Imants Kalniņš is one of the most beloved composers in Latvia. His music is listened to and appreciated by all types, whether they are casual music fans or devout music theorists. What is it about his music that seems to strike a chord within most every Latvian? Perhaps it is the variety of styles he can compose in, or how his music can convey just about any emotion—from happy rejoicing to being stranded in sadness to exuberant nationalism.

The past few years have seen Kalniņš once again take center stage in the public musical eye. Popular works in recent times include the re-recording of the film score to the movie "Pūt, vējiņi!" and the success of the rock group Autobuss debesīs, whose music was composed entirely by Kalniņš.

This year also saw the release of the retrospective Dziesmu izlase, containing an assortment of his popular music, recorded by the many artists who have worked with Kalniņš’ music throughout the years: Menuets, Turaidas roze, Jauns Mēness, Aigars Grāvers of Jumprava, and Renārs Kaupers of Prāta Vetra.

The disc conntains 16 tracks, compiled by Kalniņš and Ainars Mielavs. Coincidentally enough, seven of the 16 songs are songs that involve either Mielavs or his dormant group, Jauns mēness. But no matter…

The album starts off with two songs by Menuets, "Viņi dejoja vienu vasaru" and "Alvas zaldatiņi," both of which have lyrics by Māris Čaklais. The first song is a very pretty but sad piece about two lovers who had a brief romance. The chorus to the song reminds me a bit of "Memory" by Andrew Lloyd Weber. "Alvas zaldatiņi" (Tin soldiers) is one of Kalniņš’ more popular songs. It is a "military" style song about children who are playing with tin soldiers. It also offers the advice that "a dead Napoleon should be buried so he doesn’t smell, but a cat should be fed with warm milk"!

Another group that played songs by Kalniņš was Turaidas roze, and they have four songs on this release : "Svētku diena," "Nelaid, māte, bērnus mežā," "Apvij rokas" and "Mežā." Of the four, my favorite is "Svētku diena" (for which Kalniņš also wrote the lyrics), a celebratory song about the return of a loved one: "Every time that you are next to me is day of celebration!"

Another favorite on the album is "Es šodien jūku prātā," featuring Jauns mēness and lead vocals by Renārs Kaupers. I especially like the mandolin part, as well as the lyrics by Mielavs: "Nav vērts ja tikai tāpat par velti zvaigznes krīt" (It’s not worth if it if the stars fall for no reason).

Many of Kalniņš’ compositions are richly textured, a good example being the very beautiful song "Es redzēju sapnī," with its very lush keyboard part. It is almost symphonic in its style, and it is complemented well by Mielavs’ vocals. However, the very next song, "I Love You," is a straight ahead rock song that makes the listener want to sing along with its very simple but effective chorus in English, "I love you, do you love me too?"

The new "sensation" in Latvian music these days is Autobuss debesīs, who had the honor of closing out the day of rock music at the Rīga 800 festival on Aug. 18 (they played right before the amazing fireworks display). Part of the reason the are so popular is Kalniņš’ music. The group’s lead singer is Marts Kristiāns Kalniņš, the composer’s son. Dziesmu izlase contains two Autobuss songs, neither of which are on their album Logs puspavērts. They are "Sitiet bungas, mani mīļie" and the song called "Autobuss debesīs," another favorite of mine on this record. The lyrics for both songs were written by Viks (just Viks—no other name given!). The Autobuss songs are also a good example of how Kalniņš is capable of writing music that appeals to a younger generation. Kalniņš truly has cross-generational appeal.

The final song on the album, "Apturi mani," is a beautiful duet between Ainars Mielavs and Rēzija Kalniņa (who, besides being a well-known Latvian actress, is also Imants Kalniņš’ daughter).

Of course, you couldn’t possibly fit all the great Kalniņš songs onto one CD. One song that I particularly missed on this release was "Veltijums LTF" (dedicated to the Latvian Popular Front), probably my favorite Kalnīņš song.

