Riga choirs forgot that Liepāja also sings — this should be fun in Mežaparks

A concert "To My Homeland" will take place at Riga's Mežaparks Grand Stage, featuring more than 200 choirs with 6000 singers. The organizers proudly announce that the event will proceed as planned, which in Liepāja terms means — everything will be fine, as long as the Liepāja wind doesn't decide to participate in an unplanned way. One can already imagine how this legendary, uninvited guest in any season could transform Riga's grandiose event into an outdoor karaoke session.

The concert repertoire will include such hit parades as "Spirit of Roses," "Holy Evening," and "I Come from a Small Nation." The latter is particularly relevant, as Liepāja choir conductor Maija says: "We also come from a small nation, but at least we know where our city is located." Director Dita Lūriņa has promised that spectators will be able to join in the collective singing, which in Riga means that at least half of those present will actually be from Liepāja.

The biggest intrigue surrounds maestro Raimonds Pauls withdrawing from the concert after disagreements with organizers. Now the event's name has been changed to exclude the maestro's name, which is almost as strange as trying to organize a concert in Liepāja without wind. Some musicians have already refused to perform, but as is well known, Liepāja always has backup singers ready to perform even during a hurricane.

Overall, 30 melodies, a night of singing together, and several well-known artists — sounds like a good evening. The only pity is that it's all happening in Riga, because in Liepāja such an event would end with spontaneous singing until morning and stories about how our wind is stronger than any choir.