The blondes are back in Riga this weekend!
Sickly sweet superficiality seems to rule events in the Baltics this weekend, especially on Saturday when a blonde army is scheduled to march in scary pink uniforms through the streets of Riga like a battalion of Barbie dolls.
Then, in the evening, all screens turn toward the Eurovision Song Contest.
But escaping into the safe haven of the countryside may not help, as Sigulda throws a weekend party by hauling in countless thigh-slapping folk musicians and a singer from Boney M to entertain the masses.
Riga residents can flee instead to Vilnius to see a breathtaking work of art called “The Battle of Kircholm”, or to Tallinn to throw shapes with drum-and-bass master Gridlok. As usual, all three capitals have resplendent selections of classical concerts too.
LITHUANIA
Tamara Stefanovich
May 28, 7 p.m.
Sagas and Tales
National Philharmonic Hall, Vilnius
This year’s Vilnius Festival, a soaring series of classical music concerts taking place during the first part of the summer, launches with Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra, Serbian pianist Tamara Stefanovich and Japanese conductor Tomomi Nishimoto.
Schumann, Shchedrin and Rimsky-Korsakov are the composers covered.
www.vilniusfestivals.lt/index.php?page=vf_programa_en
Disco Babies
May 28, 7 p.m.
Disco Babies
Nautilus Club, Kaunas
Lithuania’s second city isn’t so far to go to enjoy a sweaty platforms-and-sequins seventies night.
The Disco Babies DJ crew will be spinning, you guessed it, disco all night. Groove to funky hits like “We Are Family” and “That’s The Way I Like It” and pretend you’re a flare-wearing member of Chic. Make sure the DJ saves your life by spinning Donna Summer’s most fiery tracks.
Red Hot Chili Peppers Project
May 29, 10 p.m.
Red Hot Chili Peppers Project
Bermuda Club, Vilnius
What better way to shake off the Eurovision blues than loosen up to some leftfield indie rock?
If you think that Red Hot Chili Peppers are radically different to Eurovision schlager, then this Lithuanian version of the beach-loving, nudity-endorsing Californian band might do it for you. But they look more like Kiss.
May 30, 6 p.m.
“The Canary”
St Catherine’s Church, Vilnius
Duke Ellington once declared: “If I’m the duke, then Peggy’s the queen.” In this dramatized tribute to Peggy Lee, Lithuanian-American actress and singer Alicia Gian co-directs and performs “The Canary”, written by US playwright Adam Burnett, backed by the Lithuanian band Amberlife.
Snayers' “The Battle of Kircholm”
From June 4
“The Battle of Kircholm”
Vilnius Picture Gallery, Vilnius
A huge canvas created by Pieter Snayers, one of the leading battle painters of the 17th century, this astounding work of art depicts a bloody battle between the armies of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Kingdom of Sweden near Riga in 1605. One of the major clashes in the long-forgotten Polish-Swedish War of 1600-11, the battle at Kircholm, now Salaspils, banished the Swedes from Riga – if only until another savage war 12 years later gave it back to them. Check it out at the Vilnius Picture Gallery.
LATVIA
May 28-29, 7 p.m.
Abrakadabra International Magic Festival
Congress Center, Riga
Illusionists from Argentina, Belgium, Lithuania, the USA, Denmark, the Netherlands and elsewhere teleport themselves onstage in a puff of smoke and invite members of the audience to be guinea-pigs in their thrilling and gratuitous experiments.
http://www.abra-kadabra.lv/home.html
WestBam
May 28, 11 p.m.
WestBam
Dream Factory, Riga
An avant-garde rave organizer and tongue-in-cheek regular at Berlin’s Love Parade, WestBam is a 40-something native of Westphalia called Maximilian Lenz whose stage name comes from blending the name of his native region with that of electro-funk godfather Afrika Bambaataa. Expect crowd-pleasing techno and graffiti-inspiring hip-hop.
http://events.myspace.com/Event/2195791/WestBam
Let's hope this year looks like last year!
May 29, 2 p.m.
Go Blonde Parade
Ratslaukums, Riga
It’s never been as much fun to be pink and blonde in the Baltics. If you‘re female, that is. The high heels in this year’s march of the blondes between Riga’s Town Hall and Dome squares will skewer you underfoot if you’re in the way.
“People admire, envy, and make jokes about us, but nobody remains indifferent! Why?” wonders Olga Uskova, blonde-in-chief of the Latvian Association of Blondes.
The fun starts at the Motor Museum on Friday at 6pm with a “retro blonde competition” and climaxes with a Pink Ball at Godvil. Don’t forget your rat-sized lapdog.
Depeche Mode
May 29, 10 p.m.
Depeche Mode Party
Barons Club, Riga
Devotees of “depress mode” will adore this musical event dedicated to the “Black Celebration” pioneers.
Hopefully, the DJs will be concentrating on the leather-friendly moody synths of the late 80s onwards rather than the naïve jangle-pop of the early years.
Turaida Castle
May 30, noon onwards
Sigulda District Festival
Sigulda
A “cheerful whirl” of a parade kicks off this annual rustic event, followed by three hours of accordion-driven and fiddle-frenzied Latvian country music by six local amateur groups. If that sets your teeth on edge, explore the nearby exhibitions of flags and flowers.
A fashion show will pluck pretty young maidens and groom them for the big time at 2pm, a race up the Turaida tower takes places at 4pm, and a grand final concert of folk music occurs at 8pm. And that’s not all. For the “concert ball” on May 29, Sigulda has managed to dig up original Boney M singer Maizie Williams. If it all gets too much, throw yourself off Sigulda’s steep bobsleigh track.
ESTONIA
Vardo Rumessen
May 28, 7 p.m.
Fryderyk Chopin 200
Town Hall, Tallinn
Vardo Rumessen is a wild-haired pianist and a politician for the right-of-center Union of Pro Patria and Res Publica party, which happens to be in power.
He’s also a brilliant interpreter of the music of Chopin, whose mazurkas, ballads and nocturnes he tinkles with tonight.
http://veeb.tallinn.ee/raekoda/uus/index.php?id=2
Paabel
May 28, 7 p.m.
Paabel
Haapsalu
We couldn’t find the exact location where this concert is taking place, but Haapsalu is so small you’ll probably hear it from across town. Especially since the free-spirited folk group Paabel play Estonian bagpipes, soprano saxophone, whistles and Jew’s harps. Hear them screech and wail also in Viljandi on May 31 and Tallinn on June 18.
May 28, 7 p.m.
“The Three Musketeers”
Rahvusooper, Tallinn
A romping modern ballet by Canadian choreographer David Nixon set to music by the late English composer Malcolm Arnold, “The Three Musketeers” combines action-packed sword fights, comedy and romantic duets. Music arranged and orchestrated by John Longstaff. Touché!
Gridlok
May 29, 11pm
Gridlok (U.S.), Proket (Russia)
Urban House Club, Tallinn
Raised in sunny Tampa Bay, Florida, and trained as a classical violinist, Gridlok soon found himself edging away from the constraints of a traditional musical education. He began picking up other instruments, like drum machines and four-track tape recorders, and released singles such as “Hard as F***” and the album “Break the System.”
Ichitaro
June 1, 6.30pm
Ichitaro
Song Festival Grounds, Tallinn
Lithe, muscle-bound Japanese Taiko drum champ Ichitaro doesn’t just make a lot of noise, he bangs out rhythms of traditional Japanese music, jazz and rock.
Though you may be hard-pressed to tell the difference on his “Wind and Thunder Tour”, it is fun to watch. He also plays Viljandi on June 2 and Tartu on June 3.
http://ichitaro.wonderstation.eu/
