UPE Recording, the Rīga-based music production company run by singer and disc jockey Ainars Mielavs, in February released the first of what it promises will be a series of recordings chronicling the vast catalog of Latvian folk songs. Pagānu gadagrāmata (Pagan Yearbook), the brainchild of Uģis Prauliņš, is not, however, the typical collection of folk songs.

In fact, Latvian audiences unaccustomed to what’s been happening in the field of "world music" might be taken aback by the cycle of songs on this album. Pagānu gadagrāmata is not an introductory library of folk tunes. Rather, it is a concept album tied to the theme of the passing of the seasons. During the course of 15 tracks, the listener is carried from the atkūsnis (thaw) that occurs around Easter time, forward through spring, summer, autumn and winter.

This also is an album about the Latvian countryside, home of the Latvian soul. That helps explain the various "nature" sound effects scattered through the album, a somewhat trite addition to an otherwise fine recording.

Pagānu gadagrāmata is not a singalong album that lends itself well to air play, even though tracks have been featured on Radio Latvia and some commercial stations. Instead, the album is better listened to in a single sitting, maybe even with the "repeat" function of your CD player activated, so you can experience several "years" in row.

"I wouldn’t like these songs to climb the Latvian pop charts and go down as swiftly afterwards," Prauliņš writes in the liner notes. "These songs are meant to be a retrospection of a whole year for the inner self of an urban man—at places we hardly ever visit these days."

Familiar voices, such as that of Latvian folk diva Ilga Reizniece, sing traditional lyrics (dainas) but often to the accompaniment of nontraditional instruments, such as the West African xylophone, the balafon, and the hand drum, the djembe. Thus, we find Prauliņš singing "Meitas gula ābolajē"—with Prauliņš himself handling voice, keyboards, and recorder—ending with bongos that segue into Reizniece and Māris Muktupāvels singing a percussive "Ganiņš biju" on a track punctuated by the djembe and the balafon.

The arrangements are a sign that "folk" culture does not have to be restricted to a specific time in the past to be considered genuine. Consider as an example "Baladīte," a tragic ballad composed by Prauliņš with lyrics drawn from the work of poet Ojārs Vācietis (1933-1983).

Featured performers on the album are Reizniece and Muktupāvels, both of the post-folk group Ilgi; guitarist Gints Sola of Jauns Mēness; and bassist Andris Alviķis, percussionist Nils Īle, and Prauliņš. In a recent interview in the Rīga daily newspaper Diena, Prauliņš told journalist Uldis Rudaks that the idea for Pagānu gadagrāmata came to him in 1995. For some tracks on the album, Prauliņš arranged the music around the traditional songs transcribed by the Latvian folklorist, composer, and critic Emilis Melngailis (1874-1954). Other tracks, such as the instrumental “Pirmais pērkons,” are new compositions.

We hope UPE does well with this series. Latvian folk music, important though it is to Latvian ethnic identity, has received scant recent attention from recording companies in Latvia. Mielavs tells SVEIKS.com that the second album in the series, Latviešu danči (Latvian Dances), is nearing completion, and that at least one additional album is expected this year.

(Editor’s note: This review originally appeared on SVEIKS.com.)

Good photography and design help make the CD-ROM fun to watch. Captions for some images, however, would be helpful.

Latvia’s image in the West is a constant struggle. As a small country, it battles for recognition on the international stage. And sometimes the recognition Latvia gets is not favorable. So when something like the CD-ROM Latvia 98: An Interactive Guide comes along, we can be thankful that it presents the country in a clear, creative and professional manner.

I have to admit I was a bit worried when I opened the CD-ROM and read the liner notes, which offered installation instructions in faulty English. Fortunately, the text, audio and video on the CD-ROM itself are well produced.

Latvia 98: An Interactive Guide was created by Rīga-based R & I Demo and released shortly before Independence Day in November. Designed for fast computers running Windows 95, Windows 98 or Windows NT, the CD-ROM presents a survey of Latvia’s history, geopolitical situation, environment, future events, culture and social life, tourism, economy, and education. Readers are guided through the presentation by a menu that uses traditional Latvian symbols as metaphors. Unfortunately, nowhere are the symbols themselves explained. Voiceovers in English are by Kārlis Streips, the Chicago-born Latvian who has made a name for himself in Rīga’s television market.

Aside from a few gaffes (such as disagreement about whether Latvia’s first international recognition came in 1920 or 1921), the CD-ROM is well done. However, I am left with a few questions and suggestions for a future project.

In the “Latvia 80” section, Latvia’s early history is covered quickly, perhaps almost too quickly. On the other hand, too much history might keep the reader from the purpose of the CD-ROM, which is to present Latvia today. In this section, as well as throughout the CD-ROM, captions on many of the photographs would be appreciated. Was that Kārlis Ulmanis we saw in one picture? Hey, wasn’t that Anatolijs Gorbunovs in another? Because this CD-ROM is meant more for a non-Latvian audience, brief explanations of these people and their roles in Latvia’s history would be helpful.

The geopolitical section presents basic information on government, geography, major cities, currency and religion.

The section on environment looks at flora, fauna, national parks, and climate. Here again, captions would be encouraged to let the reader know what animal or plant is pictured. In addition, the climate section needs to go into more detail than just showing the range of temperatures during the four seasons. Is Latvia a wet or dry place? How much rain or snow does it receive in an average year?

Perhaps the weakest section of the CD-ROM is the one devoted to the future. All we get here is brief mention of three major upcoming events: the European Reconstruction and Development Bank Summit in 2000, Rīga’s 800th anniversary in 2001, and the World Bank Summit in 2002. What about other items on the agenda in Latvia’s future, such as the possibility of joining NATO or the European Union?

The richest section, I was pleased to see, was the one focused on Latvian culture and society, presenting the reader with background on such broad topics as architecture, music and dance, the visual arts, and ethnography. A surprising section under the rubric of architecture was the one focused on memorial art found in Latvian cemeteries. Under music, we are treated to a video of Laima Vaikule in concert (of course, we don’t know that, because nowhere does it say it’s her!). One trouble spot was the section on the mass media. While several major Latvian newspapers are noted, none of the Russian-language press is mentioned. No doubt the producers of Latvia 98 wanted to tread carefully around some touchy issues such as the questions of language and citizenship.

In the section on tourism, potential visitors to Latvia are given some good reasons to visit the country as well as some practical information. Similarly, the section on Latvia’s economy encourages investment in the country. I was pleased to see that in this section, at least, Latvia 98 extended the notion of interactivity by adding a Web link to the Latvian Development Agency. More such links throughout the CD-ROM would be encouraged.

Finally, the education section gives us a quick look at the schools and universities of Latvia.

If you speak Latvian and follow current events, this CD-ROM probably won’t teach you anything. But you might want to consider purchasing a copy for your local school or public library’s multimedia collection.

(Editor’s note: This article originally appeared on SVEIKS.com.)