Opera on the Roller Coaster of History: Latvia National Opera

The time to get to know Riga and its opera company as an insider is now. Riga has been chosen, together with the Swedish city of Umea, to be the European Cultural Capital in 2014. The city will undoubtedly put on a fabulous program for the wave of tourists expected during that year. A visit to the city this season offers the chance to get to know the city before the excitement begins. And those who have experienced this attractive and culturally rich Baltic capital once will surely want to return for the festivities in 2014.

Latvia is a relatively small country with a dramatic history. All the more remarkable that its National Opera in the capital city of Riga has such a strong and established tradition. The history of opera in Latvia is considerably older than the nation itself, with opera companies performing in Riga already in the 18th century. Despite the many obstacles posed by this Baltic nation's rocky history, dedicated musicians and opera lovers assured the position of opera in the cultural landscape.

The beginnings of the current Latvian National Opera in 1912 were quickly halted by the start of World War I. The performers went into exile in Russia, returning only in 1918. Under Jāzeps Vītols, the company made a new start, and the first production in 1919 was Wagner's Flying Dutchman. During the period of Russian occupation and Soviet annexation, beginning in 1944, the opera continued to exist under the name Latvian S.S.R. State Opera and Ballet Theater. With the fall of the Iron Curtain, the company was once again the Latvian National Opera, and the theater underwent renovation until reopening in 1995 with a performance of Latvian composer Jānis Mediņš’ Uguns un nakts (Fire and Night).

Today, the Latvian National Opera is a remarkably daring institution. The traditional repertoire has a secure place in the programming, but the company constantly strives to present opera in an innovative way. Beside the favorite Classical and Romantic works, the Latvian National Opera also offers contemporary Latvian compositions, Baroque opera, and children's performances. The Riga Opera House is also home to the Latvian National Ballet, which is driven by a similar artistic philosophy.

Classictic is very pleased to welcome the Latvian National Opera to our online portal!

Rome Concerts Connecting Old and New

Rome is a city alive with history. So, it is hardly surprising that the most active musical institution of this modern European capitol is among the oldest organizations of its kind. The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia has its origins in a papal bull issued by Sixtus V in 1585. Begun as the “Congregation of Musicians under the invocation of the Blessed Virgin, Saint Gregory and Saint Cecilia” (Congregazione dei Musici sotto l'invocazione della Beata Vergine e dei Santi Gregorio e Cecilia), it was first seated in the Church of Santa Maria ad Martires, now better known as the Pantheon.

One prominent theme that runs through the long and fascinating history of the Accademia is the search for a home. In its first 100 years of existence, the association moved within Rome several times. The first true home was established in 1685 at San Carlo ai Catinari, and practically every subsequent chapter in the history of Rome saw the Accademia moving to a new location.

Today, it seems that over 400 years of sojourning has ended in a tremendous architectural complex planned by Renzo Piano (*1937). The Auditorium Parco della Musica is comprised of three large, scarab-shaped concert buildings, plus an outdoor amphitheater. In keeping with the historical sense of the city, the complex, which was built on the grounds of the 1960 Summer Olympic Games, incorporates ancient archaeological finds that emerged during construction.

Visitors to the Auditorium Parco della Musica this season can hear the orchestra of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia performing with such legendary pianists as Maurizio Pollini and Lang Lang or under the baton of visiting conductors Valery Gergiev and Kirill Petrenko.

A classical concert in the Auditorium of Rome seemlessly connects yesterday with tomorrow: Classictic welcomes Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia!

Should the witch really get thrown in the oven each Christmas?

Or is it finally Hansel’s turn?
Tell the truth. How many of you are secretly fans of the witch?
Those singing children, nibbling on her house each year - I would be annoyed too. Wouldn’t you? As with so many operas - ‘Romeo, she’s only asleep!, Rigoletto, it’s your daughter!, Siegmund, don’t kiss her – it’s your sister! Witch, don’t peer into the oven - it’s a plot!’- our favorite characters never seem to hear us and are doomed each performance to suffer the same fate. Although there is much to say for reliability – especially in today’s turbulent world - I will go and cheer for the witch this year, glaring at any little kids in the audience who dare to challenge me. Hansel und Gretel at the Vienna Volksoper this December - Go Witch!!

All dressed up with someplace to go...

If you’ve vacationed in Barcelona, you have certainly experienced the city’s central boulevard, Las Ramblas. I was there the first time in my backpacking years, on a typically American, cram-it-all-in tour that also included Amsterdam, Munich, London, and a detour into the Sinai desert. Ah, youth.

