Reviews
Just another travel guide? For Rīga, fortunately not!
February 03, 2010
Are all travel guides the same? Is this really just “another travel guide”? Fortunately not! Around Christmas a breath of fresh air could be felt wafting through the streets of RĪga. Although Rīga was in the depths of a financial crisis, this has not been a hindrance to many creative souls in the capital. New shops, cafes, cafeterias have sprung up. The new travel guide, Another Travel Guide Rīga is proof of this itself. The guide is presented in an unusual format—proving that not all travel guides are of the same ilk.
The places described in the guide also show the ingenuity of the local community, not only among artists but all manner of entrepreneurial types, people who have brought their ideas to life in the past six months and opened their own small business. The phenomenon has most certainly been aided by the Latvian government lowering the costs associated with registering and setting up a business, but these incentives would have fallen on deaf ears if the ideas had not been latent, waiting for their time to arrive.
Recent reviews
Compact discs
Compilation of audio and visual recordings documents Siberian Latvian culture
Latvians are scattered throughout the world for various reasons. One of the most remote parts is Siberia. The first Latvians ended up in Siberia in the middle of the 19th century as deportees, later many emigrated to the region hoping to start a new life with the promise of cheap or even free land. In the 1940s and 1950s the biggest influx was those who were deported to the far east by the Soviets. Consequently, Latvians can be found in villages and towns all over Siberia.
Compact discs
Ambitious choir project celebrates the sun
Besides leading the prestigious professional choir Latvija, the visionary Māris Sirmais also directs Kamēr…, generally considered to be the best amateur youth choir in Latvia. The choir’s accomplishments are stunning and include victories in several international competitions.
20 years is long time to wait for Alis P, but worth it
Twenty years after Latvian-Swedish band Alis P released its first album, the sole remaining member has returned with Uz priekšu. The group was founded in 1979 by Gundars Rullis (vocals and bass), Māris Rozenbahs (drums) and Pēteris Šmitmanis (guitar), and released its first album, Alis iet pastaigāt, in 1988.
Compact discs
Band’s rebirth results in great rock album
The rebirth of the band Otra puse has been one of the most welcome events in Latvian popular music in recent years. Originally founded in 1992 by former members of Jumprava, the group recorded a number of great songs in the early 1990s, only to go very quiet for the next decade or so. After reintroducing itself with the retrospective album Pēc lietus in 2007, the group set about working on an album of all new songs, releasing Nakts vai rīts earlier this year.
Books
Katalogs ar atskatu uz grafiķes Zirnītes darbu
Grafiķe Nele Zirnīte šogad atzīmēja savu 50 gadu jubileju ar izstādi “Laika rezervuārs” Latvijas Nacionālajā mākslas muzejā. Šajā sakarā izdota arī grāmata ar tādu pašu nosaukumu, kas iecerēts kā izstādes katalogs, taču tā dizains un iekārtojums pāraug kataloga robežas. Izdevums ir iespiests trīs valodās—latviešu, lietuviešu un angļu, jo jubilāres izstāde tālāk ceļo uz Lietuvu.
Compact discs
Gain Fast’s second album heads in wrong direction
Gain Fast’s first album came out in 2007 with a decent amount of commotion—a new concoction of musically inclined, fresh-faced guys with a heart for alternative (possibly Christian) rock. What’s not to like?
Compact discs
Čikāgas Piecīši collection spans group’s career with ‘trejdeviņi’ tracks
With just two years to go before its 50th anniversary, the Latvian-American group Čikāgas Piecīši shows little sign of slowing down. Founded in 1961, the group is still performing, including a long-awaited return to Latvia that took place in 2008 and a concert during the 2009 Latvian Song Festival in Canada. In conjunction with this renewed activity, the group last year released its first career-spanning retrospective compact disc, Čikāgas Piecīšu zelts. Though the group already released a collection of its older songs, 1996’s Agrīnie gadi, this new collection covers the group’s entire recorded history.
Compact discs
Iznākusi latviešu tradicionālās mūzikas antoloģija skaniskā veidolā
Katrai sevi cienošai tautai mūsu platuma grādos ir jābūt kādam nebūt audiopārskatam par tās tradicionālo mūziku – tā uzskata etnomuzikologi un citi šai jomā iesaistītie. Līdz šim Latvijā šai ziņā bija neērts tukšums, kaut arī antoloģija bija sen iecerēta un sastādīta, līdz izdošanai dažādu apstākļu dēļ tā nebija nonākusi.
