ANDRIS NELSON, KRISTĪNE OPOLAIS, GEWANDHAUSORCHESTER Leipzig in Riga

The Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, led by the new artistic director Andris Nelsons, brings two different programmes to Riga, featuring two rising stars in the music world. These concerts are included in the Latvian centenary concert series “Born in Latvia”.

The concerts are organised in collaboration with Andrejs Žagars Cultural Support and Development Foundation and the Baltic Musical Seasons Foundation. Kristīne Opolais, a renowned soprano who has performed in prestigious concert halls and opera houses, will join the orchestra for the concert on 13 October. Her voice will be heard in the most beautiful pages of Tchaikovsky’s operas Eugene Onegin and The Queen of Spades – the view of the letter and Liza’s arioso. Andris Dzenītis’ new work Māra, commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, will be performed for the first time in Latvia during this concert.

Directed by Andris Nelsons, it will have its world premiere in Leipzig in September 2018 and be heard in Boston in November. The second part of the concert will feature Gustav Mahler’s monumental, chrestomatic First Symphony, known as the Titan. Andris Nelsons will begin his new position as the artistic director of the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester on 22 February, with a series of concerts in Leipzig; this year’s concerts will also take place in London, Stockholm, Moscow, St Petersburg, Helsinki, and Latvia.

The concert cycle “Born in Latvia” is a commemorative event for Latvia’s centenary, supported by the Ministry of Culture. The concert series provides Latvian audiences with the opportunity to see performances by both young Latvian talent and internationally renowned and sought-after music stars in Latvian concert halls during Latvia’s centenary year.