In April and May, the Latvian National Opera and Ballet will embark on an extensive tour, presenting a diverse programme in several European countries as well as in concert halls across Latvia. Meanwhile, the Latvian National Opera building will be closed to audiences for two months as major energy-efficiency upgrades and reconstruction works approach completion.
Following the completion of these works, the Main Stage will reopen to audiences on 4 June with the premiere of a new production of Giacomo Puccini’s opera La Bohème, alongside events of the Riga Opera Festival.
At the beginning of April, the Latvian National Ballet will travel to Budapest, where it will perform Marco Goecke’s contemporary ballet Nijinsky at the Müpa Festival Theatre on 2 and 3 April. These performances are part of the international multi-genre Bartók Spring Festival, which brings together artists from various fields and offers a wide-ranging programme of music, dance, and performing arts.
Neighbouring countries also hold an important place in the tour programme. Jacques Offenbach’s opera The Tales of Hoffmann will be performed on 7 April at the Estonian National Opera. Choreographer Aivars Leimanis’ ballet La Esmeralda, set to music by Riccardo Drigo and Cesare Pugni, will be staged at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Vilnius on 29 and 30 April, and subsequently presented in Tallinn on 5 May. These guest performances mark a strengthening of cooperation among the Baltic national opera houses, with guest appearances by the Estonian and Lithuanian companies in Riga planned for upcoming seasons.
After a seven-year break, the Latvian National Opera will return to Bydgoszcz, Poland, where on 10 May it will present Richard Strauss’ opera Salome at an opera festival, under the musical direction of Mārtiņš Ozoliņš and in a production by Alvis Hermanis.
This spring, the Latvian National Opera and Ballet will also perform in regional concert halls. On 12 April, the ballet The Jungle Book by Raimonds Martinovs and Kārlis Lācis will be staged at Latgales vēstniecība GORS. On 19 April, a gala concert will take place at Concert Hall Latvija in Ventspils, while on 23 May a special concert by the Latvian National Opera will be presented as part of the anniversary programme of Concert Hall Cēsis.
The tour programme will continue into the summer. On 19 June, the Latvian National Ballet will appear at the Granada International Festival of Music and Dance, performing Adolphe Adam’s ballet Giselle. In August, the Latvian National Opera and Ballet will travel to the Vanemuine Theatre in Tartu for guest performances, presenting Gaetano Donizetti’s opera L’elisir d’amore and Edward Clug’s ballet Carmina Burana set to music by Carl Orff. In turn, the Vanemuine Theatre will visit the Latvian National Opera with productions of George Frideric Handel’s opera Giulio Cesare and the dance, music and theatre work A Little Prayer. A Tribute to Arvo Pärt.
Energy-efficiency improvements are currently being implemented in the Latvian National Opera building with funding from the European Union Recovery Fund. These include the renewal of engineering systems, roof insulation, and enhancements to architectural solutions related to energy efficiency. The works are being carried out by SIA Pillar Contractor. The project is financed by the European Union Recovery and Resilience Facility plan as well as by funds of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet.
The restoration of the historic tiled flooring in the foyer of the Latvian National Opera is being carried out with the support of the Latvian National Opera Foundation and the Latvian National Opera Guild.
About the Recovery and Resilience Facility:
The EU Recovery and Resilience Facility is a budget program managed centrally by the European Commission, established in addition to the EU's multiannual budget for the 2021–2027 programming period. The program aims to support reforms and investments related to the transition to a green and digital economy, as well as to mitigate the social and economic impact of the crisis. By the end of 2026, it is planned to invest EUR 1.97 billion from the Recovery and Resilience Facility in the Latvian economy by implementing reforms and making investments in all six areas of the Recovery and Resilience Facility: Climate and Energy (including REPowerEU), Digital Transformation, Reducing Inequality, Economic Transformation, Health, and Rule of Law.
The Recovery and Resilience Facility reforms and investments in Latvia are financed from the European Commission Recovery and Resilience Facility budget, with co-financing from the state budget.
Information prepared by:
Irbe Treile
Head of Public Relations of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet
Tel.: +371 67073700
Mob. tel.: +371 25469588
E-mail: prese@opera.lv
