Latvian National Opera — Attraction in Riga

The poorest adaptation of Dracula I have ever seen! Even Džilindžers and Dailes teātris did a better job! Only good quality to this ballet was the stage setup! I do not think that “modern” means non synchronized, awkward and weakly presented! I felt very dissatisfied and overdressed! I wore a ball gown and I should have just come in jeans and a hoodie!

The stage costumes where awful and ridiculously colorful, reminding of “dziesmu un deju svētki! Draculas brides looked like floor mops and the action on stage was frequently just a incomprehensible mess! 20% ballet and 80% of “modern” flailing around! The dancers almost never started and finished to move precisely and when they where attempting to synchronize it was either one or the other being late! There was no tension and suspense in the dancers and most of the time their limbs where weak and not determined in their motion! It all looked rushed and overplayed! I felt that this show was not only disrespectful to the original but to ballet as a whole! This adaptation had no added value, inovation or even quality to it! Same old but somehow worse. Something You would expect from “tautas nams” not Rīgas opera.

Also - The chairs haven’t been changed for almost 20 years, if You struggle with Your health be ready to suffer in those chairs or leave after you fail trying to shuffle and slide to imitate anything that even remotely reminds of a position a person should be sitting it! The chairs will cut the bloodflow to Your legs if You are shorter than the average person and also You won’t be able to see anything or move around cause it will bother the other attendees! If You try and have some support to Your back Your buttocks will slide inside the chair and the chair will fold! This venue is in no way accessible and comfortable for people with health issues and I left in the middle of the show because my legs went numb and my chronic condition flared up! I had a very bad time and my legs still hurt! Do not recommend!

One star for the dope house that Opera is! And another star for the stage crew! Won’t be...

We bought tickets to see Carmen on Thursday 18.09.25. The details regarding times, closing of doors etc are very clearly explained, just as in at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden London, except that in Riga the seat prices are a fraction of what they are in London!

The seating was easy to find, access and was comfortable. The orchestra was first class, the performers' voices outstanding but we have issues with the visuals.

The performance began with the screening of a few minutes of jerky film that gave me and my partner such eye strain that we had to close our eyes. There was no warning and it could have given someone more sensitive an epileptic fit. This introduction did not add anything to the story and was not clever.

The stage scenery WAS clever but it seems the Opera House spent its budget on the orchestra, performers and set machinery and had no money left over for any coloured paint. We were presented with a monochrome set of Soviet style building construction, grey, monumental and oppressive, in front of which there was an awful lot of breakdancing and 'gangsta' style lurching by the extras. I found this not only perplexing as it did not add, clarify or support the story but served solely to distract from the very fine and accomplished auditory aspects of the performance.

The location, facilities and professional competence of the Latvian National Opera is impressive and worthy of 5-stars but the visual and writhing-limbs interpretation of Carmen performed was unworthy of the venue and I give the experience 4-stars overall because I WOULD go there again, but not...

I attended the ballet for the first time at this opera house and unfortunately my experience was disappointing.

I traveled a long distance, prepared carefully, and was excited to enjoy the performance day . The first act was beautiful, but during the intermission I had to wait for my companion in the corridor. When I tried to re-enter for the second act, I was not allowed inside because the doors had already closed. I understand and respect that the rules do not allow late entry once the act begins.

However, what made the situation very frustrating was the lack of communication and support from the staff. I was standing right by the entrance and no one warned me that the doors were about to close. Later, when I asked twice if I could enter, I was simply told “no” without any further guidance. As this was my first visit, I was unfamiliar with the building and only afterwards discovered that there was a café where I could have waited more comfortably. It would have made a big difference if the staff had politely explained this or offered an alternative.

The art itself was wonderful, but the customer service left me with a very negative impression. For such a prestigious venue, I expected more professionalism, care, and courtesy toward visitors, especially those coming for...