On March 1, the composer Rihards Dubra’s jubilee concert “Rihards Dubra. Gloriosa” was played in Riga Cathedral, in which together with the violinist Martu Sparninua saxophonist Aigaru Raumani and an organist Aigaru Reini the conductor also played music Jurģas Cābuļas led by The mixed choir of the Riga Cathedral Choir School.
Jurģis Cābulis about the creation and program of the concert: “Before Christmas, I was approached by the chief organist of the Riga Cathedral, Aigars Reinis, asking if I would be interested in collaborating with two Aigaris – Aigaras Reinis and Aigaras Raumani – and participating in this concert. The music of Rihard Dubras is very close to me – I am not played it often, but one of my first memories of the chorister is directly related to his music.
It was 2003 when we recorded Dubra’s monumental “Te Deum” under the direction of Mārs Sirmās, which also won the Grand Music Prize. That’s my first really conscious memory of a choir, of a boys’ choir, and was probably a big part of the drive to choose this profession. I am really very happy about Aigara’s invitation to participate in this concert and do some work O Gloriosa Virginum Latvian premiere. In the original it is written for oboe, organ and choir, but in this case for saxophone, organ and choir. What’s interesting, I think it’s not exactly associative with Rihards Dubra – he also used as many as five rain trees in the composition, there are also various other percussion elements that create rain imitations, and the score also has bells of different heights. So this is, in the best sense, a very dubious piece. In my opinion, Dubra’s music mostly sounds best right in Riga Cathedral.”
In the program:
First saxophone concerto for alto saxophone and organ Cantus Orationis (2004)
Two motets for choir a cappella: O Crux Ave (1995) and Panis Angelicus (1994)
Expressia for violin and organ (1999)
O Gloriosa Virginum for mixed choir, saxophone and organ (2014, premiere in Latvia)
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