Author: Egils Kaljo

Tribute to Šverns, Godfather of Latvian Indie Music

Egils Kaljo | 

Though perhaps not reaching similar commercial heights as other popular Latvian artists, the band Baložu pilni pagalmi, in their long and prolific career (having just released their 10th studio album – Stacija mums in 2014) the group became one of the most significant and influential bands in the Latvian alternative rock scene.

The creative force behind Baložu pilni pagalmi for twenty years has been vocalist and guitarist Māris Šverns. Šverns and Baložu pilni pagalmi over the years gathered a devoted, if comparatively small, following, and inspired many future Latvian underground musicians to try their craft in songwriting.

Recognizing the singular influence of Māris Šverns and his status as godfather of Latvian indie music, a number of both well-known and lesser known artists pay tribute to the songwriter on the 2014 album Brāļi un māsas. Sixteen groups provide their unique interpretations of Šverns’ songs, reflecting the varied and diverse nature of Šverns’ works.

Elizabete Balčus, who was awarded the ‘Best Debut’ Latvian music award in 2011, begins the albums with an dreamy, string drenched interpretation of the song ‘Smarža’, along with a soaring vocal performance.

The groups collected on the album are often difficult to pigeonhole in one single genre, much like Šverns himself. For example, Oranžās brīvdienas, who combine heavy guitars and a horn section, perform a jumpy version of ‘Tava māja’, with staccato horns alternating with bass guitar. Though Šverns’ lyrics might at first seem simplistic, they belie deeply personal emotions and feelings.

Quirky Baložu pilni pagalmi contemporaries Inokentijs Mārpls, performing what could be called ‘Latvian hardcore’, perform a blistering version of ‘Nebija vēja’, combining distorted guitars and growling vocals in their inimitable style.

Sniedze Prauliņa, daughter of Latvian composer Uģis Prauliņš, performs a Tori Amos imbued rendition of “Labākā šaipus piena ceļa”. Joining Prauliņa is Edgars Šubrovskis,  the vocalist of Latvian indie stalwarts, the unfortunately disbanded Hospitāļu iela. Šubrovskis, who initiated this project and also selected the artists that appear on the record, returns with his new band Manta to perform an Eastern flavored version of ‘Kūkojam’.

In a collection that contains many unusual recordings, one of the most unexpected performances is by the choir Juventus, who recorded an a capella choir version of Šverns’ song ‘Mans zirgs’. The soaring harmonies by the female voices beautifully balance the melody song by the tenors, and may remind the listener of a similarly successful choir song arrangement – that of Renārs Kaupers’ ‘Mazā bilžu rāmītī’. The plaintive song about a horse, with its deceptively childlike words and music, turns out to be a fitting song for a choir interpretation, as the voices alone reveal the tender beauty of the song.

The Brāļi un māsas collection features not only artists from Latvia, but also diaspora Latvian artists, proving the global influence of Šverns’ songs. Swedish Latvian group Alis P performs their rendition of “Katru rītu”, and veteran American Latvian alternative group Mācītājs on Acid perform an appropriately fuzzy version of “Katru minūti”.

Yet another example of the genre-bending reach of Šverns’ songs is the performance of the song “Iela, pa kuru tu ej” by jazz rock ensemble Pieneņu vīns, with jazz style vocalizations that at once seem out of place, yet, at the same time, seem perfectly appropriate to the song.

Māris Šverns, a guiding light for so many alternative and indie musicians in Latvia, along with Baložu pilni pagalmi, continues to build on his 20 year legacy of personal and individualistic songwriting. Brāļi un māsas is an appropriately eclectic tribute to an eclectic songwriter.

For information about Brāļi un māsas, please visit this website and more about the band Baložu pilni pagalmi can be found here.

Brali un masas

Track listing

  1. Smarža – Elizabete Balčus
  2. Tava māja – Oranžās Brīvdienas
  3. Radiohīts – Stūrī Zēvele
  4. Cilvēks tik uz pus – Satellites LV
  5. Nebija vēja – Inokentijs Mārpls
  6. Romāna varonis – Gaujarts
  7. Labāka šaipus piena ceļa – Sniedze Prauliņa
  8. Meitene – Anna Ķirse, Māris Butlers, Toms Auniņš
  9. Mans zirgs – Koris Juventus
  10. Kūkojam – Manta
  11. Katru rītu – Alis P
  12. Pavasaris – Laika suns
  13. Katru minūti – Mācītājs on Acid
  14. Iela, pa kuru tu ej – Pieneņu vīns
  15. Tik vēlu – Frontline
  16. Mans lepnums – Sonntags Legion

Egils Kaljo is an American-born Latvian from the New York area . Kaljo began listening to Latvian music as soon as he was able to put a record on a record player, and still has old Bellacord 78 rpm records lying around somewhere.

New Baltic Way Commemorative Coin

Egils Kaljo | 

August 23, 1989, saw one of the most memorable and inspiring events in recent Baltic history. Approximately two million residents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined hands to form a human chain, called Baltijas ceļš (The Baltic Way), linking the capitals of the three Baltic States – Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius, in a powerful display of unity to protest the then-Soviet occupation. The date was chosen to mark the 50th anniversary of the fateful Molotov-Ribentropp pact, signed August 23, 1939, which divided up Eastern Europe into Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia spheres of influence.

In August of 2014, the Bank of Latvia has released a silver commemorative coin to celebrate the 25th anniversary of this history making event.

The proof quality silver coin was struck by Koninklijke Nederlandse Munt (the Netherlands), and was designed by Visvaldis Asaris (graphic design) and Ligita Franckeviča (plaster model), has a face value of 5 euro, and has a mintage of 10,000.

