Chicago Symphony Orchestra to cancel their performances in 2021
22 February 2021
Riga Jurmala Music Festival announced today that the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, led by Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons, will make its debut in Riga during the weekend 3 to 5 September 2021. They will offer two concerts of all-Wagner programs at the Latvian National Opera, including Act 1 of Die Walküre with soprano Christine Goerke, tenor Klaus-Florian Vogt and bass Günther Groissböck. To complete this closing weekend of the Festival’s 2021 season, piano legend Maria João Pires will perform a solo recital.
On 3 and 4 September, the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and the outstanding Latvian-born conductor Andris Nelsons will present two performances of Richard Wagner’s music during the closing weekend of this summer’s Riga Jurmala Music Festival. The Saturday evening concert will feature Act 1 of Die Walküre, interpreted by soprano Christine Goerke, who recently sang Brünnhilde in the Metropolitan Opera’s Ring Cycle, and tenor Klaus-Florian Vogt and bass Günther Groissböck, both of whom are regulars of the Bayreuth Festival. Goerke and Vogt will also participate in the Friday evening concert of overtures, preludes and scenes from Lohengrin, Parsifal and Der Ring des Nibelungen. These performances will mark the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra’s debut in Riga, an ensemble originally created by Richard Wagner that is for the first time visiting a city in which Wagner spent two years of his young adult life, working as a conductor at the Riga German Theatre and composing a substantial part of his early opera Rienzi.
Conductor Andris Nelsons said: “I am greatly looking forward to returning to Riga for my first performance at the Riga Jurmala Music Festival. Performing together with the wonderful Bayreuth Festival Orchestra in this city is especially meaningful to me, not only because it is my hometown, and because Wagner’s music is extremely close to my heart, but also because of the special connection between Wagner and Riga. I am so honoured and excited to celebrate this joint history together with the musicians of this orchestra that all share an extraordinary dedication, passion and understanding of Wagner’s works, and we look forward to sharing our love for this music with our audiences.”
Martin T:son Engstroem, Artistic Director of the Riga Jurmala Music Festival, said: “Andris Nelsons is the epitome of Latvia’s musical heritage. Despite being a nation of less than 2 million people, Latvia has always produced some of the world’s greatest classical musicians, and we’re thrilled Nelsons will be joining us at the Festival for the first time. The fact that the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra is also making its debut in Riga, a city that played an important role in Wagner’s early life, make these performances particularly historic.”
Katarina Wagner, Director of the Bayreuth Festival, said: “I am delighted that Andris Nelsons will be giving concerts with our Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and three of our Festival soloists in his
native Riga. For me, this exceptional artist is characterized by his love for Wagner’s work and his concentrated work, which only focuses on the musical quality. I wish the audience two successful and inspiring concerts which, especially in these very unpredictable times, will once again make it clear how essential music is for all of us.”
Another highlight of this closing weekend is a Schubert, Debussy and Beethoven recital by the esteemed pianist Maria João Pires on 5 September. Universally acknowledged as one of the great musicians of our era, Pires divides her time between concertizing and developing educational initiatives in her native Portugal and in Belgium.
The Riga Jurmala Music Festival is committed to mentoring and supporting artists in the early stages of their careers and showcasing up-and-coming talents alongside established performers. This additional weekend continues that commitment with recitals by 22-year-old pianist Mao Fujita, who will play two lunchtime concerts, the second jointly with the Belgian violinist of Russian heritage Marc Bouchkov. Both artists were recipients in their disciplines of the Second Prize and the Silver Medal at the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra to cancel their performances in 2021
Due to ongoing health and safety concerns and potential travel and performance restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has regrettably cancelled its summer 2021 tour of European festivals.
As a consequence, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra concerts that were scheduled for the Riga Jurmala Music Festival on August 20 and 21 2021 will not be taking place, whereas the planned recitals with the Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes and violinist Daniel Lozakovich will be rescheduled. The concerts with Behzod Abduraimov will also be cancelled.
All ticket-holders for performances during the weekend August 20-22 2021 will be provided several options, including a full refund for the cancelled performances or pre-sales status if chosen to purchase tickets to any of the concerts for taking place September 3-5 2021.
“Although we are extremely sad, we respect the decision of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and we will continue our partnership with the musicians of the orchestra through the Riga Jurmala Academy online masterclasses, and we truly hope to welcome the orchestra during their next European tour,” said Zane Čulkstēna, CEO of the Riga Jurmala Music Festival. “We are absolutely thrilled to have the privilege of hosting the world-class Bayreuth Festival Orchestra in rare performances outside Germany. It also means a lot to Latvians to have one of our greatest musical ambassadors – Andris Nelsons – conduct in his home country, making what we hope will be the first of many appearances at the Riga Jurmala Music Festival.”
All ticket holders will receive information on the aforementioned options by email using the address entered when purchasing the tickets. If you have not received an email, or if you have any other questions, please email tickets@riga-jurmala.com or call +371 27770010.
Programme
Friday 3 September
7pm
Bayreuth Festival Orchestra
Andris Nelsons conductor
Christine Goerke soprano
Klaus Florian Vogt tenor
Venue: Latvian National Opera
Wagner:Overtures, preludes and arias from Lohengrin, Parsifal and Der Ring des Nibelungen
Saturday 4 September
12pm
Mao Fujita piano
Venue: Great Guild
Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C minor, K. 457
Brahms: Rhapsodies, op.79
Strauss: Piano Sonata in B minor, op. 5
7pm
Bayreuth Festival Orchestra
Andris Nelsons conductor
Sieglinde: Christine Goerke
Siegmund: Klaus-Florian Vogt
Hunding: Günther Groissböck
Venue: Latvian National Opera
Wagner:Die Walküre, Act 1
Sunday 5 September
12pm
Marc Bouchkov violin
Mao Fujita piano
Venue: Great Guild
Brahms:Sonata no. 1 in G major for Violin and Piano, op. 78 (“Regensonate”)
Franck:Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano
7pm
Maria João Pires piano
Venue: Latvian National Opera
Works by Schubert, Debussy and Beethoven
Led by Artistic Director Martin T:son Engstroem and Associate Artistic Director Miguel Esteban, the team behind the Festival has been working tirelessly to bring the best quality music and musicians to Latvia. The team consists of industry professionals who share a dedication and passion for classical music, as well as the strongly-held belief that Riga and Jurmala are the hidden gems of Northern Europe, fast becoming two of the most exciting destinations for classical music connoisseurs.