Angela LUQ Electric Violin Concerto, ‘Machina humana’

John Gibbons conductor

Ealing Symphony Orchestra

SONARLOFT: BLACK ANGELS / WHOLE NEW WORLD

In Black Angels: Whole New World, Sonar Quartett delves deeply into the heart of George Crumb’s seminal work Black Angels. Written at a the height of the Vietnam War, Black Angels reflects on the horrors of war, and in Crumb’s own words, “portrays a voyage of the soul… Departure (fall from grace), Absence (spiritual annihilation), and Return (redemption)”. In 2025, on the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, Sonar Quartett invites the listener to embark on an expanded ‘voyage of the soul’, to reflect on where we have come from, where we stand today, and where we are heading as a species. We will cross time, continents and genres, even venturing into the galaxies.

In the immortal words of Blade Runner’s Roy Batty: “I've seen things, you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I've watched C-beams glitter in the dark, near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.”

PROGRAMME TO INCLUDE (all works arr. Sonar Quartett, except for Black Angels)

George Crumb: Black Angels

Björk: Ancestors

Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time, “Praise to the Eternity of Jesus”

Vangelis: Tears in Rain (from Blade Runner)

SOPHIE: Whole New World/Pretend World

Jlin: Guantanamo

Kraftwerk: Europe Endless

John Cage: 4’33

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Latvijas populārās mūzikas dziesmu svētki 2025.gada 31.maijā, Mežaparka Lielajā estrādē.

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BERNSTEIN Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

Angela LUQ Electric Violin Concerto, ‘Machina humana’ (World Premiere)
Roberts Balanas, Electric Violin

Samuel COLERIDGE-TAYLOR Valse de la reine, Op. 22 No. 3

Arthur BLISS A Colour Symphony, Op. 24, F. 106

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Join us for a SONARLOFT structured around 3 excerpts from Jonny Greenwood’s epic score for the film There Will Be Blood. We present these excepts alongside related and complimentary artists, as we straddle the ‘contemporary classical’ and ‘popular music’ worlds – much like Greenwood does himself in his twin roles of award winning composer and guitarist with Radiohead and The Smile.

PROGRAM
Jonny Greenwood: Detuned Orchestra (from There Will Be Blood)
Hildegard von Bingen: Sed Diabolus
Björk: Ancestors
Jlin: Guantanamo
Jonny Greenwood: Future Markets (from There Will Be Blood)
Aphex Twin: QKThr
FKA twigs: mary magdalene
King Crimson: Moonchild
Radiohead: Pyramid Song
Aphex Twin: Btoum-Roumada
Jonny Greenwood: Prospectors Quartet (from There Will Be Blood)
Kraftwerk: Europe Endless

Wojciech Garbowski & Roberts Balanas – violins
Ian Anderson – viola
Konstantin Manaev – cello

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PROGRAM
Pietro LOCATELLI ‘L’Arte Del Violino’
Johann Joseph VILSMAYR Partita l
Eugène YSAŸE Sonata for solo violin No. 4
Steve REICH Violin Phase
INTERVAL
Roberts BALANAS Blurred Paths
Arvo PÄRT Spiegel Im Spiegel
Angela LUQ En Llamas
Roberts BALANAS selection of arrangements for solo violin by Vulfpeck, Elton John, Billie Eilish, AC/DC

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PROGRAM
Pietro LOCATELLI ‘L’Arte Del Violino’
Johann Joseph VILSMAYR Partita l
Eugène YSAŸE Sonata for solo violin No. 4
Steve REICH Violin Phase
INTERVAL
Roberts BALANAS Blurred Paths
Arvo PÄRT Spiegel Im Spiegel
Angela LUQ En Llamas
Roberts BALANAS selection of arrangements for solo violin by Vulfpeck, Elton John, Billie Eilish, AC/DC

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Programm zur Einbeziehung:

• Steve Reich (*1936): Different Trains

• Philip Glass (*1937): Streichquartett No. 2 "Company"

• Kraftwerk (formed 1970): Europe Endless

• FKA twigs (*1988): mary magdalene

• Billie Eilish (*2001): What I Was Made For

Am 24. Januar 2025 lädt das Sonar Quartett zu einem eindrucksvollen Konzertabend in den SonarLoft im Kühlhaus Berlin ein. Im Zentrum steht Steve Reichs ikonisches Werk Different Trains – eines der bedeutendsten Streichquartette des 20. Jahrhunderts.