For further information, please visit the Bank of Latvia website.

Egils Kaljo is an American-born Latvian from the New York area . Kaljo began listening to Latvian music as soon as he was able to put a record on a record player, and still has old Bellacord 78 rpm records lying around somewhere.

New Folk Song Arrangements on Latvian Choir Kamēr… CD

Egils Kaljo | 

One of the most surprising developments in Latvian academic music in recent years was the departure of conductor Māris Sirmais from the youth choir Kamēr… in 2012. After leading the choir for more than 20 years, and bringing it worldwide renown, and spearheading such memorable projects as World Sun Songs and Mēness dziesmas, Sirmais handed the baton over to his young colleague, Jānis Liepiņš. Liepiņš then had the gargantuan task of not only maintaining the choir’s stellar reputation, but also continue to innovate and forge new paths in choir music as Sirmais had done.

Liepiņš’ and the choir’s major project in 2014 was Amber Songs, which thematically builds upon its predecessors – World Sun Songs (choir compositions by international composers inspired by the sun) and Mēness dziesmas (choir compositions by Latvian composers, inspired by the moon). The twist with Amber Songs is that this time, a group of prestigious composers, both Latvian and international, were given the task of composing new arrangements of Latvian folk songs. As the album Amber Songs reveals, this international approach to arrangement leads to a diverse collection of folk song arrangements – some staying true to the original version, some folk songs becoming almost unrecognizable. Composers from nations as diverse as Turkey, Israel, India and the United States, among many others, have added their spin on these ancient tunes.

One of the many reasons this is such an engaging collection is that most, if not all, the Latvian folk songs are among lesser known folk songs, which means that many listeners will not at all know what to expect from this collection.

A frequent collaborator with Latvian choirs (see the album A Ship with Unfurled Sails with the State Choir Latvija), British composer Gabriel Jackson has shown a particular affinity for Latvian culture and music. This collaboration continues with his arrangement of ‘Neviens putnis tā nepūta’, an untraditionally tender folk song about love. Combining birdsong with the sentimental text, the song flows to a concluding crescendo, as two lovers are sad to part.

Young Latvian composer Evija Skuķe, a previous collaborator with the choir on the Mēness dziesmas collection (the composition ‘Mēness vokalīze’), continues her fruitful work with Kamēr… with the arrangement of the Latgallian ‘Zvīdzi, zvīdzi’, a song about a young man who wants to escape war, yet almost all of his family is unwilling to help him, except for his bride, who sells her bridal crown to help him. Skuķe’s arrangement gives each family member – father, mother, brother, and sister their own unique voice and image, vividly telling the story through the voices of the choir.

The tragedy of ‘Vēja māte’, where a young fisherman does not survive a violent storm, is brought to life with aching sadness by Basque composer Xabier Sarasola. The young fisherman pleads desperately with the Wind Mother to control her servants, but to no avail. As the song reaches its sad conclusion, the arrangement, through the voices of the choir, echoes the tragic lament of the discovery of the lifeless fisherman.

Russian composer Vladimir Martynov, not content with arranging just one song, tackles a whole six songs, in the appropriately named ‘Sešas dziesmas’. The composer moves deftly from one melody to another, in the span of a few minutes covering topics of birth, weddings, midsummer, as well as other seasons. The rhythmic, almost chanting singing, with the repeated refrain of ‘Aizkryta sauleite jau aizalaida’ (The sun has set, it has gone down), leads to an almost trance-like effect, with the choir singers of Kamēr… conjuring a panorama of Latvian seasons and landscapes.

Amber Songs comes in a richly bound book, which includes extensive notes on the project, all song lyrics, as well as biographies of each composer in both Latvian and English.

Amber Songs, at once ancient and modern, is an engrossing collection, offering a diverse and multifaceted view of Latvian folksongs. Though some listeners may be disoriented by the modern arrangements (some of the arrangements are quite complex, at times even harsh), it remains a fulfilling international journey. Conductor Jānis Liepiņš is clearly at ease in the role of the conductor of the choir, and has quite nimbly and confidently stepped out of the shadow of former artistic director Māris Sirmais. With Amber Songs and its 17 unique pieces of amber, Liepiņš and the choir Kamēr… yet again show why they are considered one of the best amateur choirs in the world.

For more information, please visit www.kamer.lv

Amber Songs

Track listing

  1. Rotāšana – Vytautas Miškinis
  2. Bumburjānis bumburēja – Pēteris Plakidis
  3. Garā pupa – Jan Sandström
  4. Gaismeņa ausa – Nicholas Lens
  5. Zvīdzi, zvīdzi – Evija Skuķe
  6. Ar laiviņu ielaidosi- Hasan Uçarsu
  7. Neviens putnis tā nepūta – Gabriel Jackson
  8. Kaladū – Michael Ostrzyga
  9. Divi sirmi kumeliņi – Ethan Sperry
  10. Aiz Daugavas vara dārzs – Peeter Vähi
  11. Tolku bolss – Kasia Glowicka
  12. Malējiņa Dievu lūdza – Henrik Ødegaard
  13. Kālabadi galdiņam – Param Vir
  14. Vēja māte – Xabier Sarasola
  15. Aiz deviņi ezeriņi – Gilad Hochman
  16. Gula meitina – Franz Herzog
  17. Sešas dziesmas – Vladimir Martynov

 

 

Egils Kaljo is an American-born Latvian from the New York area . Kaljo began listening to Latvian music as soon as he was able to put a record on a record player, and still has old Bellacord 78 rpm records lying around somewhere.