Riga - European Capital of Culture 2014 candidate

the opera of goodhumouredfantasiesAny phenomenon has two sides: thevisible and the invisible, the knownone and the imperceptible one. Usuallythey do not dwell on the same plane,but there are exceptions. And the Cityof Riga is one of such exceptions. InRiga there exist two parallel worlds,each only surmising the existence ofthe other. We have a chance to changethis situation and we have to begindoing it today. We have to pull downseveral barriers built by language andsocial differences.The idea has inspired a large-scale performancein Arēna Rīga. It will be a sumptuousfantasy show which will combineelements of opera, ballet, modern dance,circus and athletics. But what is evenmore important, this performance will be ateamwork of professional artists and varioussocially vulnerable groups of society:children with special needs, street childrenand youth, retired professional actors,ballet-dancers and opera soloists who oftenfeel forgotten once the prime of theirlives is over and their brilliant careers havecome to an end.The premises of the Arena allow to expandthe opera genre into broad spatial terms,turning it into a multi-dimensional show by,for example, staging the reflections of fantasyin Mozart’s Zauberflöte in a new waythat has not been seen in Riga yet in orderindirectly to address the most importantaspect: even if only for a moment to mergethe realities of our daily lives to change thestandardized concepts. Such dynamic,high-quality show permeated with kindnessand cordiality will appeal to the culturalexperience of new audiences.A team of high-level professionals will beset up to bring to life this grand-scope idea.In 1212 the working group of the multimediashow will start addressing the potentialparticipants, trying to identify them in theplaces of gathering of ‘disadvantage’ childrenand youth in Riga dwelling districts.Professional choreographers and teachersof music will work with these children andyoungsters until September 2014 to trainthe potential participants for the show.Approximately 1200 participants are expectedto take part in the show.Where: Arēna Rīga, video broadcast to alldwelling districts of Riga.When: Beginning of September.concept author and organisation: Riga’sECC task group, National Concert AgencyLatvijas Koncerti.Cooperation partners: Latvian NationalOpera, Riga Circus.Participants: Artistic manager AndrisNelsons; soloists Maija Kovaļevska,Egils Siliņš, Aleksandrs Antoņenko;head of choreographers’ group MikhailBarishnikov; Latvian National SymphonyOrchestra, professional Latvian choirs,children and youth of Riga and otherparticipants.european christmasA Christmas market with culinary wondersfrom various European countries;performances by magicians and streetmusicians in Riga’s Dome Square duringthe day; concerts by musical ensemblesfrom all over Europe in concerthalls and churches during theevening. These events will signal theopening of the “European Christmas”festival, which will reveal the colourfulChristmas traditions of many Europeancountries.It will look like a picture from a storybook: amarket square with wooden stalls, staffedby jovial people offering Christmas toysand roasted chestnuts for sale, with thefragrant smell of gingerbread cookies andhot wine in the air... This will be a sure signthat the “European Christmas” festival hasbeen launched in Riga’s Dome Square.There, one will be able to learn about theChristmas traditions that are practiced inmany European countries.In accordance with English traditions, askating rink will be set up in the marketsquare and traditional Christmas carolswill be sung in Riga’s Old Town squares.The world’s most famous Christmas song,“Silent Night”, which originated in Austria,will be performed in Riga’s Old Town indozens of languages.The Scandinavian countries will be representedin full force during a mythologicalmasked parade – complete with Vikings,elves, trolls, goats and devils. The delegationfrom France, for its part, will show howto make tasteful store and office decorationswith apples, paper blossoms and ribbons.They will also demonstrate a game devotedto the birth of Christ, complete with a manger,the Virgin Mary and Joseph, to remindus all about the roots of Christianity.At the German Christmas market stalls, onewill be able to try out a glass of traditionalwinter hot wine, along with gingerbreadcookies, fried sausages and potatoes.Glass and wood decorations, wooden toysand German Christmas pyramids will alsobe on display.Riga has its own, special Christmas legend,which states that the practice of decoratingChristmas trees began in Riga in 1510and gradually spread around the worldto become an enduring Christmas tradition.Some Latvians still practice anotherancient tradition of dragging a log aroundtheir homestead on the day of the wintersolstice, thus drawing out all evil, and thenburning the log in a fire.All these European traditions and more willbe seen in Riga’s Old Town during the day,while during the evening, various professionalmusicians and ensembles (“HilliardEnsemble”, the string quartet Euphonia,the Riga Dome Boy’s Choir, the baroqueorchestra Collegium Musicum Riga, theLatvian Radio choir, the Estonian bell choirArsis) will perform in a number of concerthalls and churches. The central musicalevent will be a mixed choir concert,in which two to three singers from eachparticipating country will join together withtheir neighbouring colleagues to form aunited, European choir and to sing traditionalChristmas carols.The European Christmas festival will providea splendid opportunity for everyone tolearn about the Christmas traditions in theirown and in their neighbouring Europeancountries.What: Musical and other performances atChristmas markets and concert halls.Where: Riga’s Old Town, Dome Square,concert halls and churches in Riga andother Latvian cities.When: December 2014.Concept author and organiser: NationalConcert Agency Latvijas Koncerti.Cooperation partners: Latvian Ministry ofCulture, Riga City Council, Departmentof Culture, Latvian State Cultural CapitalFoundation, Embassies of Italy, Spain,the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden,Denmark, Germany and the FrenchCultural Centre in Riga.102 103