Charity concertsat Riga Cathedral
September toNovember 2026
September to
The new Contius Baroque organ at Riga Cathedral is not only being built with German support – it is also being championed with great enthusiasm by the Latvian music scene. A visible sign of this is the concert series ‘BACH AND THE GOLDEN BAROQUE’, initiated by the cathedral organist Aigars Reinis and dedicated to the future Contius organ. Ten concerts will take the audience on a journey through the musical world of Johann Sebastian Bach and his European contemporaries – as a musical tribute to the instrument that is set to bring the Baroque sound back to Riga in the coming years.
This concert series impressively demonstrates that the new instrument is by no means merely a construction and research project any longer. It has become a shared cultural vision, supported by Latvian organists, the cathedral congregation and many music lovers. In future, the new Contius organ is set to enrich the vibrant musical life of Riga Cathedral, facilitate historical performance practice and, together with the famous Walcker organ, create an organ landscape that is unique in Europe.
The public response in Latvia also underscores this development. It describes the project as a cultural asset for Latvia and Europe, and particularly emphasises that this is a joint German-Latvian project which will complement the grand Romantic cathedral organ with a historically accurate Baroque instrument.
/ / The concert dates:
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Lāsma Meldere Šestakova, Barockvioline · Aigars Reinis, Orgel
PROGRAMME: J. S. Bach, D. Buxtehude, G. Böhm
Iveta Pelše und Ilona Birģele · Organ
PROGRAMME: J. S. Bach, J. Titelouze, F. Couperin, L. C. Daquin, J. F. Dandrieu
Oskars Kalniņš · Organ
PROGRAMME: J. S. Bach, J. P. Sweelinck, J. Pachelbel, J. C. Kerll, J. B. Cabanilles
Laura Ivanova und Jānis Pelše · Organ
PROGRAMME: J. S. Bach, D. Buxtehude, N. Bruhn
Ieva Pudāne · Flute · Ilze Reine · Organ
PROGRAMME: J. S. Bach, J. G. Müthel
Larisa Carjkova · Organ
PROGRAMME: J. S. Bach, A. Vivaldi
Larisa Bulava · Organ · PROGRAMME: J. S. Bach
Agnese Abramāne, Ilze Barlo, Jānis Karpovičs · Organ
PROGRAMME: J. S. Bach, D. Buxtehude, G. Böhm
Jolanta Barinska, Līga Dejus, Aivars Kalējs · Organ
PROGRAMME: J. S. Bach
Artis Sīmanis · Saxophon · Kristīne Adamaite · Organ
PROGRAMME: J. S. Bach, G. Pelēcis
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Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,
as Chairman of the Riga Cathedral Organ Friends’ Association, I am delighted to welcome you here to the second in a series of charity concerts. The aim of our association is to make possible the construction of a ‘Bach organ’ in the side aisle of this majestic cathedral. It will be the Baroque counterpart to the famous Romantic organ that Riga’s organ scene has long been awaiting.
It is being built by the Dresden-based organ workshop Kristian Wegscheider, in collaboration with Latvian organ builders, modelled on the work of Andreas Contius, the most important organ builder in the Baltic region in the 18th century. Work has begun, and we have raised the major part of the 1.6 million euros required.
We are still short of 400,000 euros. I would ask for your support through donations or by sponsoring organ pipes; details of this can be found opposite the façade image. I am very grateful for the wonderful series of charity concerts planned by the cathedral organist, Aigars Reinis, in support of the Baroque organ, and I hope you will now enjoy a superb musical experience. Thank you!
Cienījamās dāmas un godātie kungi,
kā Rīgas Doma ērģeļu atbalsta biedrības priekšsēdētājs esmu ļoti priecīgs sveikt jūs šeit, otrajā no mūsu labdarības koncertiem. Mūsu biedrības mērķis ir nodrošināt „Baha ērģeļu” uzstādīšanu šīs majestātiskās katedrāles sānu jomā. Tās būs baroka stila analogs slavenajām romantisma stila ērģelēm, ko Rīgas ērģeļu pasaule jau sen gaida.
To izgatavo Drēzdenes ērģeļu darbnīca „Kristian Wegscheider” sadarbībā ar latviešu ērģeļu meistariem pēc 18. (astoņpadsmitā) gadsimta nozīmīgākā ērģeļu meistara Baltijā - Andreasa Konciusa parauga. Darbs jau ir sācies, un no 1,6 (viens komats sešiem) miljoniem eiro mums jau ir savākta lielākā daļa.
Vēl trūkst 400.000 (četrsimt tūkstoši) eiro. Lūdzu jūs atbalstīt mūs ar ziedojumiem vai arī kļūstot par ērģeļu stabuļu aizbildņiem – informācija par to ir pieejama uz fasādes attēla. Esmu ļoti pateicīgs par brīnišķīgo labdarības koncertu sēriju, ko katedrāles ērģelnieks Aigars Reinis ir ieplānojis baroka ērģeļu labā, un vēlu jums ar prieku izbaudīt šo lielisko koncertu. Paldies!
Swedbank AS, Latvijas Evaņgēliski Luteriskās Basnīcas Rīgas Doma Draudze • IBAN: LV19 HABA 0551 0065 1477 7 • BIC: HABALV22
German donation account for the project: Postbank • BIC: PBNKDEFF • Konto (IBAN): DE49 1001 0010 0896 3821 02
