Jūrmala festival opened with operas by Bizet, Verdi and Puccini / Article

Today, 19:43

Authors:
Una Zvejniece (LTV journalist)

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Most recently, several soloists shone brightly at the Belvedere Young Opera Soloist Competition. Among them, the 2nd place winner of the competition, the Ukrainian baritone Nikita Ivasechko and the Belgian Louise Fora, who sang well-known opera arias at the opening concert of the Jūrmala festival.

Musicologist Inese Lūsiņa said about Fora: “She is simply a very charming soprano. Lyrical, but at the same time brilliant. With such brilliance, I really hear the voice. At the same time, such warmth, such sincerity and such ability to illuminate the voice, to bring nuances, colors into it. Simply a very wonderful singer.I am extremely glad that she came back here so quickly even in Dzintaros.

Doroteja Bienert, Rodrigo Porras Garulo and Rodrigo Porras Garulo, who have already met in Jurmala, as well as Olha Matushenko, a soloist from the Kyiv Opera, also took to the stage.

Guntars ķirsis, a member of the board of the Dzintari Concert Hall, emphasized: “If we look at tonight, we had such a widely represented world map – both Belgium and Mexico, Ukraine, our own wonderful Jūrmala Festival Orchestra, conductor Mārtiņš Ozoliņš. This is how we are creating that evening – like a festival of opera music.”

The participants of this year’s Belvedere competition took part in the Jūrmala festival for the first time. “I was happy to see how excited the audience was and how they perceived this concert. I felt different emotions from them, it helped me to sing and give them even more. It was an honor,” Louise Faure was pleased.

Conductor Mārtiņš Ozoliņš received special attention from young musicians, his work was also evaluated by musicologist Inese Lūsiņa: “This is the time when we should pay special attention to how artistic, free, musical, and self-confident a conductor has become, who is happy and with such charm one can act on stage and the music sounds good to him.”

The future program of the festival will be available until July 24.

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