LIEPĀJA CONCERT HALL
THE FIRST DIGITAL CONCERT HALL IN LATVIA by Nataļja Vecvagare| natalja.vecvagare@liepaja.lv
2020 was undoubtedly challenging for almost all sectors. The world had to be creative and discover new ways to continue day-to-day business. How creative was the windy city Liepāja in this context? That’s the topic of this article. It’s the highlight story of the persistency and wilfulness of the cultural sector of Liepāja ja who throughout the year continued to adapt and create! Among the field leading figures is the Liepāja Concert Hall ”Great Amber”. In spite of the pandemic, it has developed a way to bring culture to public in a digital manner and has even become the first digital Concert Hall in Latvia! The Hall have purchased robotic cameras and additional technical equipment which avails the opportunity for producers and public to get the highest standards in the industry with the possibility to broadcast or capture any event. This is a big step forward in the development of the Concert Hall, allowing to perform under any circumstances. Targeted technological developments in the “Great amber†already make it available not only in person, but also globally remotely. For several years, “Great amber†has been gathering experience from Berlin, Gothenburg and Stockholm, following up to the current trends, and we are very pleased that the digital concert hall model has finally been introduced in Latvia. Digital concerts are today’s necessity and reality. The new digital equipment is available not only for video broadcasts and recordings; it delivers the additional opportunity for conference and seminar organizers, who now have the way to reach an audience worldwide online from Liepāja. 10
The tech equipment is discreet and does not interfere with the performers on stage or with the audience in the hall. One of the advantages of robotic cameras is the ability to easily move them and provide filming in both the Great Hall and the Chamber Hall. Each of the four compact robotic cameras is able to maintain up to 100 different positions, or framings, of which 10 are available during live broadcasting. Having several cameramen with large cameras has become the technology of the past. There are other advantages too. Cameras can show artists’ close-ups and emotions during a concert, provide opportunities to follow the musical sore, which was often impossible from the back of the hall. There have already been a number of digital events providing new experience. Thanks to the innovative, remote-controlled devices, viewers can get frames and image angles that would not be possible to see in the hall, or through the use of classical filming capabilities. By becoming a digital concert hall, “Great amber†has greatly expanded its capabilities, deleting social, economic or geographical factors that can prevent or hinder audience from getting into a concert hall. The only thing you need, is an Internet connection and a smart device to watch a concert.
