"Ivanovs. Symphonies Nos. 19 & 21"

2026

02.10.2026

The life and work of Jānis Ivanovs represents one of the most vivid and powerful chapters in the still-unwritten history of Latvian music. His oeuvre includes twenty-one symphonies; symphonic miniatures; concerti for violin, cello and piano; instrumental chamber music; several solo songs; piano pieces and a series of a cappella choral works.

Ivanovs’ style is distinctive, recognisable and powerful. His former student Juris Karlsons, who graduated from Ivanovs’ composition class in 1972, says:

“I don’t know of any other Latvian composer with such powerful and dramatic music. It’s music in which there are three points of conflict: fate, faith and struggle. And also a very masculine romanticism. A poignancy that’s never maudlin.”

In a 1993 interview with Imants Zemzaris, Leonora Ivanova, the widow of Jānis Ivanovs, spoke about her husband’s habit of constantly studying new orchestral scores:

“He later commented on his compulsion to read scores: he did so to avoid any similarities with what had already been created. Regarding Symphony No. 19, he said, ‘Nothing like this can be found in the literature.’ Regarding Symphony No. 20, he said, ‘This is my requiem.’ During his final illness, he said, ‘Inspiration has left me.’” 

At the time, however, Ivanovs was composing the Symphony No. 21, and he was mistaken – inspiration had certainly not left him.

LMIC 180