Festival Opening Concert: Pēteris Vasks Quartet – Riga, October 27, 2026

Festival Opening Concert: Pēteris Vasks Quartet – Riga, October 27, 2026

The New Music Festival “ARĒNA” will open with a concert by the Pēteris Vasks Quartet. The concert will take place on October 27, 2026, at the Riga Reformed Church. Violinist Magdalēna Geka, clarinetist Egīls Šēfers, cellist Kristaps Bergs and pianist Iveta Cālīte will share the stage. The quartet was formed to mark Pēteris Vasks’ 80th anniversary year. The programme was created in close collaboration with the composer. Alongside music by Pēteris Vasks, it will feature works by Arvo Pärt and Olivier Messiaen. Listeners will hear Pēteris Vasks’ cycle “Episodi e canto perpetuo”. Arvo Pärt’s “Fratres” is also included in the programme. The centrepiece of the concert will be Olivier Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time”, composed in 1941 in a prisoner-of-war camp. The selected works turn to eternal values and the idea of light overcoming darkness. This will be the quartet’s first performance in Riga.

What to Expect

On the festival’s opening evening, the Pēteris Vasks Quartet will present a chamber music programme for clarinet, violin, cello and piano. It combines the experience of Pēteris Vasks’ expressive musical language with the music of Arvo Pärt and Olivier Messiaen. The concert marks the opening of the 25th edition of the New Music Festival “ARĒNA”.

Venue and Time

The concert will begin at 7:00 p.m. on October 27, 2026, at the Riga Reformed Church, 10 Mārstaļu Street, Riga.

Tickets

The ticket price is 25 euros. Students and pensioners are entitled to a 20% discount.

Important Information for Visitors

• The event is organised by the association “New Music Festival ‘Arēna’”.
• Magdalēna Geka, Egīls Šēfers, Kristaps Bergs and Iveta Cālīte will perform at the concert.

Why Attend

This concert is an opportunity to hear the music of three significant 20th- and 21st-century composers in one evening, performed by outstanding Latvian chamber musicians. At the heart of the programme is the atmosphere of Pēteris Vasks’ anniversary year and his creative ideas, which are closely connected with the history of the “ARĒNA” festival.