The first of the great violinist Gidon Kremer’s annual summer concerts in Cēsis will present a multimedial project, which, by juxtaposing two different art forms, visual and auditory, offers a new insight into a bygone era. Opening a  unique sort of dialogue, 24 Preludes for Cello by Mieczysław Weinberg, arranged for the violin by Gidon Kremer, will be complemented by video installations by the Lithuanian photographer Antanas Sutkus.

Both Weinberg and Sutkus are powerful figures on the art scene of their time, each reflecting the reality of the specific period in the Soviet era ‘utopian’ world.

‘The very special and still underrated composer Mieczysław Weinberg chosen for our imaginary dialogues is an example of those exceptional human beings who are able to produce sincere statements and focus on unquestionable values, keeping authenticity and integrity alive even in times of total oppression.The pictures are meanwhile a reminder that the camera does not lie. Oppressors die, creators vanish, memory fades too, but real art lives on forever,’ Kremer describes the concept behind the project.

‘These imaginary dialogues between two great artists and their statements about a lost time can be seen as a valuable historical document. As the details are shared with us, they still have the power to impress and move us all.’

The second part of the programme will feature Franz Schubert’s Piano Trio interpreted by Gidon Kremer, Giedrė Dirvanauskaitė and Anna Magdalena Kokits.

Gidon Kremer, violin
Giedrė Dirvanauskaitė, cello
Anna Magdalena Kokits, piano

Programme: Mieczysław Weinberg, ‘The Lost Time Preludes’; Franz Schubert, Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 100.