Multimedia Monopera VALENTINA

Opera - the love story of Valentina, dedicated to the Latvian cultural legend – film scientist Valentina Freimane (1922-2018), is a tale of deep love in a complex socio-political era, revealing the heroine's childhood memories enveloped in a "golden haze" and the passion and fervor of first true love with life's seasoning. 

The staging is internationally renowned Latvian composer Arturs Maskats' first opera "Valentina" given a new artistic interpretation - a full-format opera transformed into a chamber opera in the format of a multimedia monopera. The historical world premiere of the opera took place in 2014 and became one of the most significant events of Riga - European Capital of Culture year.

The libretto by Liāna Langa and Arturs Maskats is based on Valentina Freimane's autobiographical novel “Ardievu, Atlantīda!”.

Valentina is a woman whose fate unfolds like a film, encompassing themes that reflect her life and also delve into a deeper essence, drawing a picture of the era. Opera diva Sonora Vaice will bring to life Valentina's love story, a character endowed with a warm, vital, and witty human nature, despite her experiences and trials. The opera reflects not only Valentina's personal adventures in childhood, seemingly wrapped in a golden haze, and in early youth, and family beginnings, but also the era as a whole. Valentina Freimane's life has been filled with love, wonderfully mirrored in the opera's music. She herself says she is happy because she has not seen any horrors with her own eyes, as they seem to have passed her by, except for the flights she experienced, living in the upper floors of buildings: others were in basements, but she – closer to the sky. 
 
Valentina Freimane's childhood unfolded between Riga and Berlin, where her father was a legal advisor at UFA film studio, and her mother – a charming society lady around whom the cream of the cinema world of that time gathered.

A particularly significant theme in the performance is that of love, enhanced by the beautiful and colorful music of Arturs Maskats, which includes the composer's beloved tangos, complemented by Vaice with step dances she mastered under the guidance of Latvia's master of step dance development, Māris Pūris. Meanwhile, musically outstanding tangos resonate in the accordion shades forming the opera's musical fabric.

Successfully debuting in direction in 2021 – for the production of "Voice of a Human. Telephone" Sonora Vaice received the Great Music Award, developing her next directorial concept within the process of exploring and discovering the power, uniqueness, versatility, life perception, and personality of women – a musically vivid chamber version of Valentina Freimane's love story in a multimedia stage setting. 

"I was delighted to hear about the new production of Arturs Maskats' opera 'Valentina' in the hands of high-caliber professionals and eagerly anticipate the premiere on April 17th. The events depicted in the opera allow us to look at people during great crises. Even now, the wartime in Ukraine demonstrates a deep crisis in the Western world, where each of us has a role to play, therefore I believe the opera 'Valentina' is relevant and encourages reflection on the essential," believes libretto author Liāna Langa.

More information: https://www.operetesteatris.lv/valent298na.html

Title role: SONORA VAICE (soprano)
Musician-actors: Gidons Grīnbergs (violin), Inita Āboliņa (accordion), Māris Žagars (piano)

Multimedia: Ģirts Ķesteris, Aivars Krancmanis, Egils Melbārdis, Māris Pūris, Zigurds Neimanis, Kārlis Rūtentāls, Henrijs Kozlovskis, and others

Director: Sonora Vaice
Choreographer: Ieva Kemlere, step dance consultant-trainer Māris Pūris 
Multimedia artist-scenographer: Ineta Sipunova
Costume designer: Antra Hanna Elerta (Cinnamon)

Makeup artist: Liāna Repule
Lighting designer: Ivars Vācers
Artistic director, producer: Agija Ozoliņa-Kozlovska