Wagner's 'Lohengrin' at Cēsis Festival; Interview with Director Dāvis Sīmanis
On August 6 and 8, the Cēsis Art Festival will feature concert performances of Wagner's opera 'Lohengrin'. The visual design is by film director Dāvis Sīmanis, who discusses his journey with Wagner's music and its impact.
The Cēsis Art Festival this year offers a rare opportunity in Latvia to experience Richard Wagner's opera 'Lohengrin' in concert form. The performances take place on August 6 and 8, with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, the State Academic Choir 'Latvija', and outstanding soloists under conductor Tarmo Peltokoski. The visual atmosphere of the performance is handled by film director Dāvis Sīmanis, an admirer of Wagner's music.
In an interview, Sīmanis shares that his first encounter with Wagner's music occurred in childhood, when his father held mandatory classical music listening sessions on weekend mornings. Later, at around 11–12 years old, he acquired a CD of Wagner's opera choruses, which particularly captivated him—the monumental choruses in 'Tannhäuser', 'Parsifal', and 'Lohengrin' remain his favorites.
The director believes that academic music is structuring and formative, and that listening to it should be encouraged from early childhood, much like education. He himself did not attend music school and does not read scores, but he regularly takes his son to classical concerts, hoping it will leave a lasting impression.
Currently, Sīmanis is working on a feature film titled 'Spīgana', which tells the story of the forest brothers movement in the mid-1940s. The plot is fictional, based on historical background, and the main character is a combination of several real individuals and imagination.
