Raxtu Raxti is a new ensemble formed by members of the Latvian popular group Autobuss debesīs and Latvian folk musicians, who perform the songs of Latvian composer Imants Kalniņš and others, but with folklore elements and interpretations.  Though only recently formed, the group has quickly become one of the most popular folk ensembles, and the group released their debut album entitled Es atradu tautasdziesmu in 2015.

The group features the Autobuss debesīs members Marts Kristiāns Kalniņš (vocals, keyboards), Armands Treilihs (bass guitar) and Kārlis Auzāns (guitar and cello), joined by folk singer Kristīne Kārkle (vocals, violin) and Edgars Kārklis (vocals, bagpipes, and accordion). Joining the musicians on the album are Artis Orubs on percussion and Ilze Grunte on 12 string guitar.

The album opens with the dreamy ‘Es atradu tautasdziesmu’, a song with music by Imants Kalniņš and lyrics by Laima Līvena, slowly building in intensity over a simple keyboard melody and subtle cello line. Singer Kristīne Kārkle (who seems to be just about everywhere these days, performing with Folkvakars, Trio Šmite Kārkle Cinkuss, and Valts Pūce, among others), delivers a stirring vocal performance with her distinctive voice.

The song ‘Zanes dziesma’ from the film Pūt, vējiņi! (music by Imants Kalniņš, lyrics by Rainis and folksong elements), a fantasy about a young girl doing laundry by the Daugava River who has her wreath stolen from her head by a green pike, and then her ring also falls in the river. The music by Kalniņš and vocals by Kārkle give the song a mystic quality, as the girl reaches from her ring and thinks about what the future might bring her.

Though almost all the music on the album was composed by Imants Kalniņš, other composers are represented here as well. Composer Juris Vaivods provides the music for Rūdolfs Blaumanis’ folksong-style poem ‘Apkal manu kumeliņu’. Blaumanis’ metaphorical imagery – comparing the arduous task of winning the respect of a girls’ mother to climbing a mountain of ice, makes for a rousing, almost war-like song. In the end, the lad prepares his horse for this tortuous journey, chops up the ice mountain, and wins the approval of the mother. The song also features lead vocals by Edgars Kārklis (who also plays with the drum and bagpipe ensemble Auļi).

One of the many positive aspects of the album is its liveliness – reflected in songs such as ‘Man apnikusi’ (music by Imants Kalniņš, lyrics by Broņislava Martuževa), a song for anyone who experiences frustration with life and seeking more enjoyment out of life. Martuževa, who died in 2012, writes ‘Man apnicis ikvienu soli kā rubli bankā reģistrēt, es gribu līdz ar naktsvijoli uz meža noras noziedēt’ (I’m sick of registering every step like a rouble in the bank, I want to blossom like a butterfly orchid in a forest glade). The music of Kalniņš and vocals by Kārkle memorably capture the defiance and dreaminess of the poet’s words.

Autobuss debesīs have always been closely associated with Imants Kalniņš, which should be little surprise, considering that singer Marts Kristiāns Kalniņš is Kalniņš’ son. The group almost exclusively perform only his songs, and have become popular and successful in doing so. Still, performing the works of only one composer can be limiting, so the fact that there are multiple composers (including the group themselves) on the album provides for more variety. Also, one of the many aspects that makes Raxtu Raxti’s Es atradu tautasdziesmu is that it includes some of Kalniņš lesser known songs, and shies away from his biggest hits.

Es atradu tautasdziesmu, with its folklore elements and imaginative new arrangements, makes for a refreshing and enjoyable listen, shining new light on some older songs and presenting some new songs that feel right at place with the others. Though a new ensemble, Raxtu Raxti’s members, with their decades of performance experience, bring a solid music foundation, as well as a unique melding of popular and folk song elements. With this mix of folk elements with compositions by Imants Kalniņš and other composers, the album stands up well with the many other folk albums released in recent memory.

For more information, please visit the group’s Facebook page.

 

Details

Es atradu tautasdziesmu

Raxtu raxti
Produced by MICREC, 2015

Track listing

1. Es atradu tautasdziesmu
2. Karsta mana jauna dziesma
3. Vedību dziesma
4. Puiša dziesma
5. Rakstu rakstus
6. Modināšanas dziesma
7. Zanes dziesma
8. Klusi, klusi
9. Apkal manu kumeliņu
10. Šorīt saule
11. Man apnikusi
12. Laime, laime

Though it really does go without saying that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote some of the greatest sacred choral music in history – works like the Great C minor Mass, the Coronation Mass, and, above all, the Requiem – as he was such a prolific composer, many of his earlier works often get overshadowed by the later works.

