ARTS & EVENTS GUIDE

LATVIA
 
THURSDAY, MAY 5
 
Le Nozze Di Figaro - 19:00 @ Latvian National Opera & Ballet (LNOB)
Andris Veismanis (Conductor)
 
FRIDAY, MAY 6
 
Romeo and Juliet - 19:00 @ LNOB
Martins Ozolins (conductor)
 
LNSO and Mahler’s Sixth - 19:00 @ Riga, The Great Guild
Andris Poga (conductor), Rihards Macanovskis (bass – baritone)
Gundaris Pone Quattro Temperamenti D’amore, Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 6
 
SATURDAY, MAY 7
 
Giselle - 19:00 @ LNOB
Farhads Stade (conductor)

LNSO and Mahler’s Sixth - 18:00 @ Latgales vestnieciba GORS
Andris Poga (conductor), Rihards Macanovskis (bass – baritone)
Gundaris Pone Quattro Temperamenti D’amore, Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 6

 
Latvian Radio Choir. Sacred Chants - 19:00 @ Riga, St. John’s Church
 
SATURDAY, MAY 14
 
International Fireworks Competition: Pyro Power - 20:00 @ Bikernieki Sports Complex, Sergeja Eizensteina iela 2

Giselle - 16:00 @ LNOB
 
Latvian National Symphony Orchestra - Season closing concert with Vladimir Fedoseyev
19:00 @ Riga, The Great Guild
Vladimir Fedoseyev (conductor)
Serge Rahmaninoff Plano Concerto No. 2, Alexandr Skryabin Symphony No. 3 (The Divine Poem). Mark your calendar.
 

THURSDAY, MAY 19

The Immured - 19:00 @ LNOB

Maris Sirmais (conductor)
Eriks Esenvalds’ “The Immured” is an opera about the construction of a library, and the sacrifices without which nothing great can ever be created. It’s a modern day legend, whose sources are found in the folklore of various European cultures, as well as in modern Latvian society. The heroes of this tale are artists and masons, librarians and politicians, their love and betrayal, faith and responsibilities.
The opera is based on an idea and original libretto written by Inese Zandere as a poem; Zandere wrote it in honour of and as an ode to poet Knuts Skujenieks, who has also rendered numerous European folktales into Latvian.
Opera Premiere
 
FRIDAY, MAY 20
 
The Immured - 19:00 @ LNOB
Maris Sirmais (conductor)
Eriks Esenvalds
 
 
ESTONIA
 
THURSDAY, MAY 5

Faust, opera - 19:00 @ Estonian National Opera (ENO)
 
Johvi Ballet festival presents: “The Four Seasons” - Hans Davidsson (organ, Sweden) - 12:00 @ Johvi Concert Hall
 
Helsinki University Symphony Orchestra - 19:00 @ Tallinn, Estonia Concert Hall
 
FRIDAY, MAY 6
 
Swan Lake - 19:00 @ ENO
 
SATURDAY, MAY 7
Rigoletto - 19:00 @ ENO
 
Johvi Ballet festival presents: “The Four Seasons” - Hans Davidsson (organ, Sweden) - 19:00 @ Parnu Concert Hall
 
SUNDAY, MAY 8
 
The Sleeping Beauty - 12:00 @ ENO
 
WEDNESDAY, MAY 11

Aida, opera - 19:00 @ ENO
 
Moscow Novaya Opera Symphony Orchestra - 19:00 @ Tartu, Vanemuine Concert Hall
Jan Latham-Koenig (conductor, Great Britain)
Poulenc: La Voix Humaine
 
THURSDAY, MAY 12
 
Modigliani - the Cursed Artist - 19:00 @ ENO Ballet
 
Moscow Novaya Opera Symphony Orchestra - 19:00 @ Tallinn, Estonia Concert Hall
Jan Latham-Koenig (conductor, Great Britain)
Poulenc: La Voix Humaine
 
FRIDAY, MAY 13
 
Faust - 19:00 @ ENO Opera
 
Moscow Novaya Opera Symphony Orchestra - 16:00 @ Narva Cultural Centre Geneva
Aleksey Tikhomirov (bass), Jan Latham-Koenig (conductor, Great Britain)
 
