The organizers of the scandalous concert 'Manai dzimtenei' (For My Homeland) stated to the portal Santa.lv that they are ready to refuse to hold this festive event and hand over the organization of the large-scale event to people whom Maestro Raimonds Pauls himself trusts.
"A well-conceived event has faced resistance for reasons unknown to us," the organizers explain.
"At this moment, Maestro Raimonds Pauls has distanced himself from the concert, and we cannot but respect the position of this esteemed artist, whom we all hold in high regard," said the team, which has been working for over a year on the preparation of the concert 'The Celebration of Song for My Homeland.'
Although just on Tuesday, January 27, a representative of the organizers, Janis Kirsis, stated in the media the intention to still hold the concert while simultaneously figuring out who was the source of all the intrigue ("Who said what to Pauls"), by Wednesday, Kirsis's team announced that they were ready to abandon further work on the event.
"Wishing to preserve the intended celebration, we are ready to forgo any potential profits from the event and direct them towards goals defined by the maestro. We are also willing to involve professionals and family members recommended by the maestro in organizing the concert if it helps restore trust," the statement reads.
"We urge the maestro and his representatives to have a direct conversation – a dialogue without public accusations and without interpretations from intermediaries, to find a solution that will allow us to preserve the celebration for the 13,000 singers and listeners preparing to come to Mežaparks. We are open to all solutions. And if this is the only way out, we are ready to refuse to organize the event and hand it over to other organizers chosen by the maestro, so as not to disappoint the choir singers, conductors, and everyone who has already invested time, effort, and resources into realizing this event."
On Wednesday afternoon, it was reported that the chief conductors of choirs from the regions decided not to continue preparations for this celebration. Several well-known musicians also declined to participate in the concert.
At the same time, the chief conductors emphasize that, respecting the wishes of the singers, choral works by Pauls will be included in this year's concert programs in honor of his 90th birthday.
Additionally, the conductors urge the Cabinet of Ministers, the Ministry of Culture, and the Riga City Council to find a way to organize a large concert of a combined choir as part of the Song Celebration, to ensure the continuity of the process and activities of the choirs.
The event organizers also decided to change the name of the concert 'Manai dzimtenei' by removing the maestro's name from it. Initially, the concert was titled 'The Celebration of Songs by Raimonds Pauls for My Homeland.'
As explained by the artistic director of the concert, composer Janis Kirsis, this is related to Pauls' publicly expressed doubts regarding the celebration. However, the content, idea, and artistic concept of the event will remain unchanged.
Earlier this week, the public relations representatives of the composer reported that the maestro had once again distanced himself from the choral concert previously named after him and had consulted a lawyer. Pauls reiterated that he had never given consent for the use of his name, surname, image, or trademark in this project.
The concert 'Manai dzimtenei' is scheduled for July 11, 2026, in Mežaparks and was meant to be dedicated to Pauls' 90th anniversary. More than 13,000 singers from Latvia and the diaspora have already registered to participate in the concert.
