Iveta Apkalna / Kremerata Baltica

History was written in the Austrian town of Lockenhaus in 1997: in the context of his chamber music festival there, violinist Gidon Kremer founded the ensemble Kremerata Baltica as a tribute to his Latvian origins of excellent musicians from the Baltic States. The highest musical standards and creative open-mindedness are the hallmarks of this ensemble, which delights its audiences time and time again with superb playing and imaginative programming. The music of her home country is as important to the Elbphilharmonie’s Latvian titular organist Iveta Apkalna as it is to the Kremerata. Tonight, Apkalna and the Kremerata Baltica perform works by Pēteris Vasks, Ēriks Ešenvalds and Lepo Sumera, giving us a look at the very specific music of the Baltic States, marked as it is by both deep melancholy and a warm-hearted sense of humour.