 
SATURDAY, MAY 14

The Sleeping Beauty - 19:00 @ ENO Ballet
 
MONDAY, MAY 16
 
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra - Final concert of the season - 19:00 @ Tallinn, Estonia Concert Hall
Kristina Poska (conductor), Cecilia Zilliacus (violin)
Romanticism IV:
Brahms Violin Concerto in D major, Bruckner
Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major Romantic
 
The 89th season of ENSO will end in a feminine, romantic mood with peerless masterpieces.
Renowned Swedish violinist Cecilia Zilliacus has appeared as soloist with numerous Scandinavian and European orchestras.
ENSO will be conducted by Kristiina Poska, who is the first Kapellmeister of the Komische Oper Berlin.
 
Poska is a prize winner of different international conducting competitions, including the renowned 2013 Deutscher Dirigentenpreis. She has also been selected as one of the 25 most interesting citizens of Berlin by the influential German newspaper, Der Tagesspiegel.
 

LITHUANIA
 
THURSDAY, MAY 5

The Blue Danube, ballet - 18:30 @ Lithuanian National Opera & Ballet (LNOB)  Alvydas Sulcys (conductor)

FRIDAY, MAY 6
 
Don Carlo, Opera - 18:30 @ LNOB
Martynas Staskus (conductor), Luciano Batinic (Croatia), Eric Fennell (USA). Giuseppe Verdi
 
SATURDAY, MAY 7

Carmen, ballet - 18:30 @ LNOB Modestas Barkauskas (conductor)

From the New World
Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra
19:00 @ Lithuanian National Philharmonic Hall
Peter Jablonski (piano), Modestas Pitrenas (conductor)
Beethoven, Dvorak

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11

Manon - 18:30 @ LNOB
Cyril Diederich (conductor, France), Michael Spadaccini (Belgium)
Jules Massenet
 
THURSDAY, MAY 12
 
Ciurlionis, Ballet - 18:30 @ LNOB
Juozas Mantas Jauniskis (conductor) Giedrius Kuprevicius

FRIDAY, MAY 13

Don Quixote, ballet - 18:30 @ LNOB
Martynas Staskus (conductor), Artur Shesterikov (Dutch National Ballet) Ludwig Alois Minkus
 
SATURDAY, MAY 14

Fidelio, opera - 18:30 @ LNOB
6th performance at LNOBT
Martynas Staskus (conductor)
Ludwig van Beethoven
 
SUNDAY, MAY 15

Vilnius String Quartet - 12:00 @ Ukmerges Holy Trinity Church (Kauno st. 1)
 Liudas Mikalauskas (bass)
Chamber music
 
Vilnius String Quartet - 15:00 @ Lyduokiai Community House (Lyduokliai, Ukmerge r.)
 Liudas Mikalauskas (bass) Chamber music

Human Voice and Soul in J. S. Bach’s Cantatas - 16:00 @ Museum of Applied Art
Musica Humana Ensemble, soloists: Simona Liamo (soprano), Stein Skjervold (baritone)
Johann Sebastian Bach

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18
 
Egle the Queen of Grass snakes, ballet - 18:30 @ LNOB
Martynas Staskus (conductor) Eduardas Balsys

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

May 17

19:00 @  Riga, Splendid Theatre
Maris Briezkalns Quintet plays “Rothko in Jazz”

The Maris Briezkalns Quintet has arranged 10 musical themes composed by well-known Latvian composers to create a new audiovisual project: Rothko in Jazz.
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, Eriks Esenvalds, Arturs Maskats, Rihards Dubra, Peteris Vasks, Jekabs Jancevskis, Vilnis Smidbergs, Jekabs Nimanis, Georgs Pelecis, and Raimonds Pauls — which were then arranged by artists from the Maris Briezkalns Quintet.

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.

The Maris Briezkalns 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.

MAY 27

Riga Festival opening event starring the London Symphony Orchestra

19:00 @ Latvian National Opera and Ballet, Aspazijas bulvaris 3

London Symphony Orchestra; Nikolai Znaider /violin/; conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano.

Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, Elgar’s Symphony No. 2.