In 2014, the Latvian capital of Riga was selected as one of the cities to be the European Capital of Culture, and, to celebrate this honor, the Bank of Latvia has issued a special circulation 2 Euro coin – the first special 2 Euro coin to be issued since Latvia traded in the Euro for the Lat in January 2014.

The graphic design of the coin was created by Henrihs Vorkals, with Jānis Strupulis providing the design of the plaster model. The coin, with a mintage of 1 million, was minted by Staatliche Münzen Baden-Württemberg in Germany.

According to the Bank of Latvia website, “Each country in the euro area is entitled to issue two commemorative coins per year. Also, they are allowed to produce a third coin, provided that it is issued under a jointly organised programme. Latvia’s next 2 euro commemorative coins of special design are projected for 2015.”

For further information, please visit www.bank.lv

The MMC (Mūsdienu mūzikas centrs or the Contemporary Music Centre) released its latest compilation of jazz music performed by Latvian interpreters. In collaboration with the organizers of the yearly jazz music festival Rīgas ritmi, the CD, entitled Jazz in Latvia 2014 (MMC CD 013) features various jazz music performances by leading Latvian jazz musicians.

Produced by Māris Briežkalns, himself the drummer in the his jazz quintet as well as the artistic director of the Rīgas ritmi festival, the compilation collects 10 performances featuring musicians like singer Daumants Kalniņš, guitarist Matīss Čudars, and pianist Raimonds Macats, among many others, performing both original works and arrangements.

For further information, please visit the Rīgas ritmi website (in Latvian, English and Russian).

Track listing:
1. Dream of a Greedy Clown – Matīss Čudars Quintet
2. This is the World – Raimonds Macats Quintet
3. Spring Song – Inga Bērziņa Quartet
4. Technically Disco – Latvian Radio Big Band
5. Lost – Daumants Kalniņš Quintet
6. I Wonder – Māris Briežkalns Quintet
7. The Beat Goes On – Kristīne Prauliņa & Latvian Raido Big Band
8. Fire – Laima Jansone Trio
9. Victoriya – Tree Stones Quartet
10. My Prayer – Toms Juņevičs

The latest Latvian commemorative coin, the second to be denominated in Euros and 100th overall, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the publishing of the first part of Latvian writer Jānis Jaunsudrabiņš’ (1877–1962) book Baltā grāmata (The White Book), was released on June 17, 2014.

According to the Bank of Latvia’s website, “[The White Book] is a fictional memoir of the writer’s childhood seen through the eyes of the protagonist Jancis, and, at the same time, a panorama of Latvian rural life at the close of the 19th century, supplemented with heartfelt illustrations by the author himself.”

The proof quality silver coin, with a face value of 5 Euro, was designed by Sandra Krastiņa and was minted by the Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (the Netherlands), and has a mintage of 5000. As there has been a heightened interest in Latvian commemorative coins recently, Baltā grāmata, much like its predecessor, Ainažu jūrasskola, sold out on the day of release.

For further information, please visit the Bank of Latvia website (in both Latvian and English). There is also an informational video (in Latvian).