From June 1 to 20, the Riga Opera Festival invites audiences to experience a vibrant, diverse, and artistically rich program. For over twenty-five years, the festival has been the crown jewel of the Latvian National Opera’s season. This year, it once again promises a celebration of opera and ballet in all their splendor, with new productions, beloved classics, and the presence of internationally acclaimed stars.
A highlight of the program is a special tribute to Giuseppe Verdi, featuring three of his iconic operas from the Latvian National Opera’s treasured repertoire: La traviata, Aida, and Nabucco. These productions will serve as the festival’s grand centerpiece, bringing together a host of outstanding guest soloists. As tradition dictates, the season will conclude with a spectacular Gala Concert.
“This year, our stage will welcome some of the finest voices in the world in both the Verdi productions and the Gala Concert. These are performers whose live presence is truly unmissable. The Riga Opera Festival is also a rare opportunity to see all our new season’s productions in a single, thrilling timeframe,” says Sandis Voldiņš, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet.
In addition to this season’s new opera productions - Les contes d'Hoffmann, Salome, and Flavio, re de' longobardi - the festival will showcase last year’s acclaimed staging of L'elisir d'amore, along with Verdi’s Macbeth, recently returned to the Latvian National Opera’s repertoire.
Ballet lovers will enjoy a rich selection as well, including this season’s new productions Casanova and La Esmeralda, the timeless classic Swan Lake, the solstice-inspired Antonija #Silmači, and the contemporary ballet Nijinski.
A key focus of the festival is the presentation of Verdi’s operas, offering audiences unforgettable performances by world-class guest artists. On June 15, rising French opera star Vannina Santoni will make her Latvian debut as Violetta in La Traviata, joined by Czech tenor Pavel Černoch as Alfredo and Romanian baritone Bogdan Baciu as Giorgio Germont.
On June 18, Georgian mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili - considered one of today’s finest Verdi interpreters - will debut in Latvia as Amneris in Aida. She will be joined by the internationally acclaimed Georgian tenor Irakli Kakhidze as Radamès, and Tatiana Trenogina in the title role.
In the June 19 performance of Nabucco, the role of Abigaille will be sung by the internationally celebrated Ukrainian soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska.
The festival and the season will conclude on June 20 with a grand Gala Concert conducted by Mārtiņš Ozoliņš. Proudly supported by Citadele Bank, the concert will feature star performers including Lithuanian soprano Vida Miknevičiūtė, Liudmyla Monastyrska, Irakli Kakhidze, and internationally renowned Latvian mezzo-soprano Zanda Švēde. Making his debut on the Latvian National Opera stage will be the highly sought-after Armenian tenor Liparit Avetisyan.
More HERE