A Day of Concerts at the «Vivat Curlandia!» Festival in Iecava: A Fairy Tale for Children and Baroque Music for Adults
The early music festival «Vivat Curlandia!» on July 11 in Iecava offered an interactive concert for children and the Baltic premiere of the Baroque oratorio «La Susanna» in the evening. Both events drew full houses.
On July 11, Iecava hosted the first concert day of the early music festival «Vivat Curlandia!», starting with a children's fairy tale and ending with an evening of Baroque music.
At midday, the cultural centre filled with families as children enjoyed an interactive concert – a modernized fairy tale about a princess in a magical forest. Young attendees tried out fans, while a quiz rewarded correct answers with sweets.
In the evening, Iecava Lutheran Church saw the Baltic premiere of the Baroque oratorio «La Susanna». This was the first concert after the church's renovation, impressing the audience with its excellent acoustics. The church was packed, with listeners not only from Iecava but also from Bauska, Riga, Baldone, and Jelgava.
The night concert featured the vocal-instrumental cycle by François Couperin, highlighting the duet of singers Monta Martinsone and Ieva Sumeja, as well as Baroque violinist Olga Kudajeva.
Festival director Aija Dimza noted that this year, the festival concerts are held over two weekends for the first time. This format was chosen to offer more flexibility in planning artists' schedules and to gauge public interest. Next weekend, the festival continues at Mežotne Church on July 17 and concludes at Bauska Castle on July 18.
