Although there is still a lot of work to be done, the first visitors have already been able to enjoy the sound sculptures and try out the concert hall's surround sound system.
An hour's drive from Riga, the Bakhauži Manor in Ropaži Municipality has been home to musician and composer Zane Dombrovska and her family for five years. Over time, with the cleaning up of the territory and the renovation of the manor house, the idea of creating a new cultural space "Skaņu muiža 360" was born, where creative personalities could meet and get to know the secrets of spatial sound.
"It could be a place for artists to reside. We thought it was very important, this educational aspect, because I myself was very late to this kind of sound and I think it would be very valuable for young composers to experience something like this. The main thing is to have that creative time. Rather than chasing after a particular result, it's about lingering in the process. Because we are small enough and cosy enough to be here in such a small group," says Zane Dombrovska.
There is still a lot of work to be done before the residency opens, but for now, the barn has a new roof and a surround-sound concert hall on the second floor. Here, 30 listeners will be able to enjoy a new sound experience. Acoustic measurements have been taken into account during the construction process to ensure that the sound effect is spatial and all-encompassing.
"Studying in Estonia introduced me to an interesting thing called spatial sound. Spatial sound is a great luxury because it needs space. To build here, as you can see, you have very high ceilings - about 7 meters high. We've made a kind of dome out of the speakers, and that's what 360 degrees is," says the owner of Skaņu muiža.
The cultural space "Sound Manor 360" will start inviting visitors to spatial sound concerts in July.
