Andrejs Žagars Cultural Development Foundation announces two unique concerts in Riga in 2025

The Andrejs Žagars Cultural Development Foundation is pleased to announce the upcoming European tour of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and its artistic director, Andris Nelsons. This tour includes eleven concerts in four cities from May 8 to May 24. Dedicated to the music of the distinguished composer Dmitri Shostakovich, this tour is especially significant as the BSO will perform in Riga – Nelsons’ hometown – for the first time.

The concert program will feature works by Shostakovich, honoring the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death. The tour begins with concerts at the prestigious Musikverein in Vienna on May 8 and 9, continues in Prague, where the BSO last performed in 1993, and concludes with an eight-day residency at the Shostakovich Festival in Leipzig.

“The news that the world-renowned and acclaimed Riga native, Andris Nelsons, will return to his hometown with the Boston Symphony Orchestra is grand – it will be a major event, and Riga is honored to collaborate to make it happen. Riga is proud to be one of the cities where these outstanding artists will perform as part of their European tour. Such a significant cultural event will be an opportunity to promote Riga as a cultural tourism destination abroad. At the same time, we will do everything possible to ensure that the performance of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons in Riga is a celebration for the city and that as broad an audience as possible can experience it in the city’s outdoor space,” emphasizes Riga Mayor Vilnis Ķirsis.

The BSO’s first performance in Riga will be significant as Nelsons, who began his conducting career at the Latvian National Opera, returns to his homeland with the orchestra to reveal the depth and emotions of Shostakovich’s music to the residents and visitors of Riga. The concert will feature the renowned Latvian violinist Baiba Skride, who will perform Shostakovich’s dramatic Violin Concerto No. 1. Skride, a longtime collaborator with Nelsons, made her debut with the BSO in 2013, performing this very piece.

Andris Nelsons, the BSO’s artistic director, comments: “The musicians of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and I are thrilled to return to Europe to share our passion for Dmitri Shostakovich’s music. This tour will be special with our first performance in my hometown of Riga. I am very excited about this opportunity to showcase the BSO’s wonderful skills to Latvian audiences and to introduce our orchestra to Latvia’s culture, history, and hospitality.”

BSO President and CEO Chad Smith adds: “Andris Nelsons’ and the BSO’s ten-year exploration of Shostakovich’s music has demonstrated how relevant and expressive this music is in our times. We are proud to be the cultural ambassadors of this important repertoire in such beautiful music capitals as Vienna, Prague, and Riga. We also eagerly look forward to collaborating again with the Gewandhaus Orchestra at the Shostakovich Festival in Leipzig to affirm the timeless values of humanity and hope in this music.”

Ticket sales for this significant event will begin this fall. Additionally, a press conference is planned for this fall to provide more detailed information about the upcoming concerts.