The Riga Jurmala Music Festival has canceled its 2022 edition. In a press statement, the Latvian organization noted that its decision resulted from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent war that is taking place. “Due to the unfolding tragic war in Ukraine, we have decided to cancel next summer’s Festival. It is not a decision we take lightly {…}
Two prominent festivals have cut ties with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra. On Monday morning the Riga Jurmala Festival in Latvia and the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland decided to cancel upcoming events with the leading conductor. In a statement by Executive and Artistic Director Michael Haefliger of the Lucerne Festival said, “Lucerne Festival has decided to cancel the {…}
(Credit: Riga Jurmala Music Festival) The Riga Jurmala Music Festival has announced its 2022 slate. For the purpose of this article we will focus on the vocal works only. Soprano Pretty Yende, mezzo-soprano Alice Coote, tenor Julien Prégardien, and bass René Pape perform Mozart’s Requiem in D minor, K. 626. The rest of a program features Sibelius’ Symphony No. 4 {…}
(Credit: Tatyana Vlasova) The Riga Jurmala Music Festival in Latvia has announced that Kristine Opolais will replace Sir Bryn Terfel on August 29. The festival announced that Terfel was forced to withdraw from his recital following medical advice to recover from health issues. Opolais took to social media stating, “although I would prefer to be in the hall to enjoy {…}
Superstar soprano Renée Fleming is set to present a vocal masterclass at the Riga Jurmala Music Festival on August 27, 2021. The masterclass will feature Daniils Kuzmins and Ilze Grēvele, both students at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. Vītols will take on “Non mi dir” from “Don Giovanni” while Kuzmins will interpret Wolfram’s “O du mean holder Abenstern {…}
The Riga Jurmala Music Festival has announced the formation of the Mariss Jansons Festival Orchestra. Per a press release, the formation of the ensemble was triggered by the cancelation of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra will include members of the former Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra as well as members of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Concertgebouworkest, the Oslo {…}
Famed baritone Benjamin Appl is set to present a masterclass at the Riga Jurmala Academy on Jan. 27, 2021. Appl will work alongside students of Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music in Latvia. The showcase, which kicks off at 3 p.m. UTC, will be free to view for audiences around the work via the company’s Facebook page. After the broadcast, {…}
The Riga Jurmala Music Festival has announced its 2021 program, which will include 20 performances. “Like in previous editions of the Riga Jurmala Music Festival, our 2021 program promises to be exceptional for a number of reasons. Of course, we are extremely grateful to the many artists who were willing to reconfirm their previously announced performances and they will join {…}
The Riga Jurmala Music Festival has announced its 2020 festival taking place from July 11 to August 30 2020. The for this article we will concentrate on the vocal performances. The vocal sextet The King’s Singers will take the stage to perform several works from Johann Sebastian Bach, William Byrd, and Harry Dixon Loes, among others. Performance Dates: July 12, 2020 Baritone {…}
The line-up for the first-ever Riga Jurmala Music Festival has been announced. The festival will take place in the Latvian cities of Riga and Jurmala this summer in a series of four concert and recital-packed weekends. For the purposes of this article, we will focus primarily on the vocal/opera-related performances. The first weekend of the Festival will kick off at {…}