The major disappointment in this release is the packaging: besides the CD cover, there isn’t any! You’d figure that with an artist with the popularity of Kalniņš, UPE Recording Co. could have at least included the lyrics and maybe a bit of history about each band (what albums they released, who were the members of the band, etc.) since it is not just Kalniņš music itself that is important. Besides, Kalniņš being such an interesting person, a bit of biographical information wouldn’t have hurt either. For those interested in more about Kalniņš the composer, I would recommend reading the book Jaunā mūzika pēc divdesmit gadiem by Ingrīda Zemzare and Guntars Pupa.

This CD is essential listening for anyone interested in Latvian music. There is good reason Kalniņš is considered a national treasure, and this CD goes a long way in confirming that standing.

As for the lyrics being absent, I think a Latvian friend of mine had the best explanation for that. "Why would you need the lyrics?," she asked. "These songs are already such a part of the Latvian culture that everyone knows all the lyrics by heart anyway!"

Though there are many perks to being in a band that’s been around for a long time, there also can be more pressure. Music fans tend to be a cynical bunch, and even though you may have sold boatloads of records in the past, one bad record will turn your fans against you. The pressure comes from how to keep it interesting. The band may have established a sound, but there is a danger of going to the well once too often. Deviate from that sound too much and run the risk of alienating your fans.

Of course, there are some bands out there, be they Latvian or otherwise, that have made a career of making the same album over and over again. And there is a place for that, but very few can get away with it and still maintain fan loyalty.

Another one of the veteran bands of the Latvian rock scene, Credo, in September released its latest album, Viss mainās…

After more than a quarter century of making music, did they keep it interesting? I would say that they did.

I was a bit apprehensive about reviewing this record, since I know nothing of Credo’s history, besides the fact that they have been around for a while, so I wouldn’t have the ability to "show off" my supposedly large knowledge of Latvian music. Before this record, I had heard all of three songs of theirs. "Vecais draugs" (from the Mikrofona 20 popularākās dziesmas collection), "Lietus" (from the Visu laiku labākās latviešu rokbalādes collection), and probably their most famous song, "Zinģe par bailēm" (from the Latviešu roka tautasdziesmas collection). And while I liked the songs, I never had any initiative in finding out more about this band.

That is something that I now regret, considering how much I liked the new record, which was an interesting collection of old sounds, new sounds and unique sounds.

The members of Credo are Guntis Veits (voice, rhythm guitar), Armands Alksnis (guitar), Aivars Vīksna (bass guitar) and Guntars Brečs (percussion). The prolific Latvian lyricist Guntars Račs also lends a hand with words to a few of the songs.

A recurring theme through this album is the idea that although things may change, one has to accept them. Appropriately enough, the album title is Viss mainās… (Everything Changes).

"Vējā" (In the Wind) is the first track and is probably my favorite song on the album. An uptempo tune with a great melody, it is a philosophical song about the changes and the fortunes that wind may bring: "Vēja māte vēja zirgiem, pakavus no laimes kal" (The Wind Mother makes horseshoes from fortune for the wind horses).

The second track, "Dzivē gadās arī tā" (That Happens in Life), sounds like it would be more at home on a Santana record, since it has a Latin feel to it. I think it is a successful experiment, because many times when artists attempt Latin sounding tunes, it comes across sounding forced. But, reflecting the carefree spirit of the album, it comes across very well. The song tells the story of a guy, who while talking to one girl, is looking over her shoulder at two other women. I keep waiting for Carlos Santana to start playing a guitar solo!

Another favorite track is "Septītajās debesīs" (Seventh Heaven), if only because it is a Chuck Berry-style, straight-ahead rock-and-roll song: not many chords, but the kind of song that if you hear it while driving, the gas pedal gets used more frequently.

Actually, I lied earlier. I had heard four songs by Credo prior to hearing this album. The final track "Kā būs, tā būs" (What Will Be, Will Be) originally appeared on the Dziesma 2000 compiliation (though it wasn’t credited to Credo, but just to Guntis Veits). It’s a fitting end to an excellent album, reinforcing the spirit of the album—looking forward without any fear of the future.

