Composer | Rihards Dubra
Libretto | Inga Ābele
An opera about the history of a faith on the sea coast of South Kurzeme, in the South Kurzeme dialect.
At the center of the story is Miķelis Pankoks - a fisherman’s son who, struggling with life’s hardships and a search for his identity, discovers his calling as an artist. His journey leads through seascapes, family dramas, artistic triumphs and losses, all the way to exile and a vision of spiritual return. The opera weaves together real and symbolic scenes - the sea, a tree, mountains, angels, and the voice of God that permeates Pankoks’s life and art.
Rihards Dubra’s new opera, created in collaboration with playwright Inga Ābele, is an emotional and visually rich experience that invites audiences to step into the mysterious world of the Kurzeme coast, feel the force of nature, and sense the search of the human spirit. “Pankoks, Man of the Winds” is a story about creation, loss, hope, and love - about the soul’s path to freedom.
Rihards Dubra is an internationally recognized Latvian composer whose works are regularly performed in concerts both in Latvia and abroad.
Dubra is also the composer of the opera “Suiti Saga,” created at the initiative of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra and telling a historical story of love, courage, and loyalty in central Kurzeme.
The composer has received the Grand Music Award of Latvia several times, including for the work “Te Deum” and the piano piece “Visions of the Way of the Cross. Light,” which confirms his significant contribution to Latvian music.
Inga Ābele is one of the most important contemporary Latvian writers - a prose writer, playwright, and poet whose works stand out for their powerful imagery, psychological depth, and richness of language. Her plays, novels, and stories have received wide acclaim in Latvia and abroad and have been translated into several languages. Inga Ābele has been awarded the Latvian Literature Award, the Baltic Assembly Prize, and other major literary honors on several occasions.
Together with Kārlis Vērdiņš, Inga Ābele is also the librettist of Ēriks Ešenvalds’s opera “The Tree of Fruit Is Joseph,” which premiered at the Latvian National Opera in 2007.
The “Opera by the Sea” festival is being carried out within the framework of the “Liepāja 2027” program, using funding allocated by the Ministry of Culture, the city of Liepāja, and the municipalities of South Kurzeme and Kuldīga. The “Liepāja 2027” program is supported by the main partner in environmental education and sustainability, AS “CleanR Grupa,” the main partner in mobility and international communication, AS “airBaltic Corporation,” and the mobility partner, transport provider SIA “Lux Express Latvia.”
INFORMATION FOR VISITORS:
The concert uses an extended stage, so in practice row 5 is the first audience row.
Discounts:
Pensioners, students, people with disabilities - 5 euros
Schoolchildren - 50%
Holders of the Honored Family 3+ card - 30%
Groups (10 or more visitors) - 20%
An accompanying person for a person with disability group I/II - 50%
When purchasing group tickets online, please write to sales@lso.lv
When attending the concert, visitors must present a document proving eligibility for the discount.
Useful information:
The concert is accessible to people with hearing impairments, as the induction loop function will be activated during the performance. Based on the experience expressed by people with hearing impairments when testing this system, the best listening experience is available in the center section of the stalls, from row 5 to 12, seats 6 to 28.