In my backpacking days, an elegant evening out meant washing my hair (I was staying at pay-per-shower hostels) and putting on my darker Birkenstocks. So, if you have been to the Ramblas, you know that I still haven’t recovered from the overwhelming elegance I experienced there. Beginning around 10 pm, the population of Barcelona took to the street, in an exhibit of stylish ease and high-heel acrobatics that I could only assume resulted from years of intensive training. (I imagine here levels such as “crawling with grace”, “diaper-swaying toddler promenade”, etc.)

I was young and new to Europe, so people-watching (worshipping might be a better word) was activity enough for my petty budget. Yet, I did wonder in my own New Yorker way, where all these fashionistas were going. Did they really just get dressed up to walk up and down the street and look good? It did seem possible, and I chalked this up to the wonders of cultural diversity.

Lo, these many years later, I have discovered a reason to go back to the boardwalk, get dolled up, and join the fray. Right at the halfway point of Las Ramblas, a somewhat austere façade opens into the sumptuous interior of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, an opera house with a programme that rivals the most famous theatres of the world. The theatre is dedicated to presentating the core opera repertoire as well as rarely heard compositions, and the innovative productions are as chic as the Barcelona audience itself.

In my backpacking days, my idea of planning ahead involved opening the Let’s Go Europe tome before getting off the train in a new city. These days, my vacations are a lot shorter, my budget is a little broader, and I have even been known to throw a pair of medium-high-heels into my suitcase. So, I have checked out the fabulous list of performances at the Gran Teatre del Liceu on Classictic.com, and I am grabbing a no-frills flight to Barcelona.

I will never achieve the flair of the local Barcelona beauties, who must be born wearing heels and sunglasses. But I fully intend to don my flashiest mid-life-crisis-preview dress and sashay down the Ramblas with my e-Ticket in hand. After all, as much as I appreciate the rambling lifestyle, I find it a lot easier to get dressed up when I’ve got someplace to go.

Opera America Conference, April 2009

Somewhat late in posting about this great week in Houston but perhaps the time to reflect will improve my post… Houston as a city presented some challenges for this Berliner. The conference was held in the very nice Hyatt Regency, my room overlooking the famed (infamous) Enron buildings. However, the urban decay of downtown Houston was not hidden even by these massive glass towers. On my few excursions from the hotel and into the downtown area I was constantly approached by beggars of all sorts. It was not pleasant, really rather disconcerting regarding the actual economic state of affairs of the capital of Texas. There were also some unfortunate coincidences and acts of nature while there- fate, I suppose. The city experienced flooding during that week, with one news report commenting on alligators in the streets in some parts of town. To add to the fun, we had the Swine Flu outbreak- which had Houston firmly in its grips- as I was shaking hands all day with fellow delegates. I believe we all remained Swine-Flu-free and I did not actually experience any alligators on the streets myself, (just the panhandlers) but the news reports were enough to keep me happily in the hotel and the conference itself kept me quite busy.
I very much enjoyed experiencing the Houston Grand Opera. It is a wonderful house, big in the way that one would expect of a Texan opera house, really generous in space and feeling, excellent acoustics as well. Conference attendees were offered the opportunity to attend the premiere of the Andre Previn opera, Brief Encounter, beautifully composed and performed, a definite highlight.
The southern reputation for gracious hospitality was not tarnished by this week of ‘meet and greet’, quite the contrary, my (high) expectations there were exceeded. The very charming and classical music savvy mayor of Houston, Bill White, greeted the delegation at the opening session with an excellent address which was both humorous and interesting. One thing that did bother me in his remarks was a repeated reference to the European classical music world, inferring some sort of competition between it and the American classical music colleagues. I do not feel this at all, and did not receive this impression from other, American, delegates. Perhaps we should invite Mayor White for a visit to Berlin. Alex Ross, author of The Rest is Noise, made the opening keynote address which was fascinating and sent me running for more books by him- really an excellent mind there; a leading thinker on the classical music scene today, worldwide. And Opera America’s ebullient President and CEO, Marc A. Scorca, well known for his wit, energy and dedication to all things opera, got things going on an upbeat… (a terrible pun for musicians, forgive me!)… note. The long week-end was filled with fascinating seminars on the various aspects of keeping an opera company alive and well in today’s tough economic climate as well as artistic inspirations and a super exchange of ideas between professionals from around the world, opera companies small and large. The theme of ‘Making Opera Matter’, or the relevance of opera in today’s world, was widely explored. A special applause to the team (staff) of Opera America; those guys were so great- , helpful and a ton of fun. They organized a super convention and I am looking forward to the next one in LA.
Classictic attended the Opera American Convention as both delegate and sponsor and is happy to support the arts in America in this way.

