RELATED EVENTS
Culture event
29 April 21:00
"Rothko in Jazz" concert
The unique audiovisual project Rothko in Jazz was inspired by the work of Latvian-born artist Mark Rothko (1903-1970). The project was developed in several stages, starting with new musical themes composed by 10 renowned Latvian composers – Lolita Ritmanis, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Arturs Maskats, Rihards Dubra, Pēteris Vasks, Jēkabs Jančevskis, Vilnis Šmīdbergs, Jēkabs Nīmanis, Georgs Pelēcis and Raimonds Pauls – which were then arranged by artists from the Māris Briežkalns Quintet.
The premiere of Rothko in Jazz will take place at 18:00 on 29 April at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, USA. The project’s CD release is scheduled for autumn 2015.
The concert will be streamed live on the Kennedy Center website.
The musical material aims to reflect the mood created in the works of Mark Rothko, which the artist himself said portrayed the status of the soul. Rothko’s last artistic stage – abstract expressionism – is the basis of this project.
The music of Rothko in Jazz, like his paintings, invites the audience to witness something hidden and invisible to the eye. To accentuate the synergy between the paintings and the musical material during the performance, Rothko’s works will be displayed with the help of video projections.
Māris Briežkalns Quintet
The Māris Briežkalns Quintet (MBQ) is one of the leading small acoustic mainstream groups on the Latvian jazz scene, with its accents on jazz pop and Latin jazz. MBQ has performed on several international stages – including MIDEM, Pori Jazz, Ottawa Jazz and the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York. MBQ always tries to push the boundaries of jazz and often includes special guests in its projects.
The project is supported by Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko.
