Czech Tenor Pavel Černoch to Perform in Cēsis with Latvian National Symphony Orchestra

The Andrejs Žagars Cultural Development Foundation will hold its opera gala concert “Friends – to Andrejs Žagars” on 17 October at the Vidzeme Concert Hall “Cēsis” in Latvia. The foundation continues the work of Žagars, a Latvian opera figure, by bringing sought-after artists to Latvian audiences. This time the solo concert will be given by Czech tenor Pavel Černoch, described in the source as one of the leading opera tenors in the world today. The Latvian National Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Jaroslav Kizlink.

Programme and artist

Černoch has chosen some of the finest arias from the Italian, Czech, German and French opera repertoire. He says taking part is important to him: Žagars was a good friend who was present at the start of his career, opened his first opportunities and taught him much.

Černoch began his professional career in his hometown of Brno with a role in “The Magic Flute”, followed by a performance in Prague. Žagars noticed the young singer and invited him to Riga. Today the tenor appears at houses including Teatro alla Scala, the Vienna and Paris operas, the Dutch National Opera and the Royal Opera in London, as well as the Salzburg and Glyndebourne festivals. He has worked with conductors Daniel Barenboim, Kirill Petrenko, Simon Rattle, John Eliot Gardiner, Charles Dutoit and Semyon Bychkov.

The foundation's activities

Arturs Maskats, the foundation's artistic director, says Černoch's international success largely began on the stage of the Latvian opera under Žagars's leadership. The concert is supported by the Latvian branch of the insurer Compensa Vienna Insurance Group and by Citadele bank.

The concert traditionally takes place in October, when Žagars would have celebrated his birthday, and this year it is held for the eighth time. This season the foundation has resumed its series of conversation evenings; at the first one, held in the restaurant “Osiris”, art historian Helēna Demakova spoke about the artist Ilmārs Blumbergs. An exhibition marking the centenary of Raimonds Staprāns is on view at the Latvian National Museum of Art, the foundation plans concerts by conductor Andris Nelsons, and a book about Žagars's life is nearing completion.