Viss mainās… is a solid effort by the band and it has been finding its way into my CD player quite frequently. Though a rock record in spirit, it has enough eclectic influences to make it good listening for any music fan, even those cynical ones who think that the old-timers can’t make relevant music anymore. Fortunately for Credo, even after so many years making albums, they still have enough creativity and to make excellent album.

Imants Kalniņš is one of the most adept composers in Latvia. Not confining himself to any one style, he can move between symphonic work (a great example being his “4th Symphony”) to film work (the music to “Pūt, vējiņi!”) as well as to popular music. He brings his style to every form of music that he composes, making it at once unique, but also recognizable. One never knows what to expect next from him.

One of his most recent projects is writing the music for the group Autobuss Debesīs, whose first album, Logs puspavērts, came out earlier this year.

Autobuss Debesīs is a new group, but one that I liked after hearing just one song. I had heard the song “Sitiet bungas, mani mīļie” on the MICREC release Superizlase and was anxiously waiting to hear more from the group. Though that song isn’t on this release, there are many other great songs that make this record a good listen.

Of course, it is not just Imants Kalniņš that made this record possible. The band is made up of Kalniņs’ son, Marts Kristiāns Kalniņš, on vocals; Kārlis Auzāns on lead guitar; Andrejs Grimms on acoustic guitar; Ervings Znotiņš on keyboards; Armands Treilihs on bass, and Emīls Zilberts on percussion. The lyrics are provided by Ieva Roze, Māra Čakla and Aigars Jirgens. Latvian actress Rēzija Kalniņa (now appearing in the new film Labas rokas) shows up to add vocals to two songs as well.

As with most music by Imants Kalniņš, it can be very hard to describe at times. Being an accomplished composer, most of the music is rather intricate and involved, taking a few listens to appreciate. The first few times I listened to the album, I didn’t think too much of it. The album seemed to be a bit too “artsy” for my tastes. But after repeated listenings, I began to enjoy it much more. The music is complex, so this record might not be for everyone, but I think even those people whose musical tastes are more toward the simpler style will find many things to enjoy.

The album opens up with “Alejas,” which is one of the more intricate songs (and, at more than six minutes, one of the longer ones). The singer describes himself as “apmulsis gaiss” (confused air) and wants to add green to the air in your alleys, or something like that.

Two of my favorite songs on the album are the second and third, “Es to tev teikšu” and “Kur slēpies tu,” which are more traditional in the sense that they are very catchy and have great melodies. “Kur slēpies tu” contains some great lead guitar work by Auzāns. These songs show that Autobuss debesīs are quite capable of playing great three-minute pop songs as well.

“Kad migla” recalls other Imants Kalniņš songs; it’s a subdued, keyboard heavy piece. It reminds me of the songs Kalniņš did with Ainars Mielavs, very relaxed and understated.

“Pie mežrozīša krūma” is another lengthy pice, clocking at the eight-minute mark. It starts off slowly, leading you to believe that this will be another relaxed song. Then suddenly, the song really kicks in and the tempo increases, allowing the musicians to shine in lengthy instrumental passages. But the song doesn’t seem to drag at all.

The song “Logs puspavērts” is a very pretty tune that features the vocals of Rēzija Kalniņa, as well as some beautiful cello work by Auzāns. It is another subdued piece, but also evokes a great sadness. Marts Kalniņš sings as well, but his vocals are mixed much lower than usual, so Kalniņa gets the chance to really shine in this song.

The lyrics on Logs puspavērts (which are included in the liner notes) also are on the artsy side, more poetic than the standard rock release. My knowledge of the Latvian language is fairly decent, but these lyrics had me reaching for the Latvian-to-English dictionary more often than usual.

Imants Kalniņš fans will like this record, as it features his trademark unpredictable style. The album can be enjoyed by all, from casual music fans to more serious listeners. It does take a few listens to get into, but it is worth it. Even if you’ve never heard of Imants Kalniņš before, this would be a good way to introduce yourself to his music, as there is plenty more good stuff where this came from.