The Latvian National Symphony Orchestra opens its 99th season at the Latgale Embassy GORS in Rēzekne, featuring the new season's composer-in-residence Arturs Maskats with "Tango, "Gustav Holst's suite "The Planets" and Ralph Vaughan-Williams' "Sinfonia antartica.” Tarmo Peltokoski, a favourite of audiences and musicians alike, is at the conductor's podium to begin his final season as the LNSO's Artistic Director and Principal Conductor.

The accordion part of "Tango" by Arturas Maskats is played by the widely acclaimed bandoneonist Artūrs Noviks. The concert also features the organist Aigars Reinis, Director of Music at Riga Cathedral, whose organ playing can be heard in Gustav Holst's suite "Planets" and Ralph Vaughan-Williams' "Antarctic Symphony".

Gustav Holst is celebrating his 150^th birthday in 2024, and therefore his most famous work, the symphonic suite "The Planets" is part of the program. Each movement of the seven-movement suite is dedicated to a different planet in the solar system and its astrological characteristics. In its final movement, “Neptune, The Magician”, the orchestra is joined by the singers of the Riga Project Choir, directed by Christopher Walsh-Sink. Their voices can also be heard in the performance of Ralph Vaughan-Williams' Seventh or "Antarctic Symphony", which has its roots in the music for the 1948 film "Scott of the Antarctic".

Arturs Maskats
Tango for Symphony Orchestra

Gustav Holst
The Planets
Suite for Large Orchestra, Op. 32

Ralph Vaughan Williams
Symphony No. 7 »Sinfonia antartica«

Artūrs Noviks, bandoneon
Aigras Reinis, organ
Riga Project Choir
Christopher Walsh-Sink, chorus master

Latvijas Nacionālais simfoniskais orķestris [Latvian National Symphony Orchestra]
Tarmo Peltokoski, conductor