Permanent Guest Artists
Resulting from a very positive experience with two young pianists, Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica decided to offer the status of the permanent guest artists to the exceptional French musician Lucas Debargue, who is also pursuing a path as a composer, and to the extraordinary young talent from Latvia, Georgijs Osokins. They are becoming the first permanent guest artists in 25 years of orchestra's history.
Georgijs Osokins and Kremerata Baltica will record both Chopin piano concertos in February 2023. Lucas Debargue is currently composing an opera for Kremerata Baltica.
Maestro Kremer himself announced Kremerata Baltica’s guest artists by saying: “We are delighted to be developing many new projects with both these wonderful artists, who fully identify with and share our values and the enduring motivation of “Searching for Music!”.
Kremerata Baltica and Gidon Kremer have already worked on a number of projects with both artists.
Lucas Debargue joined Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica in 2017 for the orchestra’s 20th anniversary concerts, and in 2018 for a tour of China and Japan, which included a performance at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall. Lucas Debargue also composed and performed a new work for piano and strings with Gidon Kremer and Kremerata Baltica, to whom the piece is dedicated . In addition, they recently recorded a CD dedicated to a largely unknown, yet exceptional Polish composer, Milosz Magin released in 2021.
French pianist Lucas Debargue received recognition in 2015 after his performances at the 15th International Tchaikovsky Competition. Being awarded the coveted Moscow Music Critic’s Prize, he began playing as a soloist and with leading orchestras at prestigious concert halls, and collaborating with famous conductors such as Mikhail Pletnev, Valery Gergiev, Yutaka Sado, Tugan Sokhiev and others. “Music cannot be separated from relationships. We started this adventure with the Weinberg quintet and then something happened. I kept my feelings preciously guarded, but later Gidon Kremer confirmed them by inviting me to participate more and more. I fell in love with all the ideas, craziness and unexpected reactions of the musicians. Kremerata Baltica is now a part of my life and I want to contribute to its history” says Lucas Debargue.
Georgijs Osokins attracted attention at the 17th International Chopin Piano Competition in 2015. Since then, he has made important debuts at Konzerthaus Berlin, the Kremerata Baltica Festival and Vancouver Playhouse. As a soloist, he was a soloist in Kremerata Baltica’s project “Chronicles of Current Times” dedicated to the centenary of Mieczysław Weinberg’s birth. Georgijs Osokins also participated in the double CD recording of two Weinberg Symphonies, including “Kaddish” under Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla by the CBSO and Kremerata Baltica. The CD was released in May 2019 by Deutsche Grammophon.
As Georgijs Osokins said: “I have been always captivated by Kremerata Baltica’s breathtaking sensitivity toward every tone, its eloquent technique and reactive attentiveness which evokes my freedom and leads to other dimensions. Playing with such a multi-talented family of intelligent, free and masterful musicians, and also soloists, always brings me a joyful feeling of being at home”
