Anniversary Gala

The Opera was, is and will be

A message from Zigmars Liepiņš, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian National Opera and Ballet

The Latvian National Opera was born at a time when all around was the sound of mortars, the noise of war. The map of Europe changed, as did the whole world. People, in their minds and hearts, understood that the Opera must endure, even through those conditions.

And so it was. The Opera survived The Bermondt Affair, the Second World War, two occupying forces and today, in a free nation, is once again the most significant cultural institution, a place where all art forms come together.

As a bridge between national and international art it is completely a part of the European artistic space. The Opera will be! It will not be suppressed by materialistically inclined clerks and short-sighted temporary management.

The Opera and Ballet was, is, and will be – always! I congratulate our artistic team and our audience on this celebration.

The Latvian National Opera can boast many proud achievements in this, the company’s first 100 years. Here are some highlights:

1918-19: The first season opens with a concert in September in Riga’s Second City Theatre under the baton of co-founder, director and perennial chief conductor Teodors Reiters. One month later the company performs its first opera, Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman. The following year they move to their current home, the former Riga First City Theatre.

1920s: Alfrēds Kalniņš composes and conducts Baņuta, the first opera with a Latvian libretto. The LNO’s first performance of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly is the inaugural broadcast of Riga Radio. The company flourishes artistically under principal conductor Emil Cooper.

1930s: Max Reinhardt directs Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus using a revolving stage brought from Berlin. Glazunov and Stravinsky visit Riga and perform at the LNO. Mikhail Chekhov produces Wagner’s Parsifal with a partly covered orchestra pit in an attempt to achieve the sound characteristic of Bayreuth.

1940s: Elfrīda Pakule stars as Queen of the Night in Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Conductor Leonīds Vīgners lays the foundations to restoring the opera company and orchestra after the

War. Aleksandrs Viļumanis plays the title role in Rubinstein’s The Demon. Latvian National Opera is renamed as the Latvian S.S.R. State Opera and Ballet Theater.

1950s: The company reaches new levels of artistic quality under the leadership of conductor Edgars Tons. Italian tenor Tito Schipa visits Riga and discovers the Latvian baritone Kārlis Zariņš. Pēteris Pētersons directs The Green Mill, a sparkling Latvian comic opera by Marģeris Zariņš.

1960s: Dmitry Shostakovich visits Riga and participates in the rehearsals of his opera Katerina Ismailova. Jānis Zariņš stages a production of Britten’s Peter Grimes. A production of Verdi’s Il trovatore sung in Italian marks the return to performing operas in their original language instead of in Latvian or Russian.

1970s: Estonia’s Eri Klas conducts Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. Jānis Zariņš creates an iconic production of Puccini’s Turandot that will remain in the company’s repertoire to the present day. Latvian prima donna Žermēna Heine-Vāgnere, still in outstanding vocal form, performs unforgettable farewells to the stage.

1980s: The Baltic opera houses host friendship concerts with soloists representing all three countries. Samsons Izjumovs gives an outstanding performance as the tragic fool in the title role of Verdi’s Rigoletto. Having been renamed as the Latvian S.S.R. State Opera and Ballet Theater 45 years earlier, the theatre recovers its historical title of the Latvian National Opera.

1990s: The opera house is restored over a period of four years. It reopens with Jānis Mediņš’s Fire and Night in a postmodern production by Alvis Hermanis. A new tradition is established with the Riga Opera Festival showcasing the new and best productions of the season.

2000s: At the age of 24, Andris Nelsons accepts the position of chief conductor of the LNO. Mariss Jansons conducts the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in a concert at the opera house. Elīna Garanča makes her role debut as Carmen in a production of Bizet’s opera set in Cuba.

2010s: The LNO stages the world premiere of The Heiress of Vilkaci by Latvian composer Bruno Skulte.The Riga Opera Festival celebrates Wagner’s 200th anniversary with a complete cycle of The Ring. A new production of The Flying Dutchman opens the company’s 100th season and is streamed live on OperaVision.