The EUROPEAN CULTURAL DAYS of the ECB – Latvia 2013, organised in cooperation with Latvijas Banka and held under the joint patronage of Mario Draghi, President of the ECB, and Ilmārs Rimšēvičs, Governor of Latvijas Banka, will open tonight at 8 p.m. with a Grand Opening Concert at the Alte Oper in Frankfurt am Main.
The Latvian State Choir “Latvija”, together with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ainārs Rubiķis, will perform works of Latvian and European romanticism. With soloists Baiba Skride (violin), Reinis Zariņš (piano) and Aigars Reinis (organ), the programme includes works by Pēteris Barisons, Rihards Dubra, Camille Saint-Saëns and Richard Wagner, as well as a cappella choral songs by Latvian composers. In the international music world, Latvia is renowned as a centre of excellence in choir music, with more than 400 choirs across the country.
Other highlights of the CULTURAL DAYS programme include:
Charity Concert on 26 October 2013 in the Frankfurter Paulskirche
Organist Iveta Apkalna, Inga Kalna (soprano) and German trumpeter Reinhold Friedrich will perform musical pieces from baroque and romanticism to modern. Donations from this charity event will go to the “Mädchenbüro Frankfurt”, an initiative that supports girls from different cultural backgrounds, aged ten and over, by offering extracurricular day care and additional learning opportunities. The concert is organised in cooperation with the City of Frankfurt.
Theatre on 19 and 20 October 2013 at Schauspiel Frankfurt
The New Riga Theatre, directed by Alvis Hermanis, will give two performances of its play “Long Life” at Schauspiel Frankfurt. In this acclaimed stage production, five actors play elderly characters living in a post-Soviet communal flat.
Architecture exhibition 24 October until 23 November 2013 at the House of Finance
The architectural treasures of Riga, a medieval Hanseatic city with an abundance of art nouveau architecture, can be explored in the exhibition “Riga TOP!”. The exhibition is organised in cooperation with the City of Riga.
Grand Closing Concert on 15 November 2013 at the Gesellschaftshaus Palmengarten
Two outstanding Latvian contemporary music ensembles, the State Chamber Orchestra “Sinfonietta Rīga” and the Latvian Radio Choir, will perform a range of works by Ēriks Ešenvalds, Pēteris Vasks and the Bulgarian composer Dobrinka Tabakova at the Grand Closing Concert.
The complete programme (including photography exhibitions, literary evenings and children’s events) is available on the ECB’s website at www.ecb.europa.eu/culturaldays.
Further information about the events can be requested by e-mail to cultural-days@ecb.europa.eu or by calling the Cultural Days hotline on +49 69 1344 5555 (Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.).