The Ventspils Concert Hall “Latvija,” together with many outstanding musicians and composers, will celebrate its five-year anniversary with a grand and specially curated concert on July 27 at 18:00. The concert will feature organist Iveta Apkalna, the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, the Latvian Radio Choir, pianist Reinis Zariņš, violinist Azade Magsodi, conductors Guntis Kuzma and Sigvards Kļava, as well as special guests. The program of the anniversary concert will be based on the music of Ēriks Ešenvalds and Vilnis Šmīdbergs.
“Five years is a significant milestone in the operation of the concert hall,” says the artistic director of the concert hall, Guntis Cimiņš. “Over these years, the concert hall has hosted some of the most talented artists from Latvia and around the world, creating world-class concerts and cultural events. We are grateful to all our friends, like-minded people, many initiators and implementers of creative ideas, our employees, and supporters who have helped achieve our current success. We invite all our listeners to join this special anniversary concert to celebrate music together and experience an unforgettable evening.”
In 2024, the fifth-anniversary celebrations of the “Latvija” concert hall will take place throughout the year with outstanding events that have received great acclaim from a wide audience. Highlights include the unique Three Osokins concert, the standing ovation-filled concert of Iveta Apkalna and the “Latvija” choir, the performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, the star hour of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra and marimba player Guntars Freibergs, the colorful concert of Aivis Greters, Vincent Lucas, and Sinfonietta Rīga featuring the premiere of Jēkabs Jančevskis’ new work, the grand performance of Gustav Mahler’s Second Symphony, the charm of Eastern world music, and many other cultural events yet to come in the concert hall’s anniversary series.
The “Latvija” concert hall began its operation in the summer of 2019. The pride of the concert hall is two world-class unique musical instruments: the concert organ, made by the company “Johannes Klais Orgelbau GmbH & Co. KG” in Germany, and currently the world’s largest vertical concert piano, created by piano maker David Klavins. The project author of the concert hall is architect David Cook. The building is characterized by thoughtful energy efficiency solutions and a multifunctional spatial layout, which allows the successful collaboration of the “Latvija” concert hall’s Large and Small halls, the Music High School, the Music Library, and the sound recording studio under one roof. The uniqueness of the concert hall is also highlighted by an opening wall that transforms the Small Hall into an outdoor stage. The “Latvija” concert hall is a space for music, art, and education with unique content characterized by excellent acoustics, a carefully selected repertoire, and extensive technical possibilities.