DVDs
Informatīvs materiāls par rotaļām, kas derētu katrai skolai
Ilga Reizniece ir strādājusi par folkloras skolotāju bērnudārzā un pamatskolā jau 20 gadus. Tagad viņa dalās ar savu pieredzi un nāk palīgā vecākiem un skolotājiem ar DVD Latviešu tautas rotaļas, kurā viņa māca to latviskāko no bērnu nodarbībām: rotaļas.
Compact discs
Choir’s collection is one of the best ever
Many people are quick to heap praise on conductor Māris Sirmais and his work with the State Choir Latvija, and with good reason. They have achieved laurels worldwide, and have released many noteworthy recordings. In 2008, Sirmais and Latvija released yet another excellent and significant collection of choir songs, No Baltijas krasta / From the Baltic Coast.
Music blog
Maskačkas spēlmaņi releases double album of dance tunes
January 12, 2010
The Rīga folk ensemble Maskačkas spēlmaņi in December released a new album consisting of two compact discs and a detailed, illustrated booklet of folk dances from around Latvia.
BrainStorm, Instrumenti invited to Austin’s SXSW festival
Two music groups from Latvia—one famous, the other not quite yet—have been invited to participate in this year’s South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas.
Compilation of Minneapolis music includes Lini
Browsing the racks at a local record shop, I initially glanced past the display of Southside Soul, Vol. II. But something made me take a second look. At the top of the listing of songs to be heard on the compilation of Minnesota-made music was a familiar name: Lini.
Astro’n'out releases third album with bolder sound
Astro’n'out will present its third album, Ģeometrija, during a Dec. 11 concert in the Sapņu Fabrikā club in Rīga.
Catalogue covers more than 100 years of symphonic music
A new catalogue covering nearly the entire history of Latvian symphonic music has been published by the Latvian Music Information Centre.
Books blog
Translated diary offers teenage boy’s view of life after war
February 07, 2010
The book has been out for a few months, but now there’s a Web site to support The Journal of Valdis Fomenko, the English translation of a teenage Latvian boy’s diary of life in a liberated Nazi concentration camp at the end of World War II.
Minsteres latviešu ģimnāzija topic of history book
Minsteres latviešu ģimnāzija (MLĢ), the former Latvian high school in Münster, Germany, is among the legendary exile institutions. Minsteres latviešu ģimnāzija izdzīvoja, by community activist, writer and teacher Alberts Spoģis, is the recently released history of the school.
‘Latviešu tautas piedzīvojumi’ now in podcast format
The popular story of the Latvian people’s struggle for freedom, Latviešu tautas piedzīvojumi by historian Uldis Ģērmanis, has seen several editions since first published 40 years ago. Now it is available as an audio podcast, thanks to the Daugavas Vanagi veterans group in Canada.
Skyforger’s pork ribs recipe included in heavy metal cookbook
Not only can pagan metal band Skyforger kick out some growling tunes about Latvia’s history, but at least one of its members can cook up a mean dish of pork ribs.
Poet Uldriķe honored with new collection
The Liepāja-based poet Aina Uldriķe died last year. To honor her, the bookseller and publishing house Valters un Rapa has released Pēdējā stīga, a 98-page collection her work.
What's new
News
07 Feb 2010
Irish solicitor disappointed by lack of charges in Saulīte case
The Irish attorney who represented murder victim Baiba Saulīte,…
Blogs
07 Feb 2010
Translated diary offers teenage boy’s view of life after war
The book has been out for a few months, but now there’s a Web…
Reviews
03 Feb 2010
Just another travel guide? For Rīga, fortunately not!
Are all travel guides the same? Is this really…
In the forums
Latvia for Sale...... posted by Dejotajs on 05 Feb 2010
Someone send William McIntosh, the D-Day Memorial's president, a copy of "The Soviet Story" posted by ambersun on 04 Feb 2010
Months go by.... posted by nick on 01 Feb 2010
English to Latvian translation required posted by fleuryfox on 01 Feb 2010
Blue paper, white chalk for medicinal healing in Latvia posted by Irena on 31 Jan 2010
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