NAKTS VENĒCIJĀ - a richly musical New Year journey to “La Serenissima” through the centuries and the genres of classical music
At the end of the year, the Classical Music Guild “Euterpe” invites you on a splendid musical journey to Venice. At the heart of the concert, as the title reveals, will be the legendary cradle of Italian culture, historically known as “La Serenissima”. This designation comes from the Latin word “serenus,” meaning “clear,” “bright,” “calm.” Venice has carried this name through the centuries. It recalls the ancient grandeur, dominance, and refinement that characterized the lagoon city during its period as a maritime power.
The concerts will be held in several Latvian cities: on December 17 at the Līgatne Cultural House, on December 23 at Rundāle Palace, on December 26 at Ēdole Palace, and on December 29 at the Valka Municipality Cultural Center.
In this culturally and historically unusual, genre-diverse concert program, audience-favorite artists will come together - sopranos ANTA JANKOVSKA and JOLANTA STRIKAITE, tenor DAINIS SKUTELIS, baritone NAURIS INDZERIS, and pianist HELĒNA LAUKMANE. The concerts will be hosted by musicologist LIENE JAKOVĻEVA.
For more than three centuries - from the 16th to the 19th century - Venice was one of Europe’s most important music capitals, significantly influencing the development of academic, sacred, and opera music. Its strategic geographic location, as well as its extensive network of patrons and cultural institutions, allowed “La Serenissima” to create an exceptionally rich and dynamic musical life.
Many famous Italian composers were born in Venice, such as A. Vivaldi, B. Marcello, B. Galuppi, E. Wolf-Ferrari, and others.
Venice also retained its importance as one of Europe’s music centers in the 19th and 20th centuries. Many writers and composers chose the shadowed, evocative Venice as the setting for their works - for example in G. Verdi’s operas “Otello” and “I Due Foscari,” A. Ponchielli’s opera “La Gioconda,” and the famous Johann Strauss Jr. operetta that also inspired the concert’s title - “Night in Venice.”
World premieres of operas by several outstanding composers took place in Venice, including C. Monteverdi’s “The Coronation of Poppea,” G. Rossini’s “Semiramide,” V. Bellini’s “The Capulets and the Montagues,” G. Verdi’s masterpieces “Ernani,” “Rigoletto,” “La Traviata,” and “Simon Boccanegra,” as well as many others.
The barcarolle also comes from Venice - a romantic song of Venetian boatmen that has become one of the most vivid miniatures of the genre in classical music and is often found in both opera and chamber music. Meanwhile, Gioachino Rossini’s vocal cycle “The Venetian Regatta” in the Venetian dialect is one of the world’s most famous and charming examples of vocal chamber music, directly embodying Venice’s culture and atmosphere.
This genre-rich musical mosaic from the Baroque period to the 20th century, with Venice as its leading character, has been used by the concert organizers as the basis for the new New Year’s program.
Tickets for the concerts are available at “Biļešu paradīze” ticket offices. Discounts are available for pensioners and persons with disabilities.
The concerts are financially supported by the State Culture Capital Foundation, Kuldīga Municipality, and Cēsis Municipality.
