Peteris Vasks, guided by an inner commission, has created a choral song cycle set to the verses of his kindred poet, Knuts Skujenieks—modern-day folk songs whose wisdom transcends time. The composer has sought to translate these texts into sound with tenderness, sincerity, and love, approaching the great poet’s words with deep reverence. On this evening, alongside the highly anticipated world premiere of Pēteris Vasks’ song cycle, the central pillar of the program will be the performance of Francis Poulenc’s cantata Figure Humaine - a musical cry for freedom. Poulenc himself provided differing accounts of the work’s genesis, yet it is clear that the poetry used in the cantata is closely linked to the French Resistance. He composed it in deep secrecy, fully aware that such an artistic expression could be deemed dangerous. The composition reflects both the rich tradition of French vocal polyphony and daring harmonic transitions, with striking contrasts between silence and grand surges of sound. The final movement, Liberté (Freedom), became an especially significant symbol - its text was printed on leaflets and scattered over France by the Allies, inspiring the resistance movement and offering hope to the nation’s occupied people. After the war, Figure Humaine became one of the most powerful musical tributes to freedom and human dignity. It is considered one of the most challenging choral works, demanding not only technical mastery but also deep emotional understanding from its performers.
Meanwhile, Max Reger - one of the foremost figures of late German Romanticism and a master of polyphony - found inspiration in the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, blending sacred traditions with emotional expressiveness and poetic depth. In his choral compositions, he also turned to the verses of German Romantic poets, reflecting on human life, nature, and transcendence.