Riga’s City Theatre is known as Wagner Hall – in 1837, Wagner became the first Chief Conductor there -. The house was closed in 2007 due to worsening structural conditions. In 2011/12 an analysis of the Wagner Hall’s technical condition was done. Since then, no further analysis or renovation has taken place in the rapidly declining building which is the property of the Latvian State.
Yesterday, a demonstration took place in Riga. Demonstrators were singing music from Wagner’s Tannhäuser and waved posters on which they asked the politicians to take action and to renovate the hall. According to the protesters, renovation is urgent and important too, when one considers the building’s illustrious musical legacy, which belongs not only to the cultural heritage of Riga and Latvia, but indeed to all of Europe.
