The annual Early Music Festival over the years has become an integral tradition of Latvia's mid-summer, first in old Riga churches and concert halls and finishing in the garden of Rundale Palace. At the festival's opening concert in Riga St. Peter's Church, the vocal group "Trio Mediaval" from Norway performed with medieval songs for the first time in Latvia.
Director of Latvijas Koncerti programs, composer Arturs Maskats says: "Festival has begun with "Trio Mediaval," a trio of medieval music from Norway, where three lovely singers have brought both Norwegian music and medieval as well as brand new music, because it's no secret that ancient music is extremely intertwined with contemporary music and what famous violinist Gidons Kremērs has said is that "all composers are contemporaries," it's more than in place here because we experience this wonderful aura of ancient music, and at the same time understand how much this music is needed today."
The music festival will continue until Saturday evening, with Bach music at St. John's Church on Thursday, gregoric chants at St. Peter's church on Friday night, until the festival culminates on Saturday in the garden of Rundale Palace there will be a concert performance for children "Princess and the pea" at midday, and Antonio Vivaldi's "Seasons" at the closing concert in the evening.
