XXV General Latvian Song and XV Dance Festival in Riga

As in 2008, so too this year we bought tickets online at the last moment for Ls 1 apiece and headed to the Līgo general rehearsal of the closing concert at the Mežaparks Great Stage. Only this time it was a daytime concert from 10:00 to 15:30.

The sun was mercilessly scorching the shoulders and necks of both singers and listeners. While those seated merely tanned thoroughly or burned to a lobster red, the singers quite frequently fainted, and medics in red shirts carried them out from the choir rows. But honour where it is due - within five and a half hours all the songs were sung and all the dances danced.

The eye was delighted by the silver birch grove motif decorating the edges of the great stage. The silver leaves glittered brilliantly in the sun. Meanwhile, beside the spectator rows, at the foot of the hill, young and old alike were entertained by an attraction where, using adhesive film leaves, one could personally create Latvian folk symbols. Lattelecom had set up stands with QR codes from which the song lyrics could be loaded for singing along. Meanwhile the numerous Aldaris beer and cider tents kept opening and closing, limiting the sale of alcoholic beverages and thereby also restricting consumption. As one vendor quipped: "They're afraid people will get drunk and start singing along."

In the other trading tents, arranged in the shade of the pine trees, festival souvenirs, craftspeople's creations, and jewellery were for sale. Particular favour was enjoyed by sellers of traditional woven bands of all sizes, wood carvings with the festival logo, and Latvian folk symbols. Likewise, a long queue formed at the ice cream freezers.

At the concert, alongside the traditional folk song arrangements and the beloved composed songs such as "Sun. Thunder. Daugava.", "Castle of Light", and others, there were also more contemporary rhythms accompanied by various percussion instruments. By downloading the Lattelecom-developed "Dziesmu svētki 2013" app for Android smartphones, one could not only navigate the events but also sing along, as the lyrics of all the festival songs can be found there in alphabetical order. That is a great advantage. A disadvantage - under the section "Programme" I expected to see something slightly different, rather than information about tickets and where to buy them. If I have already arrived at the concert, I would like to know which song follows which during that particular concert, who is conducting, who the soloists or accompanying group are. Unfortunately, as always, Latvians are not fond of listing names and personalities, but in my view one should bring into the light the people who organise and do.

The Song Festival is precisely that event which a proper Latvian ought to attend once every five years. It is a joy that the ranks of participants (13,000 singers, 2,000 dancers, 1,000 wind orchestra musicians) are so large, and that the interest from local and foreign visitors is considerable. Also, as a former festival participant, now a spectator, I believe that the general rehearsals are a sufficiently good way to avoid giving in to commercialisation, while still watching the festival in person and enriching oneself with the all-encompassing energy of music and voices.