Reichs Komposition verbindet das Streichquartett mit Tonbandaufnahmen von Zuggeräuschen, Stimmen und Sirenen. Die Musik schildert eine persönliche Reise durch die Geschichte: die Kindheitserinnerungen an Zugreisen in den USA, die bedrückenden Gedanken an Deportationszüge im Europa des Zweiten Weltkriegs und schließlich die Hoffnung auf eine friedlichere Zukunft. Dieses Werk ist ein eindrucksvolles Zeugnis für die Verbindung von Minimalismus, Emotion und historischer Reflexion.

Neben Different Trains präsentiert das Sonar Quartett weitere Werke von Pionieren der Minimal Music, darunter Kompositionen von Philip Glass und die elektrisierenden Klänge von Kraftwerk, die die Grenzen zwischen klassischer Musik und Elektronik ausloten.

Ein Abend, der Musik als Spiegel von Geschichte und Innovation feiert – intensiv, bewegend und unvergesslich!

Sonar Quartett:

• Wojciech Garbowski & Roberts Balanas – Violins

• Ian Anderson – Viola

• Konstantin Manaev – Violoncello

Weitere Informationen unter: sonarquartett.de | sonarloft.de

Programme to include Saint-Saëns’ Prière, Massenet’s Elegie, Piazzola’s Histoire du Tango, Franck's Panis Angelicus and many more.

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General information:

Doors Open: 7:00 PM

Concert Start Time: 7:30 PM

Concert End Time: 8:30 PM

The venue has an open seating plan, so please arrive early to secure your preferred seat.

Programme

Georg Philipp Telemann Orchestral Suite in D major TWV 55:D18 
Nicola Antonio Porpora Aria Alto giove from opera “Polifemo”, violin solo Magdalēna Geka
George Frideric Handel Suite from the opera "Hercules" HWV 60
Jean Philippe Rameau Suite from the opera “Les Boréades” RCT 31
Jean Philippe Rameau Fragments from the opera “Naïs” RCT 49 
Jean Philippe Rameau Fragments from the opera “Acante et Céphise" RCT 29
Antonio Vivaldi Concerto Cycle For Solo Violin, Strings And Continuo “The Four Seasons” op. 8

Participants

Roberts BALANAS, violin
Sinfonietta Rīga 
Conductor Andris VEISMANIS

“The Four Seasons” by Antonio Vivaldi, one of the most popular opuses of classical music that has experienced countless arrangements and interpretations worldwide, will once again conclude the “International Early Music Festival". The four violin concertos in the cycle were first published in 1725 in a collection entitled “The Contest Between Harmony and Invention” (Il Cimento dell′ Armonia e dell′ Inventione). Indeed, there is no shortage of harmony or invention in this music, for Vivaldi took great pleasure in painting scenes from nature and everyday life and writing down their verbal transcription in the score. The temperament and colourfulness encoded in the composition unleash the performers' imagination, but it also requires brilliant playing technique and lively musicality. This time, the brilliant violinist Roberts Balanas will prove this in collaboration with Sinfonietta Rīga!
Endowed with a richly flourishing international career and a passionate tone, the youngest of the Balanas dynasty has been living in London for several years now and performing not only on world-famous stages but also in places without a trace of elite glamour. The virtuoso has attracted particular attention for his insatiable desire to break down the boundaries between musical genres, sometimes replacing the classical violin with the electric one and adventurously “refreshing” classics with pop and rock elements, thus earning even Sir Elton John's praise! And alongside Vivaldi, conductor Andris Veismanis, well-established in early and baroque music repertoire, and the experienced chamber orchestra will also highlight other musical gems of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Programme:

John Adams - The Dharma at Big Sur for solo Electric violin and orchestra

W.A. Mozart - Symphony No. 41 in C major, K. 551 ‘Jupiter’

Latvian National Symphony Orchestra

Ainārs Rubiķis / conductor

Roberts Balanas / violin

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The concert will be streamed live on Latvian Radio 3 and will be available here

The Lithuanian Symphonic Wind Orchestra (LSWO) has been continuing a beautiful tradition for many years now, closing the concert season with a festive programme at the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Concert Hall. This year, the orchestra is bringing an exceptional programme to suit the tastes of the most demanding listeners. For the first time in Lithuania, the young Latvian violinist Roberts Balanas, rapidly climbing the ladder of the musical elite, will collaborate with the LSWO. The offspring of a renowned musical family not only excels in classical repertoire, but also explores links with popular music. Even Sir Elton John has praised his arrangements of songs for solo violin, naming them “so fantastic that they must be shared”. Roberts Balanas has made his debut at London’s Royal Festival Hall and Wigmore Hall and is a much sought-after guest at concert halls across Europe.

