A Lāčplēsis Day Event: “A Quiet Evening by the Daugava” at Ave Sol Concert Hall

On 11 November 2026, from 19:00 to 22:00, Ave Sol Concert Hall will host “A Quiet Evening by the Daugava”, an event dedicated to Lāčplēsis Day. On the embankment on 11 November, near Riga Castle, Riga residents and visitors continue a beautiful, unifying tradition: placing lit candles by the castle wall to honour the heroes who fought for Latvia’s freedom against Bermont’s army. Meanwhile, at nearby Ave Sol Concert Hall, the Lāčplēsis Day event “A Quiet Evening by the Daugava” will take place from 19:00 to 22:00.

The programme is conceived as a musical journey through the evening, from twilight and inward reflection to patriotic choral music and a powerful message about Latvia’s freedom. In the first part, kokle player and singer Lauma Matule and guitarist Ivars Štubis will perform their concert programme “Twilight”. The duo’s sound draws on ambient and folk styles, offering an instrumental pairing of kokle and electric guitar that is rarely heard in Latvia.

The second part begins at 20:00 and features the Emīls Dārziņš Mixed Choir. The choir will perform music by outstanding Latvian composers, including Uldis Stabulnieks’s “Barons”, Raimonds Tiguls’s “Morning and Evening Song”, Emīls Dārziņš’s “Broken Pines” and other works.

To conclude the evening, Riga Chamber Choir “Ave Sol”, conducted by Andris Veismanis, will perform Mārtiņš Brauns’s song cycle “Daugava” and music by Lolita Ritmanis from the film “The Rifleman’s Psalm”, together with soloists and instrumentalists. Mārtiņš Brauns’s song cycle is set to words by Rainis, centred on the image of the Daugava, the fate of the people and the longing for freedom. “Something of his will always be relevant. The pagan element in ‘Daugava’ is not a religion. ‘Daugava’ is our roots, our challenge—‘you will not teach us how to live; we have our own sun and thunder’—and none of that excludes faith in the Almighty for even a moment. People may think what they like, but this text will remain relevant for as long as Latvians exist.”

Lolita Ritmanis’s original score for the historical feature film “The Rifleman’s Psalm” tells of Latvia’s struggles for independence and people’s fates during one of the most complex periods in Latvian history. The film soundtrack, which was also included on the list of contenders for an Academy Award (“Oscar”), will be performed by choir and chamber ensemble with organ, piano, guitar and kokles.

The event will be hosted by Egils Melbārdis, an actor at the Latvian National Theatre.

Programme:
19:00 — Concert programme “Twilight”. Lauma Matule (kokle), Ivars Štubis (guitar)
20:00 — Emīls Dārziņš Mixed Choir; artistic director Rihards Lapiņš, conductor Jēkabs Krists Kalniņš
21:00 — Riga Chamber Choir “Ave Sol”; artistic director Andris Veismanis; Ilze Reine (organ), Marta Pauliņa Paula (kokle), Agnese Egliņa (piano), Toms Timofejevs (bass guitar), Kārlis Matīss Zitmanis (guitar)

Admission is free. More information about events in Riga during the month of national celebrations is available at www.kultura.riga.lv and on the Riga City Council social media pages “Rīga” and “Rīgā notiek”.