Home » News » About the National Concert Hall. Open letter of the State Chamber Orchestra “Sinfonietta Riga” Press release

About the National Concert Hall. Open letter of the State Chamber Orchestra “Sinfonietta Riga” Press release

July 2, 2020

The information was prepared by Gints Ozoliņš, Head of Public Relations.

After decades of discussions, on June 16 the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a historic decision on the construction of the National Concert Hall on the state-owned plot of land at Elizabetes Street 2. The decision was both unexpected and sudden, and therefore understandable. Especially on the part of some architects and cautious unbelievers, who quite rightly want to find an answer to the dialectic of the June 16 decision, and whether the building of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the LSSR deserves to be demolished. It has been half a month since the decision was made, and the rationale for the idea, the situation, the financial considerations from the project initiator – have been voiced by the Ministry of Culture in the widest and most detailed range, while project opponents change the main “from” from time to time and from discussion to discussion. accents. Sometimes calls for a democratic project progress procedure come to the fore, sometimes the architectural excellence of the building at 2 Elizabetes Street is sung. Not seeing the project, our “green opponents” start to complain about the impact of the potential concert hall on the trees of the park, but at the same time call for the development of the concert hall project in a degraded area of ​​Riga with parking for all. There are many arguments and pseudo-arguments today. We would like to refrain wholeheartedly from engaging in these storms of controversy – for the time being accepting very sharp and sharp intonations – but seeing that the common good of society as a whole is a well-developed cultural environment, an accessible art and music infrastructure. plays an increasingly insignificant role in the discourse. Therefore, we would like to express our strong support for the National Concert Hall project at 2 Elizabetes Street.

There have often been proposals to build the National Concert Hall outside the city center. Without going into the issues of urban planning and the monocentric nature of Riga, one could rhetorically ask – would any of the opponents want to go to Vecmīlgrāvis for the National Theater performances, or visit the National Library in Bolderāja?

For lovers of visual art, 2016 came with a long-awaited event – the completion of the reconstruction of the Latvian National Museum of Art, including the extension of the museum underground in the Esplanade Park. Needless to say, since the reopening of the door, LNMM has experienced a “boom” of real visitors, and not only due to high-quality architecture and curiosity caused by the first agitation. LNMM is like Phoenix reborn from the ashes. One after another, the highest quality exhibitions are created, which confirms the fruitful synergy between the arranged environment, the spectator, the creator and the staff of the cultural institution.

We hear a lot of sad sighs and cries for help during the harsh Covid-19 from the regional concert halls, but let’s not forget how these local “castles of light” have changed the self-confidence of Latvians, raised their understanding of quality music content, promoted regional economic growth. Secondly, the regional concert halls were established as enlightenment centers, where orchestras of national significance concentrated in the capital can also play concert programs staged in salt work outside Riga. Neither Beethoven’s “ninth”, Shostakovich’s “fourth” or Mahler’s “eighth” can be played in the folk house.

However, currently the situation is that orchestras in Riga perform programs in critical working conditions and play acoustically in not quite appropriate halls, but residents of the regions can listen to the same programs in excellent conditions in Rēzekne, Liepāja, Cēsis and Ventspils.

Why would a resident of Riga (not to mention the cultural tourism industry so important to the state) not deserve a prestigious main concert hall in the country. With great sound, a comfortable and aesthetic environment, public transport to all parts of the sky and possibly more affordable ticket prices. Because there is some difference, whether the hall has 650 or 1200 seats.

The decision of the Cabinet of Ministers to demolish the buildings designed by architects J. Vilciņš, A. Ūdra, A. Staņislavska and G. Asars in 1974 is not and has never been an end in itself or an ambition of civil servants or elected officials, their desire to take revenge on the ghosts of history. This is a necessary compromise that balances the country’s ability to repay decades-old debt to its citizens. Riga is a city of Wagner, Lista, Šūmaņi, Berlioz, Vītols, brothers Mediņš, Jurjāns Andrejs and many other bright European and Latvian creative spirits.

What happens to Lāčplēsis if he cuts his ears? It loses its power and dies. Let’s not allow it!

Additional information:

Gints Ozolins,

Public Relations Manager

e: [email protected]

m. +371 28338875

General Radziņa embankment 3

Riga, LV-1050

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