“Latvia’s Ring”, a major project honouring the centenary of the Latvian State is comprised of 16 concerts that are performed at four concert halls in Latvia’s regions.
This idea, which is the brainchild of the Artistic Head of the Latvian Radio Choir, conductor Sigvards Kļava, is to highlight and showcase the characteristics, jewels and energy of each region of Latvia in four conceptually different rings of concerts through the prism of nation’s dearest asset – the perspective of local people. Latgale’s unique cultural heritage with its phenomenon of traditional music making, the power of the sea in Kurzeme coursing through people’s everyday existence, Vidzeme’s national string and symbolic patriotic space, and Zemgale as a broad horizon where rivers of souls come together.
Each concert is performed in a cycle in four Latvian concert halls: the Embassy of Latgale Gors, Cesis Concert Hall, Jelgava Culture House and the Liepaja Great Amber Concert Hall. With the participation of the Latvian Radio Choir, each region’s ring will be formed by a different artistic and creative team including Inese Mičule, Reinis Suhanovs, Roberts Rubīns, Māris Sirmais, Inese Zandere, Katrīna Neiburga, Guna Kalnača, Jānis Mitrēvics, the State Academic Choir Latvia, the Latvian Radio Big Band, the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra and others.
“The concert cycle “Latvia’s Ring” is a unique gift on the occasion of the centenary of the Latvian State. Sigvards Kļava has brought together outstanding creative personalities, challenging them to make audacious use of various artistic forms: academic music, folklore, visual art and video to augment the compositions. The extensive programme will be launched with a singing rendition of the story of Latgale and concluded with a musical eulogy dedicated to the fertile land of Zemgale,” commented Minister for Culture Dace Melbārde.
The concert cycle was launched in Rezekne on 22 April 2017 with “For Scriptures and Sound”, a concert dedicated to Latgale.
Interwoven in the concert were folk songs and the Holy Scriptures, renditions of which were performed by ethnographic musicians and priests, with live voices and archive recordings. The concert was inspired by handwritten calendar fragments written by the Latgalian writer, scribe and Latgale’s foremost publisher of handwritten books, Andrivs Jurdžs. Commenting on this pet project, Sigvards Kļava stressed that, "I am constantly amazed by our nation; I am constantly amazed by our people! The wells are so deep; the water from which we can drink is so life-affirming..."
We invite you to follow the course of the project at: www.latvijasgredzens.lv.