On 29 September 1995, Riga’s “White House” lit up again: after five years of restoration and reconstruction, the renewed Latvian National Opera building was opened with a ceremonial concert. The company returned to its historic home at 3 Aspazijas Boulevard not only with a series of symphonic concerts, but also with a new production of Jānis Mediņš’s Fire and Night. The official commissioning still followed in November, but the stage’s breath returned home on that September evening.

After the restoration of independence, the rebirth of the Opera House became a visible sign that the state was rebuilding not only its institutions, but also its cultural spaces. The reconstruction lasted from 1990 to 1995 and was one of the first major cultural infrastructure projects in the new Latvia.