This seems to be a year of greatly renewed interest in Latvian poets, particularly by musicians. In what is now the third such release this year, the work of famed Latvian poet Aleksandrs Čaks is featured on Domās par tevi, a set of two compact discs.
The poetry of Imants Ziedonis was set to music on Viegli, released May 1, while the Strāvoklis project, unveiled later in May, featured the poetry of Jānis Rainis.
The record label Upe tuviem un tāliem released Domās par tevi in cooperation with the Aleksandrs Čaks Memorial Apartment, a museum in Rīga honoring the writer.
The first CD contains poetry read by actor Vilis Daudziņš, with occasional guitar accompaniment by Kaspars Zemītis.
The second CD contains songs with the words of Čaks, including such popular titles as “Atzīšanās (Miglā asaro logs)” and “Tev (Liepas satumst)”, as well as new musical interpretations of his poetry. The CD features performances by actors Artis Robežnieks (vocals and guitar), Artūrs Skrastiņš (vocals), Kaspars Zemītis (guitar) as well as previously recorded performances by actor Ivars Kalniņš and composer Arturs Maskats, as well as composer Uldis Stabulnieks.
Tracks on the CD include:
- Orman, saki kurp mums steigties (music composed and performed by Artis Robežnieks)
- Mēs sēdējām ostmalas krogā (music composed and performed by Artis Robežnieks)
- Sirds citā vietā trīc (music composed and performed by Artis Robežnieks)
- Viss senais klusi prātā nāk (music composed and performed by Artis Robežnieks)
- Tīk man (music composed and performed by Artis Robežnieks)
- Savādā meitene (music composed and performed by Artis Robežnieks)
- Ne jaunkundzēm es savas rindas rakstu (music composed and performed by Artis Robežnieks)
- Vakara apskaidrība (music composed and performed by Artis Robežnieks)
- Romance (composer Pēteris Plakidis, performed by Artūrs Skrastiņš and Kaspars Zemītis)
- Atzīšanās (Miglā asaro logs) (composer unknown, performed by Artūrs Skrastiņš and Kaspars Zemītis)
- Ormaņa dziesma (composer Imants Kalniņš, performed by Artūrs Skrastiņš and Kaspars Zemītis)
- Tev (Liepas satumst) (composer unknown, performed by Artūrs Skrastiņš and Kaspars Zemītis)
- Romance (performed by Ivars Kalniņš and composer Artūrs Maskats)
- Rīgai (performed by Ivars Kalniņš and composer Artūrs Maskats)
- Marijas iela (performed by composer Uldis Stabulnieks)
Čaks, who would have marked his 110th birthday in 2011, was one of the most celebrated of 20th century Latvian writers and was known for his expressive and lyrical poetry. His poems were often about Rīga, and were known for their depictions of the grimier and seedier side of the city.
With the release of Domās par tevi, the latest Latvian writer to get a musical treatment is Aleksandrs Čaks.