The concert will not take place on March 19, it will be postponed. Information about the new event date will follow.

Tickets purchased will be valid for the date of the postponed event.

In case the new concert date will not be suitable, it will be possible to return the tickets: tickets purchased at the box office can be rturned in any Biļešu Pardīze sales point, but if they are purchased online, a refund can be requested by writing to the e-mail info@bilesuparadize.lv.

Sorry for the inconvenience!

The piano sensation that is the Dutch duet brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen is coming back to Cēsis to surprise us with a new concert programme. ‘It is like driving a pair of BMWs’ ‒ this is how the Danish conductor Michael Schønwandt describes the performance of the piano duet.

The technique and style of the two pianists are defined by perfect clarity, astonishing skill and an absolute harmony of interplay between the brothers. They are not just two excellent pianists playing as a duet; they really feel the subtlest nuance of each other’s interpretation.

The core of the programme in Cēsis will be one of the most significant pieces in the 20^th-century history of music ‒ an arrangement of Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring for a piano duet. A musical piece that was too radical for its time, The Rite of Spring premiered in 1913 to a highly unfavourable response from the public. Today’s listeners are no longer confused by the dissonant force of Stravinsky’s music, the archaic mega drive of its rhythm depicting the savage power of the ancient rituals in pagan Russia.

The programme will also feature piano music by another great Russian composer, Dmitri Shostakovich, as well as pieces by Felix Mendelssohn and Franz Schubert.

Despite their youth, brothers Lucas and Arthur Jussen have been part of the international concert circuit for years, receiving praise both from the press and the listeners. They are represented by the prominent classical music labels Deutsche Grammophon and Steinway & Sons. The piano duet has performed with practically every major Dutch orchestra, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, as well as many famous international orchestras. The musicians have toured in Europe, the USA and Asia.

The brothers have recorded several critically acclaimed albums. The latest addition to their discography was The Russian Album released in March 2021 and featuring pieces for two pianos by Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky and Arensky.

Programme

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Andante and Allegro Brillant in A major for piano duet, Op. 92 (1841)

Franz Schubert, Allegro in A minor for piano duet (“Lebensstürme”) Op. 144, D 947 (1828)

Dmitri Shostakovich, Concertino for piano duet Op. 94 (1953)

Igor Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du printemps) ‒ four-hand piano arrangement