Recognizing this, an all-star team of Latvian musicians came together and recorded the album entitled simply Mozart, which collects some of Mozart’s earlier sacred choral works, and was released in 2014 by the Latvian concert agency Latvijas koncerti. The CD features the world renowned Riga Cathedral Boys’ Choir, along with the orchestra Sinfonietta Rīga, soprano Inga Šļubovska, all conducted by long time Boys’ Choir conductor Mārtiņš Klišāns. The CD was also released to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the Riga Cathedral Choir School in 2014, as well as the 65^th anniversary of the Boys’ Choir in 2015.

Almost all of the works contained on the record were written while Mozart was still living in Salzburg, the town of his birth, and prior to moving to Vienna. Though still a teenager, the maturity of these works is evident, and shows a talent and a musical language well beyond his years. In his short life, Mozart revolutionized music, ushering in the Classical era of music, adeptly composing in many different styles, and paving the way for the Romantic era, and influencing composers like Beethoven, Schubert and Rossini, among many other composers throughout the centuries.

Though more and more Latvian singers have become famous on the world stage, Latvian National Opera soprano Inga Šļubovska shows that she is innately suited for the works of Mozart on this CD. Though an early work (composed in 1771), the multi part ‘Regina Coeli’ is still an extremely demanding work of the soloist. Šļubovska sings adeptly and with confidence. Though the vocal parts have coloratura fireworks (perhaps slightly unusual for a serious sacred piece), Šļubovska brings the necessary gravity to the work, her resplendent voice filled with reverence and piety.

Due to the sacred nature of these works, the choir voices are particularly significant, as they need to bring forth the angelic nature of the vocals. With their decades of experience, conductor Mārtiņš Klišāns and the Riga Cathedral Boys’ Choir are uniquely positioned to provide memorable interpretations of these works. For example, in the prayer ‘Inter Natos Mulierum’ (composed approximately in 1771, when Mozart was still fifteen years old), the soaring vocals of the boys’ choir give the listener an idea of what a choir of angels should sound like.

Sinfonietta Rīga, a comparatively young chamber orchestra (founded in 2006), has, in its short history, become an internationally well-known group of musicians. Balancing both the classic and modern repertoire, the orchestra has already won the Latvian Great Music Award twice, and has recorded albums for international music labels. Being a chamber orchestra, the musicians provide nuanced and intimate performances of these works by Mozart. This can be seen on the multi part ‘Exultate Jubilate’, composed in 1773, an almost operatic sacred work. Sinfonietta Rīga provides an appropriately celebratory and vivacious performance.

One of the best known works on the record is ‘Laudate Dominum’ (composed in 1780), begins with an achingly beautiful solo performed by Šļubovska, which is then supplemented by the voices of the Boys’ Choir, then brought to a swelling crescendo by Sinfonietta Rīga and conductor Mārtiņš Klišāns. Though a comparatively more reserved work than the others, the beauty and honesty of the piece, especially in the hands of such a talented team of artists, makes this one of the definitive recordings of this classic.

The CD booklet features notes on all the compositions by musicologist Orests Silabriedis and Lauma Malnace, as well as biographies of all the performers, in both Latvian and English.

Though many Latvian musicians focus on modern works, or the best known classical works, the album Mozart is at once both memorable and refreshing, breathing new life into these works that are centuries old. It is a fitting tribute to both the Riga Cathedral Boys’ Choir and the Riga Cathedral Choir School’s rich histories and decades of nurturing some of the greatest Latvian singers and musicians. Conductor Mārtiņš Klišāns ably and successfully brings together the vocals of Inga Šļubovska, the Riga Cathedral Boys’ Choir, and the gracefully nuanced performance of the orchestra Sinfonietta Rīga to shed new light on these early Mozart works, and the performances are both exquisite and inspiring.

For more information, please visit the Riga Cathedral Boys’ Choir website and the Sinfonietta Rīga website.

Details

Mozart

Riga Cathedral Boys’ Choir / Sinfonietta Rīga / Inga Šlubovska / Mārtiņš Klišāns
Produced by Latvijas koncerti, 2014

Track listing

1. Regina Coeli – I. Regina coeli laetare
2. Quia quem meruisti portare
3. Ora pro nobis Deum
4. Alleluia
5. Inter natos mulierum
6. Exultate Jubilate – I. Allegro
7. Recitative
8. Aria
9. Alleluia
10. Sancta Maria, mater Dei
11. Veni Sancte Spiritus
12. Laudate Dominum
13. Misericordias Domini
14. Ave verum corpus