FULL LATVIAN SONG AND DANCE FESTIVAL Kopā Augšup Riga 2023
Information on the Performance
- Work Title: LATVIAN SONG AND DANCE FESTIVAL
- Composer: various
- Libretto: various
- Venue & Opera Company: Mežaparka Lielā estrāde, Riga, Latvia
- Recorded: July 9, 2023
- Type: Concert Live
- Singers:
- Conductor: Agita Rimšēviča, Aira Birziņa
- Orchestra: various
- Chorus: various
- Stage Director: Reinis Suhanovs
- Stage Designer: Austris Mailītis
- Costume Designer:
Information about the Recording
- Published by: ARTE, ZDF
- Date Published: 2023
- Format: Streaming
- Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
- Subtitles: nosubs
- Video Recording from: ARTE FULL VIDEO
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
The song and dance festival is an outstanding cultural masterpiece of folklore that has survived the challenges of time. It has become an event of Latvian and international importance, gathering and uniting Latvians from all over the world, uniting generations and peoples.
A powerful movement grew out of the first song festival in 1873 with 1000 singers. About 40,000 participants are preparing for their contribution to the XXVII Song Festival and the XVII Dance Festival. More than 1600 groups in Latvia and over 100 groups abroad are expected to celebrate together.
The choristers and dancers, musicians, craftsmen, folklore groups and amateur theater players have been working systematically for five years within the framework of rehearsals, continuous preparation of the repertoire, competitions, exhibitions, seminars and concerts in order to be able to take part in the festival. After a cycle of five years, they all come from the Latvian communities and small towns to gather in Riga and merge into one big people’s movement.
Even in historically difficult times, the tradition of the song and dance festival played a significant role in the formation of Latvian national pride and the preservation of the idea of an independent state among the Latvian people. The celebrations received major international recognition in 2003 when they were inscribed on UNESCO’s list of Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage