Celebrate the festive season at Riga Christmas Gala, 25 and 26 December, Kipsala Hall, featuring a guitar virtuoso Kaspars Zemītis, the popular ethno music group “Tautumeitas”, amazing opera singers Jolanta Strikaite-Lapiņa and Mihails Čulpajevs!
Christmas is a time for reflection for some people; a time for sincere conversations, gingerbread and pies for others, the joy of giving presents and being together for again others. Apart from this – an evergreen fir tree – the everlasting symbol of Christmas underlying the idea of Riga Christmas Gala this year.
"The Star of Bethlehem tree topper, Christmas decorations made in China or France, or handmade following ancient traditions, Dobele candles, bright and posh gift wrappings – all this coexist in perfect harmony with the Christmas symbol grown in Latvia’s forests. The same applies to the concert programme, which includes popular songs of Latvian and foreign composers, traditional Christmas tunes and popular classical music," tells Reinis Suhanovs, a director and stage designer of Riga Christmas Gala, adding, "since Christmas is a time for miracles, many wonderful surprises await audiences!"
The Riga Christmas Gala programme includes Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D for organ and orchestra, Mykola Leontovych's Shchedryk based on a traditional Ukrainian folk chant and known as the soundtrack to a lot of Christmas movies, including “Home Alone”, popular melodies by Latvian songwriters Raimonds Pauls, Imants Kalniņš, Jānis Strazds, Ainars Virga, as well as well-known pieces by foreign composers like All I Want for Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey, Time to Say Goodbye by Francesco Sartori arranged by K. Zemītis, G. Kalniņš, A. Sējāns and R. Bērtiņš.
Riga Christmas Gala also features the Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences and Valmiera Culture Centre Youth Choir “Skan”, the Carnikava Mixed Choir “Vēja balss”, the Liepāja Music, Art and Design School Boys Choir, the Valmiera Music School Girl Choir “SolLaRe”, the Christmas Chamber Orchestra and a backing band. Conductors – Rūdolfs Bērtiņš and Jurģis Cābulis.
Concert director – Rūdolfs Bērtiņš, director and stage designer – Reinis Suhanovs.
Riga Christmas Gala starts at 17.00 on 25 December; 14.00 on 26 December.
