BACH. PÄRT. PENDERECKI

Summer Classics presents: BACH. PÄRT. PENDERECKI

Orchestra and Organ Music in Riga’s Historic St. John’s Church

The Summer Classics concert series by Orchestra RIGA returns in August 2026 with an evening dedicated to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Arvo Pärt, and Krzysztof Penderecki, presented in St. John’s Church, Riga – one of the city’s most remarkable medieval landmarks and an acclaimed venue for classical and organ music.

Located in the heart of Riga Old Town, the 13th-century church combines Late Gothic and Renaissance architecture with exceptional acoustics and an intimate atmosphere, making it a distinctive setting for classical music performances.

Performed by Orchestra RIGA, together with renowned Latvian organist Ilze Reine and conductor Valdis Butāns, the concert brings together orchestra and organ in a programme that spans more than three centuries of European music.

Uniting three composers whose works have profoundly influenced sacred and orchestral repertoire, the concert traces a journey from Bach’s architectural mastery of the Baroque and intricate polyphony to Pärt’s meditative minimalism and Penderecki’s powerful, dramatic sacred expression.

Programme

Johann Sebastian Bach
Prelude and Fugue in E-flat major (“St Anne”), BWV 552 (arr. Donald Hunsberger)
Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 548

Krzysztof Penderecki
Entrata for Brass and Timpani
Agnus Dei from Polish Requiem (arr. Oskar G. Blarr) for Organ

Arvo Pärt
Fratres (arr. B. Briner)
Spiegel im Spiegel

Performers

Orchestra RIGA
Ilze Reine – organ
Valdis Butāns – conductor

Concert Information

BACH. PÄRT. PENDERECKI

11 August 2026, at 7 PM
St. John’s Church, Riga, Latvia

As part of Riga’s summer cultural programme, the concert represents one of the season’s notable classical music events in Latvia, combining internationally celebrated repertoire with the unique atmosphere of Riga Old Town and one of the city’s most acoustically distinguished churches.

Tickets available

• at Biļešu Paradīze box offices;
• online;
• at St. John’s Church one hour before the concert (subject to availability).