Music
For some, December is the time of waiting; some just like to watch the snow fall; some prefer to hide away under a pile of blankets. Whichever category you may fall in, this weekend offers a few concerts which will fill the room with peace and expectation.
On December 1, the well-known singer-songwriter Haralds Sīmanis (1951-2022) passed away, it has been announced. The news came from musician Andris Grunte, a frequent collaborator with Sīmanis.
The Ukrainian-Latvian musical group Shakima Trio has released its debut album, titled "Vysoko" (High) as well as a single, "Ptychka nevelychka" (Small bird).
Next year, the popular “Positivus” music festival will take place in Rīga again, on Lucavsala island, the organizers' representative Elva Lorence told the LETA news agency.
Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons and Leipzig's Gewandhausorchester have been nominated for a Grammy Award, according to information on the website.
92% of Latvian residents aged 18-60 listen to music records every day, according to the results of the annual sociological survey on music consumption habits of Latvian society carried out by Latvian Association of Artists and Producers (LaIPA), in cooperation with the sociological research agency Kantar.
On Friday, October 7, tenor opera singer Jānis Sproģis (1944–2022) passed away aged 77, Latvian Radio 3 said on Facebook.
Germany is to contribute five million euros as co-financing for the restoration of an historic Rīga venue associated with the composer Richard Wagner.
On September 22, the submission of songs opened to Latvian Television's "Supernova" show which will decide who represents the country at Eurovision in the UK next May.
At the Freedom Monument in central Rīga, the well-known Latvian cello trio "Melo-M" together with Ukrainian musicians, who are currently taking refuge in Latvia from the war, are teaming up for fundraising efforts.
Musicians from Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, and Ukraine have united in a song called “Resistance” which calls on everyone to support Ukraine in its fight against the military aggression of Russia, says the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The new Ukrainian-Latvian musical group "Shakima Trio" will perform in Auce on July 22, during the Auce city festival, when Shakima Trio will be special guests onstage at Vecauce Castle Park. Entrance to the concert will be free.
On July 15 and 16, in the territory of Lucavsala, Rīga, the festival Positivus will take place after two years of pandemic silence. The organizer Ģirts Majors told Latvian Radio on July 13 that around 20,000 visitors are projected daily.
As you cannot fail to have noticed, Korea is cool at the moment. From K-Pop to Squid Game and Parasite, not to mention the growing popularity of its cuisine, Korean creativity is making its mark on world culture, often reinvigorating some tired western ways in the process.
The annual Early music festival will take place July 6 to 9 in Rīga churches and concert halls, as well as the Rundāle Palace, Latvijas Koncerti concert organizer said June 2.
On May 26, 19:00, a new music association called Shakima Trio, composed of Ukrainian musician Shakima Garunts, Latvian guitarist Jānis Ruņģis and bass Ainārs Majors, will give its first concert. The concert will take place in the hall of the wooden building renovation center "Koka Rīga" (Krāsotāju Street 12), the musicians' representatives said.
Despite weeks of hype, Latvia's vegetarian offering on May 10 failed to impress diners at the great Eurovision banquet in Turin, Italy.
The first semi-final of this year's Eurovision song contest takes place tonight, with Latvian group Citi Zēni (Other Boys) hoping to break a dismal recent record of Eurovision competitors and make it to the final with their ditty about the joys of eating organic vegetables as part of a healthy and balanced diet.
On April 25, the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra will reunite with the orchestra's principal guest conductor Kristiina Poska. Latvian Radio's musicologist Baiba Santa Vanaga spoke to Kristiina about her conductor career, music, Beethoven, and more. The full interview is reproduced below.
From August 5 to 7, the twelfth music and art festival “Laba Daba” will take place, returning after two years of silence due to the pandemic, organizers said.
From July to August, the Latvian pop band Brainstorm/Prāta vētra will go on a tour between five cities in Latvia, and Ukrainian refugees will be able to attend the concerts for free, according to Brainstorm's website.
To support Ukrainian civilians, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra offers Ukrainian citizens to attend spring concerts on April 22 and May 14 at the Liepaja concert hall Great Amber free of charge, the orchestra's representatives said April 13.
The tradition launched in recent years with summer concerts on Liepāja Lake has been transformed into a festival Liepāja Lake Music, which will take place over three days from July 7 to July 9 in the recreational park Austrumu forts, the organizers said.
Latvian-American composer Lolita Ritmane (pictured right, above) has won a "Grammy" award for the album "Women Warriors - The Voices Of Change" which was recorded in Latvian Radio's studio in Rīga.
August 13 will bring the return of a unique multi-genre music festival which involves spectators floating on water.
On the morning of March 18, at 6:00 in the morning the first pop-up concert in the courtyard of the Latvian National Museum of Fine Arts will take place, the organizers said.
If you feel like spending this weekend with good music for a good cause, check out these three concerts.
The acclaimed vocal group 'Latvian Voices' has released a beautiful and emotional rendition of a traditional Ukrainian folk song on its YouTube channel.
In response to Russia's hostilities in Ukraine, the "Rīga Jūrmala" classical music festival planned for the summer has been cancelled, the organizers have announced.
A Russian opera singer has been given a rendition of the famous aria 'Persona non grata' by Latvia.
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