Riga - European Capital of Culture 2014 candidate

in bed with the sun kingThe dramatic art of the Baroque period,the inclination to heightenedcontrasts, the propensity for splendourand decor, the exuberance, passionand dynamics – as opposed tothe Renaissance ideals of gravitariposata (inclination toward rest andtranquillity).fontage caps, accordion-pleated (frilled)collars, lace, wigs and fans will be used inaccordance with established guidelines thathave been recorded in today’s reflections ofBaroque. Stylized painting mock-ups, thescenes of which will be a joint creation of today’sartists and city dwellers, will bring tolife the Baroque atmosphere, which comesto us today through the poses and gesturescaptured in artworks from times gone by. Itis with these manifested poses and gesturesthat humans strive to live on in future generations,thereby becoming immortal.A concert by joint ensembles from variouscountries will take place in the DomeSquare, along with a costume parade, to beconcluded with a final dance performance.This will include various acted and dancedBaroque scenes that contain hidden eroticism.Richly dressed characters from thattime provoked greater erotica than the nakednessof the Renaissance. Human being,who during the Renaissance was anatomicallybeautiful, now acquired sexual beauty:under decorous and modest draping wasliving, breathing flesh.and balls. Theatrical fashion performanceswith frequent costume changes lasted fromearly morning until late at night.From Dome Square in the heart of Old Riga,everyone will be invited to continue onward tothe Rundāle Castle, where the annual EarlyMusic Festival concludes with a Baroque operaperformance and authentic Baroque fireworks.What: Music, dance and fashionperformance.Where: Riga’s Old Town, Rundāle Castle.When: Mid-July 2014.Concept authors and project organisers:National Concert Agency LatvijasKoncerti.Cooperation partners: Latvian Ministryof Culture, Latvian State Culture CapitalFoundation, French Cultural Centrein Riga, Embassies of Sweden andGermany, Rundāle Castle.a different typeof “vienna classic”The words “Vienna Classic” usually referto Austrian classical music masterpieces,but in Riga in 2014, they will alsoherald some new and unique musicalexperiences. Along with the classicalworks of such traditional Viennese composersas Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven,the audience of Riga’s “Vienna Classic“music festival will also get to hear theunusual works of three 20 th -centuryAustrian composers. In addition, theywill be able to watch classic moviesabout various European composers.The “Vienna Classic” festival is primarily devotedto the music of three Viennese mastercomposers – Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart,whose works form part of the golden heritageof European culture and still captivatelistening audiences to this day. The festivalwill offer chamber music and orchestraconcerts in Riga and other places in Latvia,as a sign of Latvia’s close link with the rest ofEurope’s musical culture and traditions, andplacing Riga squarely among Europe’s othermusical capitals. Such symphony works asWolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s sunny andinspiring Symphony No. 40 or Ludwig vanBeethoven’s passionate overture aboutLeonora and Prometheus always drawcrowds wherever they are performed. Theperformance of Georg Friedrich Handel’s“Messiah” (revised by Mozart) in Riga’sDome Cathedral promises to be no lessexciting. This time, the “Vienna Classic”music festival’s traditional concert programme+ will be supplemented with acompletely different kind of music fromAustria, featuring works by the 20th-centuryAustrian composers Alban Berg, AntonWebern and Arnold Schoenberg. Berg’s“Violin Concerto”, Webern’s “Six PiecesFor Orchestra”, Schönberg’s “TransfiguredNight”, “Moonstruck Pierrot” and “Variations”for orchestra will provide the audience withunusual examples of atonal music, serialismand musical expressionism.An additional film programme will be offeredto movie buffs in Riga and all ofLatvia, featuring several screen worksabout musical composers:Frederick Delius – Song of Summer(1968), director Ken Russell;Marin Marais – Tous les matins du monde(1991), director Alain Corneau;Georg Friedrich Handel – Farinelli (1994),director Gerard Corbiau;Jean-Baptiste Lully – Marquise (1997),director Vera Belmont;Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Amadeus(1984), director Milos Forman.What: Music festival.Where: Riga, as well as concert halls andmovie theatres elsewhere in Latvia.When: March 2014.Concept author and organiser: NationalConcert Agency Latvijas Koncerti.Cooperation partners: Latvian Ministry ofCulture, Latvian State Cultural CapitalFoundation, Embassy of Austria,Cinema Rīga.The authentic performance traditions ofRenaissance and Baroque music havebeen cultivated in many countries. Latvia’sEarly Music professionals and “EarlyMusic” festival traditions have broughtabout people’s ever-increasing interest.The Old Town of Riga will transform into theepicentre of eras long past, where everythingbecomes theatre; even nature, whichwill be allotted a dramatic compositionalcharacter (complete with artificial cliffs andwaterfalls). Improvised stages will play hostto French Renaissance music, Italian andLatin-American Baroque. Parades throughthe Old Town will showcase various Baroqueand Renaissance-era costumes.It will be a graceful social game, in which suchfashion elements as hoopskirts, (skirt)trains,Ornate beds were created in Baroque interiors,beds that acquired the form of a tentmade from lavish curtains and draperies,thereby practically concealing the woodenconstruction. The traditions of organizingshowy bedrooms with ornate beds developedduring the reign of Louis XIV. Wakingand slumber for the Sun King were accompaniedby resplendent ceremonies,with the royal bedroom transformed froma place of relaxation to a celebration hall.Gradually, the king’s bedroom began toplay the role of reception hall. The SunKing received his guests while lying downor during an intricate dressing ceremony.Funds for garments, accessories and courtinteriors were spared no expense. Ladies’wardrobes contained special clothes for virtuallyevery occasion, especially for strolls“summertime” in jūrmalaLatvia’s world famous opera soloistInese Galante has demonstrated manytimes that singers with an academiceducation can still provide masterfulperformances in practically any musicalgenre. In 2014, Inese Galante and anelite group of world class singers andmusicians will perform several genres ofmusic at the city of Jūrmala’s DzintaruConcert Hall, as well as at other concerthalls and churches in Riga.The annual “Summertime” music festivalis eagerly awaited each year and in 2014,opera singer Inese Galante and pianistInna Davidova will set up a unique musicalprogramme as a special tribute to the cityof Jūrmala. Each year, the festival attractsworld class orchestras and opera soloists,featuring a kaleidoscopic array of chambermusic, jazz, light music and world music.While the festival’s main concerts will be heldat this resort city’s open-air stage, severalperformances will also take place at variousconcert halls In Riga. Unlike many other musicalfestivals that are devoted to one, particularmusical genre, “Summertime” standsout with the wide array of musical styles thatcan be heard at its concerts. During one unforgettableweek, opera and jazz masters,chamber music singers and soloist instrumentalists,as well as choirs, orchestras,ethnographic ensembles and vocal groupswill enthral the festival’s audience underJūrmala’s starry, August skies.The Dzintari Concert Hall was one of the firstopen-air concert halls to be built in Latvia.Its acoustic qualities have been praised byprofessionals and its open sides (i. e. nowalls) help it to blend in with the surroundingscenery of Jūrmala’s beach dunes andpark.What: Concert series featuring variousgenres of music.Where: Jūrmala’s Dzintaru Concert Hall, aswell as various concert halls and churchesin Riga.When: 2 nd and 3 rd week of August.Concept author and project implementation:Hermanis Brauns Foundation.98 99