For the Dzintari Concert Hall - 90: an open-air exhibition about a century-long cultural story

Celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Dzintari Concert Hall, an open-air exhibition can be seen in the square near the concert hall, which reveals the important Latvian concert venue in a historical, architectural and musical context.

This year, the historic concert hall built in 1936 - the current Mazā zāle - celebrates its ninetieth anniversary, but the story of Dzintari's concert life begins much earlier. Already at the end of the 19th century, instead of the current concert hall, the concert garden of Edinburgh's almshouse operated, where mimes, acrobats, chansonniers, operettas and balls were initially entertaining the audience. On the other hand, at the beginning of the 20th century, Edinburgh became an important center of symphonic music, where orchestras from Berlin, Petersburg and Warsaw performed and its own symphony orchestra was created.

Large-format stands combine historical photographs, documentary facts, architectural stories and quotes from artists. The exhibition tells about the 1936 concert hall, the construction of which also used timber from old Jūrmala summer houses, the wall paintings of Anšas Cīrulis, the modernist summer concert hall opened in 1960, and 21st century architectural additions.

The special atmosphere of the concert hall is also revealed in the exhibition in the memories and reflections of outstanding Latvian music personalities - Raimonda Paul, Iveta Apkalna, Marina Rebeka, Elīna Garanča and Inese Galante - about concerts, the presence of sea and wind, the proximity of the audience and Dzintari concert hall as a living, internationally recognized cultural place.

The exhibition allows you to get to know the development of the Dzintari Concert Hall and its importance in the cultural space of Latvia in a concentrated form - a place where music, architecture and the Jūrmala landscape have been meeting for more than a century. The outdoor exhibition will be open until October 31 of this year.