Notre-Dame of Paris by Liepiņš, Frá (2022/2022), Leikstýrt af Ramūnas Kaubrys, Hljómsveitarstjóri Ilmars Lapins, Dmitrijus Zlotnikas, Žvejų Rūmai, Klaipėda, Lithuania

The opera "Paris Cathedral" was created by the Latvian composer Zigmar Liepinis (b. 1952), one of the brightest, even the most scandalous contemporary Latvian artists. The premiere of "Paris Cathedral" at the Latvian National Opera took place in April 1997. For the creation of this opera, Z. Liepinis was awarded the Grand Prize of Latvian Music and the Order of the Three Stars of Latvia. Based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo, the opera tells about the opposites that compete in the world and in the personality: beauty and ugliness, good and evil, the divine and the beastly beginnings. The main driving force of the work is the love for the young and beautiful, pure and innocent, weak and fragile, but brave and honest sixteen-year-old gypsy Esmeralda. Esmeralda's opera depicts a flying milk fluff: "Is it a human being, a fairy, or an angel?" Many people envy Esmeralda for her beauty and grace. Men captivate her indescribable beauty, everyone wants to have it. The woman is also fascinated by her beauty, as if hell came to earth to torment all who are confused under her charming legs. The black eyes of Esmeralda, which shine like the full moon, fascinate everyone, her grimaces drive everyone crazy, and the sarcastic way makes it easier to endure the already difficult life on the street. In love, four men explode. Their values, attitudes towards life and love, and the means to achieve it are different. The success of the opera-melodrama was determined not only by the original and attractive musical language of the opera, but also by the 19th century. the longevity and fame of the novel by the French romantic V. Hugo. The captivating directing, the sincere acting of the artists shakes everyone.