A Grand Closing Concert at the Gesellschaftshaus Palmengarten in Frankfurt concluded the EUROPEAN CULTURAL DAYS of the ECB – Latvia 2013 on Friday evening. The Latvian State Chamber Orchestra “Sinfonietta Rīga” and the Latvian Radio Choir performed a range of works by Ēriks Ešenvalds, Pēteris Vasks and the Bulgarian composer Dobrinka Tabakova.
The concert marked the end of a four-week programme, organised in cooperation with Latvijas Banka and held under the joint patronage of Mario Draghi, President of the ECB, and Ilmārs Rimšēvičs, Governor of Latvijas Banka. It included classical music, avant-garde pop music, exhibitions, theatre performances, films, events for children, literature readings and panel discussions, showcasing the many different facets of Latvian culture.
As in previous years, one of the highlights was a charity concert organised in close cooperation with the City of Frankfurt. Soloists Iveta Apkalna (organ), Inga Kalna (soprano) and Reinhold Friedrich (trumpet) performed musical pieces from baroque and romanticism to modern. Following the charity concert, a total of €7,000 was donated to the “Mädchenbüro Frankfurt”, an initiative that supports girls from different cultural backgrounds, aged ten and over, by offering extracurricular day care and additional learning opportunities.
At the end of the EUROPEAN CULTURAL DAYS, the two patrons expressed their thanks to the artists, sponsors and organisation teams that made all these events happen.
“Once again, we have brought the culture of one of the European Union Member States closer to the citizens of Frankfurt. Thousands of people have taken advantage of this unique occasion to get acquainted with Latvian culture, and I am convinced that they were enthused by the high quality of the events offered during the EUROPEAN CULTURAL DAYS”, said Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank.
“For Latvia, this was a very timely opportunity to show what our country can offer in terms of cultural experiences, on the eve of two other important milestones: Riga becoming a European Capital of Culture in 2014, and the introduction of the euro in Latvia on 1 January 2014”, said Ilmārs Rimšēvičs, Governor of Latvijas Banka.
Planning of the next EUROPEAN CULTURAL DAYS is already underway. In 2014 the feature country will be Bulgaria.
Detailed information about the EUROPEAN CULTURAL DAYS of the ECB – Bulgaria 2014, which will be organised in cooperation with Българска народна банка (Bulgarian National Bank), will be available on the ECB’s website in the course of summer 2014.
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