News from the Committee
12.12.2020
German Bundestag approves 5.2 million euros for the renaissance of the Wagner Theatre in Riga
In total, the restoration, renovation and revitalisation of the former German Theatre will cost 35 million euros. The five-year funding means long-term planning security.
The handover of the keys to the building ensemble in Riga's Old Town from the Latvian state to the Richard Wagner Society Riga in October 2020 was already perceived as a minor sensation by the cultural world.
The building ensemble is located at 4 Richard Wagner Street, in the middle of the Old Town, which is also a World Heritage Site.
A total of around 35 million euros is needed for the renaissance of the Wagner Theatre. The support of the German Bundestag, especially in the initial phase of the project, is to be valued all the more highly. Further public funds are being applied for from the Latvian state, the city of Riga and through the European Structural Fund. For a European lighthouse project with global appeal, efforts are now beginning to bring companies on board as long-term partners.
The project's patron and former festival director Eva Wagner-Pasquier has been following the developments with excitement: "Today is a great day for all lovers of Richard Wagner's music: as patron, I am extremely pleased that the Bundestag has decided to provide this long-term funding. Soon we will hopefully be able to open the Wagner Theatre in Riga and thus take his idea of the Gesamtkunstwerk into a new century."
Latvian President Egils Levits, who has also been patron since 2019, also commented, "I am delighted that the German Bundestag will financially support the restoration of the Wagner Theatre so that it can once again become one of the most visible cultural centres in Northern Europe. The Wagner Theatre is of great importance for the history and cultural life of Latvia and Germany."
The initiator Maris Gailis, chairman of the Richard Wagner Society Riga and former prime minister of Latvia, has developed the vision "GesamtkunstWerk21" together with his team - the fusion of all arts of the 21st century. A festival lasting several weeks is to take place annually on the 5000m² and the building ensemble is to become a real "work" of all art forms. In this way, this special place, in addition to normal theatre and cultural activities, will provide space for something completely new, for special exchange and for undreamed-of possibilities. In this way, the theatre will live up to its perception as a European cultural asset. "The significant financial support of the German Bundestag is a wonderful signal - the Wagner Theatre in Riga will be revived!"
More pictures at: https://bit.ly/37VuCf0
For more information, please visit: www.vagneriga.lv/en/
Press contact:
Mechthild Foet, contact@gesamtkunstwerk21.com, 015114782649
Dr. Konrad Winckler, winckler@alexiscsc.de, 01729376219
ALEXIS csc UG is a German agency based in Berlin and Minden. It is in charge of the project on the German side as a service provider for the Richard Wagner Association Riga in the field of project management, communication and fundraising strategy.
Copyright © 2020 , ALEXIS csc UG for Rigas Vignera Nams, All rights reserved.
Our email address is:
contact@gesamtkunstwerk21.com
The handover of the keys to the building ensemble in Riga's Old Town from the Latvian state to the Richard Wagner Society Riga in October 2020 was already perceived as a minor sensation by the cultural world.
The building ensemble is located at 4 Richard Wagner Street, in the middle of the Old Town, which is also a World Heritage Site.
A total of around 35 million euros is needed for the renaissance of the Wagner Theatre. The support of the German Bundestag, especially in the initial phase of the project, is to be valued all the more highly. Further public funds are being applied for from the Latvian state, the city of Riga and through the European Structural Fund. For a European lighthouse project with global appeal, efforts are now beginning to bring companies on board as long-term partners.
The project's patron and former festival director Eva Wagner-Pasquier has been following the developments with excitement: "Today is a great day for all lovers of Richard Wagner's music: as patron, I am extremely pleased that the Bundestag has decided to provide this long-term funding. Soon we will hopefully be able to open the Wagner Theatre in Riga and thus take his idea of the Gesamtkunstwerk into a new century."
Latvian President Egils Levits, who has also been patron since 2019, also commented, "I am delighted that the German Bundestag will financially support the restoration of the Wagner Theatre so that it can once again become one of the most visible cultural centres in Northern Europe. The Wagner Theatre is of great importance for the history and cultural life of Latvia and Germany."
The initiator Maris Gailis, chairman of the Richard Wagner Society Riga and former prime minister of Latvia, has developed the vision "GesamtkunstWerk21" together with his team - the fusion of all arts of the 21st century. A festival lasting several weeks is to take place annually on the 5000m² and the building ensemble is to become a real "work" of all art forms. In this way, this special place, in addition to normal theatre and cultural activities, will provide space for something completely new, for special exchange and for undreamed-of possibilities. In this way, the theatre will live up to its perception as a European cultural asset. "The significant financial support of the German Bundestag is a wonderful signal - the Wagner Theatre in Riga will be revived!"
More pictures at: https://bit.ly/37VuCf0
For more information, please visit: www.vagneriga.lv/en/
Press contact:
Mechthild Foet, contact@gesamtkunstwerk21.com, 015114782649
Dr. Konrad Winckler, winckler@alexiscsc.de, 01729376219
ALEXIS csc UG is a German agency based in Berlin and Minden. It is in charge of the project on the German side as a service provider for the Richard Wagner Association Riga in the field of project management, communication and fundraising strategy.
Copyright © 2020 , ALEXIS csc UG for Rigas Vignera Nams, All rights reserved.
Our email address is:
contact@gesamtkunstwerk21.com