No klasikas līdz fankam: ar solokoncertu Rīgā uzstāsies pasaulslavenais latviešu vijolnieks Roberts Balanas

Šī gada 5. decembrī ar īpašu koncertu “Homecoming” (no angļu valodas – “Atgriešanās mājās”) Latvijas Nacionālajā operā uzstāsies starptautiski atzītais un virtuozais latviešu vijolnieks Roberts Balanas. Šis būs pirmais izcilā mūziķa solo koncerts Latvijā.

Kopā ar talantīgo vijolnieku koncertā muzicēs arī Lietuvas Nacionālais pūtēju orķestris diriģenta Karoļa Variakoja (Karolis Variakojis) vadībā.

“Muzicēt mājās vienmēr ir īpaši, taču līdz šim ar solo šovu, kas pabijis uz Londonas, ASV un daudzu Eiropas valstu skatuvēm, Latvijā vēl neesmu uzstājies. Saviem klausītājiem esmu sagatavojis ļoti daudzveidīgu un krāšņu koncertprogrammu, un kopā ar jaudīgo Lietuvas pūtēju orķestri ceram pārsteigt arī pašmāju klausītājus.” stāsta R. Balanas.

Koncertā mūziķis atskaņos dažādas solo vijoles un elektriskās vijoles aranžijas, kas ir kļuvušas par interneta sensāciju, atzinīgus vārdus izpelnoties arī no slavenā angļu dziedātāja Eltona Džona. Skaņdarbos R. Balanas pieredze klasiskajā mūzikā apvienosies ar popa, roka un fanka skaņu pasaulēm, radot unikālu skanējumu.

Koncertā iekļauts arī starptautiski atzītā Holivudas filmu mūzikas komponista Oskara Navaro (Oscar Navarro) skaņdarbs “Latent Emotions” (tulkojumā no angļu val. “Slēptās emocijas”), kā arī klausītāju iemīļoti klasiskās mūzikas skaņdarbi vēl nedzirdētās aranžijās.

Izskanēs arī Roberta Balanas kompozīcijas “Blurred Paths” (no angļu val. “Neskaidrie ceļi”) orķestra versijas pirmatskaņojums.

Roberts Balanas, Kristīne Balanas / violin

Siqian Li / piano

Programme to include works by Mozart, Ravel, Shostakovich as well as Roberts’ arrangements for violin and electronics.

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Roberts Balanas / violin

Liepāja Symphony Orchestra

Jānis Ivuškāns / conductor

''The Second Great Concert of Latvian Music will feature music stars from various genres - from the most popular rappers to unparalleled stage legends and an orchestra.'‘

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Late-Night Candlelit Concert: Blurred Paths

Roberts Balanas / violin

Plinio Fernandes / guitar

'‘The compelling violinist bridges the worlds of classical and rock music, with music by Ravel and Arvo Pärt alongside his signature arrangements of Radiohead, Vulfpeck and Stevie Wonder. He then joins guitar sensation Plínio Fernandes for the world premiere of Blurred Paths, a dynamic soundscape commissioned by the Ryedale Festival that celebrates the diversity of human experience and the unique path we all take through life.'‘

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Join Roberts for his solo concert at the historic Burgh House museum in Hampstead Village, London where he will perform a mix of classical and modern repertoire for violin and electronics.

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Violin sensation Roberts Balanas presents a new solo show at EartH Hackney.

The acclaimed Latvian musician has taken the music world by storm with his genre-defying style, combining his background in Classical music with the sound worlds of Pop, Rock, and Electronica. His solo violin performances have amassed millions of views across the web and among his supporters you will find the likes of Elton John.

Join him for an electrifying debut of his new solo show at the Evolutionary Arts Hackney Theatre.

…I thought it was so fantastic, I just had to share it with you all. ‘' Sir Elton John, on Balanas' arrangement of ‘I'm Still Standing’

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Max Richter - Mercy for Violin & Piano

Sergei Prokofiev - Five pieces from Cinderella arr. for Violin & Piano

- Waltz - Gavotte

Roberts Balanas - New work for solo violin with electronics + a variety of modern arrangements for solo violin

Maurice Ravel - Pavane pour une infante défunte arr. for Violin & Piano

Roberts Balanas / violin, Siqian Li / piano