Accomplished Latvian musicians to perform Verdi’s Requiem in Paris

This concert, organised within the framework of the Latvian EU Council Presidency cultural programme, will be an opportunity for the orchestra to write its name in the cultural history of Paris. The State Choir Latvija and four soloists – soprano Aga Mikolaj, mezzosoprano Olesya Petrova, tenor Giorgio Berrugi and bass Ricardo Zanellato – will also take part in the performance.

Verdi’s legendary Requiem is not so much the reflection of eternal light as a dramatic opus that provokes worldly reflection and results in an unforgettable emotional experience for listeners.

It is known that Giuseppe Verdi defined his world-view as agnostic, as he believed that we cannot know anything about the absence or existence of God. In a letter to his publisher Giovanni Ricordi he said: “I am sort of an atheist”. And to his wife Giuseppina he once wrote: “For some virtuous people a belief in God is necessary. Others, equally perfect, while observing every precept of the highest moral code, are happier believing in nothing”.

Conductor Andris Poga. Photo: Jānis Deinats

This performance of Verdi’s Requiem with its glittering quartet of soloists is possible thanks to conductor Andris Poga's agency, Productions Internationales Albert Sarfati (PIAS). This cooperation will continue in August when the orchestra will again play to the French public at the Les Pianos Folies du Touquet-Paris-Plage festival. Performing before a discerning French public is a true challenge that is relished by each individual musician and the orchestra as a whole.

The concert forms part of the Latvian EU Council Presidency cultural programme which has contemporaneity, uniqueness and excellence as its core values. The programme consists of almost 200 events worldwide, and is the largest presentation of Latvian cultural excellence abroad since the country regained its independence.