd and Thomas Tallis.  We will take a peek into royal courts where the delightful sound of lutes could be heard with the music of John Dowland, a favourite of aristocrats who was always melancholy in his opuses, as well as the music of Thomas Campion, who was also a physician.  We will hear the silky and flowing voice of Martiņš Klišāns, as well as a performance by Kaspars Zemītis and his young son, Jēkabs.  That will be a special Christmas lullaby.  The centre of the programme, however, will be contemporary music that was composed by Zemītis specifically for the Advent season.  Yes, that is the same Zemītis who is a guitar virtuoso.  In recent years he has become more and more prolific as a composer.  The six-song cycle Waiting for the Light is based on the beautiful O Salutaris prayer of Thomas Aquinas, with additional lyrics by Normunds Beļskis.  The focus will be on the basic values of Christianity, but also on the joys of winter that are best perceived by children.  The acoustic guitar will be replaced by an electric choir in partnership with the voices of the boys' choir, thus creating a modern sound that is rather uncommon when it comes to the acoustics of a church.

Programme

Kaspars Zemītis, Advent Cycle "Waiting for Light" for boys' choir and electric guitar (premiere), as well as compositions by John Dowland, Thomas Robinson and William Byrd

Participants

Kaspars Zemītis, guitar
Rīga Cathedral Boys' Choir
Conductor Mārtiņš Klišāns

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