In the Great Amber Hall, synthesizers will sound louder than conversations about life in Jūrmala Park

On Thursday, the "Great Amber" concert hall will host an event that combines technology with art as successfully as Liepāja combines wind with sand. Ģirts Ozoliņš, head of "Erica Synths," will talk about the synthesizer phenomenon, which, as it turns out, is more complex than explaining to tourists why Liepāja is better than Riga.

In a pre-concert conversation, artistic director Orests Silabriedis together with Ozoliņš will look back at the history of 20th-century musical modernism. They will talk about the German city of Darmstadt as the cradle of electronic music, which sounds almost as exotic as stories about how you could once stroll through Jūrmala Park without mobile phone calls and social media notifications.

"Erica Synths," which is one of the world's largest synthesizer manufacturers, has become Latvia's pride. Their instruments have been appreciated by "Depeche Mode," "Lady Gaga," and even the now otherworldly Ryuichi Sakamoto. This is about as impressive as the fact that a Liepāja company can compete with global giants, not just with Riga firms.

The conversation will introduce the concert by German duo "Grandbrothers," where piano music will be combined with synthesizers. As one local music enthusiast said: "Finally someone understood that electronic music can be as soulful as the wind blowing through Liepāja's streets." Participation in the conversation is free, which is always good news in Liepāja.