Links
Music
- Eirodziesma 2005
- http://www.eirovizija.lv/
- You may well cringe when you hear about the European Song Contest, but whether you like it or not it is still a major event in the music scene. In the Eirodziesma 2005 Latvian finals, which took place in Ventspils in February, none of the competitors sang in their mother tongue. English seemed to be the unanimous choice of all. The Latvian finalists, Valters un Kaža with the Mārtiņš Freimanis song "The War is Not Over," were scheduled to compete May 19-21 against 39 other acts in Kiev, Ukraine. The Eurovision Song Contest celebrates 50 years in 2005. Check out the official Eurovision site for further details. LV (Reviewed in March 2005)
- Grupa Cosmos
- http://www.cosmosmusic.lv/
- Although their name makes them sound like New Age band at one with the rest of the universe, Cosmos is actually a group of five very talented young Latvian performers who sing a capella. Founded in 2002 by five graduates of the Rīga Dome Choir School, the group claims to be the first a cappella group to hit the Latvian popular music radio charts. Judge for yourself: Do these young vocal performers have what it takes to "cover the whole human voice range from bass to soprano," as claimed on their Web site? The design of the site is ultra-hip but sometimes slightly unnerving as you wait for some sections to organically flow onto the screen. EN LV (Reviewed July 2004)
- Kremerata Baltica
- http://www.kremerata-baltica.com/
- Latvijas mūzikas ierakstu gada balva
- http://www.gadabalva.lv/
- Want to buy some Latvian compact discs, but there's so much available in the shops that you don't know where to turn? If you consult this site you might get a little wiser. In its 10th year, Latvijas mūzikas ierakstu gada balva is the Latvian version of the Grammys, highlighting the best songs, albums and video clips in different categories. The award used to be known as the "Mikrofona gada balva." It's fun to scroll through the lists of winners of years gone by and to try to remember the tunes, but the songs themselves are unfortunately not on the site. LV
- Skaņu meža pasaka
- http://www.music.lv/mpasaka
- Skaņu meža pasaka is an interactive game for young children teaching the basics of music and sound. It includes 50 different simple activities where the child first listens to an introduction read to them and then follows instructions to complete exercises. Created by Latvijas Izglītības informatizācijas sistēma (LIIS) and with funding from Culture Fund of the World Federation of Free Latvians, the material used here corresponds with the standardized curriculum covered in music lessons in Grade 1 in Latvia. The game may be a bit slow for kids used to whiz-bang technology but, hey, it is something in Latvian so kudos certainly are due. LV (Reviewed June 2005)
- Ģitāristu forums
- http://www.gitaristiem.lv/
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In the forums
Vaira Vike-Freiberga - extraordinary Latvian voice featured in "Extraordinary Voices" lecture series in SF May 14 posted by ambersun on 11 May 2008
About Rezekne posted by Aussie Latvian on 07 May 2008
Latvian Birth Certificate posted by Skye on 05 May 2008
Happy May Day, fellow proletarians................ posted by peter B on 01 May 2008
There is no need for Republic of Latvia whatsoever posted by Mr L L on 28 Apr 2008
