The history of the Latvian National Opera spans more than one hundred years. The opera building was built in 1863 as the City German Theatre. However, it had to be almost completely rebuilt after a fire in 1885.
Formally, the founding date of the Latvian National Opera is considered to be 1919, but some sources claim that it began its work as early as 1912 under the direction of Pavuls Jurjans.
The opera building is a magnificent architectural monument of the 19th century, and its facade is adorned with graceful sculptures. The luxurious interiors are presented in Renaissance, Baroque, Classicism, and Empire styles. You can tour the entire opera house, during which you will even go behind the scenes, and the guide will tell you about the history of both the building and the art.
The concert hall can accommodate about one and a half thousand spectators. Undoubtedly, it is the hall that seems to be the most important and perfectly calibrated element of the opera theater's composition in terms of light and acoustics. After all, everything here has been designed so that the audience can fully appreciate the performances of renowned artists.
The Latvian National Opera is also known for its excellent ballet school, which has given the world such talents as, for example, Maris Liepa and Mikhail Baryshnikov.