What they are saying-

I don’t often have time to check the travel blogs, which are as interesting as they are numerous – but when I do manage to check in I very much enjoy finding these nice comments about Classictic from people all over the world.
This from Rick Steves, Italy 2009, Favorite Discoveries or Tips:
"Classicatic.com...We booked a dinner and an Opera event in Florence. Enjoyed a delicious five course Italian dinner with wine at a traditional restaurant near Ponte Vecchio then walked about a block to the theater where we enjoyed a four act presentation of LaBoheme. What a magical evening. The meal was terrific in both taste and presentation and the music was very powerful. Because we booked early our reserve seat for the opera was front row center less than ten feet from the actors. This was the finest live show that I have ever experienced. I had never seen or heard anything like it in the past and don't expect to witness anything like it again!! I was totally WOWed!! Wonderful, talented actors!!!
Furnacefighter in Philadelphia, PA USA 03/20/2009"

Very curious to know what a Furnace Fighter actually does and glad that he is also an opera fan! I highly recommend the Rick Steves website and guidebooks, informative, practical and upbeat.

Opera Europe Conference. Barcelona, April 2009

Gran Teatro del Liceu, in the charming city of Barcelona, was host last April to the Opera Europa Conference. Classictic was there, not just as delegate but also as sponsor and speaker. I take a minute now- in the cool, April-like weather of the Berlin interpretation of summer, to reflect.

The week presented a great opportunity for an exchange of ideas and thoughts with the super busy leaders of opera houses throughout Europe. Theme for this gathering was Creativity and Innovation, with a consistent focus on strategies to promote success/survival for and in the future. In these challenging economic times, where arts are often considered a luxury and quickly cut from the budget of a sponsor or patron, these sessions were lively, well attended and all very interesting. I would like to commend the members of Opera Europa for their open-eyed yet optimistic approach to keeping their opera houses alive in the face of the harsh economic realities we are faced with in today’s global market. It is not a bad thing to take a moment and reassess - as one is required to do in such a crisis. The opera houses appeared ready to me, ready to open themselves to new ideas and technologies without sacrificing their strong traditions, keen to maintain their audience bases and to grow with younger generations.

Speaking of young: an additional and wonderful focus in the Convention, also looking to the future, was placed on the talented group of Young Participants. I was completely taken by the depths of creativity and long-term plans, coupled with knowledge of the extensive history of opera and great talent which I found within this group of eloquent young people. They are working very hard and plan to keep opera alive and vibrant for many generations to come.

Classictic was asked to speak and present information to the delegates in a Panel Presentation on Internet Marketing for the Performing Arts which was very well attended and received. Continuing with the theme of opening themselves to new technologies, the possibility of marketing their performances to a world-wide audience on the multi-lingual Classictic website was of great interest to many. The concept of ‘Opera Tourism’ was to some delegates a ‘new’ concept. This group of travelling music lovers is one of the many client groups that Classictic is happy to service. There are, at any given time, hundreds of operas to choose from throughout Europe and as far away as Bangkok on the Classictic portal. Soon to come: North American Opera houses.

Classictic is looking forward to meeting our opera colleagues at the Opera Europa Convention in Budapest next fall.

Opera Days and Opera Forum

Classictic is delighted to support Opera in Europe through its sponsorship of the upcoming European Opera Forum, which takes place in Barcelona, and through Media Sponsorship of the European Opera Days project, taking place this May in Europe.

The Barcelona Forum will focus on creativity and innovation in the world of opera today. Classictic will participate in a panel to discuss the uses of internet marketing for the promotion of the arts in general and specifically for the developement of new audience members.

The European Opera Days is an exciting project taking place in opera houses throughout Europe; doors are open to the public and you are invited to participate in many different ways and to (re) discover the excitement of the opera! For specific information as to the Opera Days activites in your area please click on the link above.

What they are saying

Nice to note that people have had some great results with Concerts and Events in Italy which they found on www.classictic.com. Also a pleasure to see when customers have reported this information back to fellow travellers on the various web forums. I just read of one customer who had a really great time at his opera event in the Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista in Venice. He reported back on his trip in the Trip Advisor Venice Forum.

If you are heading to Venice for Carnival I am happy to recommend Il Barbiere di Siviglia, of Rossini, also taking place at the spectacular Scuola Grande di San Giovanni Evangelista. On the 21st of February admission is at 19:00 in anticipation of the Carnival Events and you also will enjoy typical Italian cakes and a glass of sparkling wine while there. Here's the link, http://www.classictic.com/en/Search/Italy/Venice/2009-02-10/Scuola-Grande-di-San-Giovanni-Evangelista
Ciao!