Program “Letters to a Young Poet” is based on the texts of Rainer Maria Rilke, in which he speaks to a young artist about the essence of creative work—inner discipline, patience, and the ability to trust one’s own voice even when clear answers are not yet found. This idea directly resonates with the festival’s motto, “We Live in Different Times”—composers, poets, and painters often inhabit a different temporal reality; their work requires long periods of concentration, solitude, and the slow ripening of ideas.

Four new works have been commissioned for this concert, all of which will be world premieres. These are not works about Rilke in a general sense, but music created as a dialogue with the text of the letters, portions of which will be heard in spoken readings. Lithuanian composer Justė Janulytė is known for slow processes and gradually unfolding changes. Latvian composer Rolands Kronlaks is a master of spatiality and sophisticated electronics. Estonian composer Liisa Hirsch’s style is characterized by precision, transparent textures, and a sensitive approach to time and the listening experience, while Krists Auznieks focuses on the splendor of sound, revealing it through rich harmonic colors.

The Latvian Radio Choir is the central instrument of this program. The choir’s refined dynamics, precise intonation, and synchronization under the baton of conductor Kaspars Putniņš allow Rilke’s texts to be not only “tasted” but brought to life on an emotional level. During the concert, the musical works will sound in dialogue with readings of the letters and layers of electronics, allowing the listener to follow the text and music simultaneously and perceive their mutual harmony.

“Letters to a Young Poet” is a concert about the time of creativity—how a work is born, how a voice is formed, and why sometimes the most important thing is not a quick answer, but a well-crafted question. It is also a rare moment to experience the birth of new works throughout an entire concert, performed by the Latvian Radio Choir, one of the world’s leading interpreters of contemporary music.

Program:

Justė JANULYTĖ: L’Attente – world premiere

Rolands KRONLAKS: Darkness – world premiere

Krists AUZNIEKS: Orpheus – world premiere

Liisa HIRSCH: New work – world premiere

The concert is part of Baltic Music Days 2026, which will be held in Latvia.