Farewell to the season 2022/2023 of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet

The Gala Concert of the Riga Opera Festival marked the end of the season 2022/2023 for the Latvian National Opera and Ballet. During this time, five new productions were created, and a total of 244 events took place with a 93% audience occupancy rate.

"We are sincerely grateful to the audience who once again filled our halls this season, demonstrating with their presence how beloved and significant the art of opera and ballet is. We will continue to work to create artistically valuable performances and concerts. In selecting our repertoire, we think about audiences of all generations and stage works from different eras," says Egils Siliņš, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet.

The repertoire of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet in the past season was enriched by the operetta "Die lustige Witwe," the operas "Jenůfa" and "Adriana Lecouvreur," as well as the ballets "Serenade. Carmina Burana" and "Viy. The Nights of Horror." In the autumn, the Latvian National Ballet celebrated its centenary with a wide and diverse program. In late October, the world-renowned vocal competition Operalia, led by the eminent singer and conductor Plácido Domingo, took place at the Latvian National Opera. Solo concerts with the Latvian National Opera Orchestra were performed by the internationally recognized Latvian sopranos Inga Kalna and Kristīne Opolais.

In total, 244 events took place during the past season, including 86 ballet performances, 70 operas, 16 operettas, 62 concerts, and 10 educational events. The number of attendees exceeded 160,000, and 93% of the available seating capacity was filled.

Season 2023/2024 of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet will start on August 18 with the performance of Alexander Rodin and Radu Poklitaru’s ballet “Viy. The Nights of Horror”. The first premiere of the season will be Giuseppe Verdi's opera "Don Carlo," which will be conducted by the maestro Pier Giorgio Morandi and directed by Claus Guth, taking place on October 5. As for the first ballet production, the classical performance "La Fille mal gardée" choreographed by Frederick Ashton, with music by Louis Joseph Ferdinand Hérold, will be premiered on November 10.