Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello 

Sinfonietta Rīga 

Conductor Norumnds Šnē 

Programme: 

Joseph Haydn Symphony No. 95 C minor Hob. I:95, Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major Hob.VIIb:2 
György Ligeti Concert Românesc, Cello Concerto

French cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras excels in the music of different eras and styles, balancing with an amazingly natural ease between performances of new pieces composed specifically for him and the rediscovery of compositions that have already passed the test of time. Challenging and charming even the most hardened adherents of tradition with his true passion, he harmonizes with world-class orchestras, conductors, and chamber music partners, while confidently expressing himself in the solo repertoire. After performing with Sinfonietta Rīga for the first time a decade ago, the flamboyant French cellist has returned to Latvia multiple times, on this occasion to celebrate the closing of the chamber orchestra's 19th season with grandeur. As soon as the artistic director Normunds Šnē stands at the conductor's podium, new facets will light up both in the D major cello concerto, interwoven with graceful dance tunes and lyrical melodiousness, and in the dramatically tense 95th symphony by the Viennese classic Joseph Haydn, as well as in the pieces by Hungarian master György Ligeti – the dedication to Romanian folklore, inspired by the romanticism of his youth, and the cello concerto, comprising avant-garde ideas of his mature years.