This time we welcomed the New Year not at or under the tree at home, but at the event RELIVING LEGENDS NYE PARTY, held at the "Floating Workshop" on Andrejsala. In fact I only spotted the poster online on the afternoon of 30 December and at the last moment decided to buy tickets. I was inspired by the idea that we'd be able to watch the midnight fireworks from the ship's deck - sort of - and dance to live music.
Yesterday, 14 November, around 18:00, several Riga building facades were coloured by light beams of various hues, rhythmic shadows wandered along the walls, fish silhouettes began dancing in the sewer manholes. The second light festival in its history - "Staro Rīga" - had begun. The main installations were concentrated precisely in Old Riga and the city centre, so the streets were full of people - every other one with a camera in hand. See video and photos.
On Friday evening, 6 November, we attended the concert of what is now the 10th world music festival at the Great Guild. The evening was cool - just right for conjuring up in the imagination the landscapes of the southern lands from which the performed music came. The overall impression: a lovely event that left no room for boredom, but allowed one to discover and enjoy something more from the culture and art of various peoples. See VIDEO from the event.
White Night in Riga (12–13 September) was this year reasonably warm (around 15 degrees above zero) and full of curious observers and contemporary art performances. The already autumnal darkness of night allows one to play with illusions created by coloured light and to "see by blinking your ears," since "people, by blinking their eyes (coating the eyeball with fluid from the lacrimal glands), lose approximately 23 minutes of visual information every day."
Literally just an hour ago we returned from a damp, now autumnal Jūrmala, where an evening concert "Enter My World" by Raimonds Ozols, concertmaster of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, took place at Dzintari Concert Hall. It drew a full audience, including the President with his wife. The concert consisted of two parts: the first lyrical and calm, the second dynamic, magnificent, and varied.
There were many fragrances here - aromatic herbs dried and sewn into beautiful linen sachets to be placed among clothes so they acquire a pleasant scent and repel moths. Especially pleasant were the lavender pouches, additionally embroidered with images of the herb's flowers found inside. Various teas packaged in attractive little bags. Each vendor knew how to explain the composition, and which teas are best suited for what purpose.
Although the festival events took place in several locations in central Riga, we spent our time along the 11 November Embankment. There, of course, the main attention was concentrated around the vintage vehicles. Everyone (myself included) considered it a matter of honour to be photographed beside one of the retro cars. All were in good technical condition, polished and ready to hit the road.
We have just returned from Bauska, where we attended the Wedding Musicians Festival organised by Ilze's Events Agency. It took place at the Bauska Castle Hill outdoor stage, began yesterday 1 August at 16:00 and ended today 2 August somewhere around 2:00 or even later. Despite the relatively small attendance and number of participants, there was no shortage of songs, dances, beer, good spirits, or positive atmosphere.
On 11 October this year at 17:00, the world's foremost pioneer of Nouveau Flamenco, guitarist and composer Ottmar Liebert, will perform at the Great Guild. He will be in Latvia with a solo concert, delighting us with his finest compositions in the programme: "An Evening with Ottmar Liebert: Guitar and Conversation". During his spiritual journey, a couple of years ago he was ordained as a Zen monk.
Today, 27 June, the Latvian Fruit Growers' Association is holding - for the second year running - the Strawberry Festival at the Spice shopping centre, bringing together local strawberry growers from across Latvia. The event programme, with trading, musical performances, and various competitions, is scheduled from 10:00 until 22:00. So if anyone didn't know or hasn't made it yet - there's still time!
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