Egils Siliņš performs lieder on latest album

Famed Latvian bass-baritone Egils Siliņš has released his latest album, Schubert und Strauss Lieder, featuring solo performances of songs by Franz Schubert and Richard Strauss, accompanied on piano by Helmut Deutsch.

The performance, recorded live at the Baltais flīģelis concert hall in Sigulda on December 20, 2011, also includes two Latvian songs, ‘Glāsts’ by Jānis Mediņš and ‘Brīnos es’ by Alfrēds Kalniņš.

Siliņš, perhaps the best known Latvian opera singer, was the first singer from the Latvian Opera to perform at La Scala in Milan, the Vienna Staatsoper, and at the New York Metropolitan Opera House. Siliņš repertoire includes more than 90 roles, and he has performed in opera houses all over the world. He will be performing the role of Wotan in the Wagner operas Das Rheingold and Die Walküre at the Opéra National de Paris in February and March.

Helmut Deutsch has worked with dozens of renowned singers throughout his career and is currently a professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München.
For further information, please visit Egils Siliņš’ website at http://www.silins.eu and the website of the Baltais flīģelis concert hall at http://www.baltaisfligelis.lv

Track listing:

1. Die Taubenpost – Franz Schubert

2. Der Wanderer – Franz Schubert

3. Das Fischermädchen – Franz Schubert

4. Nachstück Gedicht – Franz Schubert

5. Der Strom – Franz Schubert

6. Der Wanderer an den Mond – Franz Schubert

7. Der Tod un das Mädchen – Franz Schubert

8. Prometheus – Franz Schubert

9. Am Bach im Frühling – Franz Schubert

10. Litanei – Franz Schubert

11. Liebesbotschaft – Franz Schubert

12. Sei mir gegrüsst – Franz Schubert

13. Erlkönig – Franz Schubert

14. Heimliche Aufforderung – Richard Strauss

15. Zueignung – Richard Strauss

16. Ach wen mir, uglückhaftem Mann – Richard Strauss

17. Ich liebe dich – Richard Strauss

18. Glāsts – Jānis Mediņš

19. Brīnos es – Alfrēds Kalniņš

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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.

Attiecību putra new title by Swedish-Latvian group Alis P

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After the comeback album Uz priekšu, released in 2009, Swedish Latvian group Alis P has released their third album, Attiecību putra. Alis P, led throughout its more than two decades of existence by Gundars Rullis, provide another meaty platter of heavy rock and bluesy grooves.

Uz priekšu was a welcome antidote to the often over-produced and occasionally soulless music that appears at times in music in Latvia (and elsewhere), and Attiecību putra is a worthy successor in that effort.

Joining Rullis, who sings and plays guitar, are Edgars Rubenis (bass) and Edgars Āboliņš (drums). Though there are only three musicians, this power trio has a big sound that can be heard throughout all the songs on the album.

Rullis, whose distinctive, slightly nasally voice might remind some of composer Juris Kulakovs of Pērkons, sings about various types of travelers on the album’s opening track ‘Ceļotāji’, which also features the thundering bass of Rubenis.

The melodic rocker ‘ZiemeļLauma’ offers a more mellow and romantic side of Alis P, with Rullis singing ‘naktīs dalīsim sapņus’ (we’ll share our dreams at night), and is one of the more tender songs on the album.

The dirty blues return in the rough-edged title track ‘Attiecību putra’, which again features the heavy bass of Rubenis, which gives the song a funk-like mood, appropriate for a song about the ‘porridge’ of relationships, with Rullis singing ‘tu esi kā inde’ (you are like poison).

Āboliņš’ drumming is the highlight of the song ‘Jaunas PaAudzes’, another funky number that reminds one slightly of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and over dueling distorted guitar and bass, Rullis ominously intones ‘es tevi redzu, es tevi dzirdu, tevī skatos, klausos’ (I see you, I hear you, I watch you and listen).

The album closes with the dreamy ‘Pacietīšos…’, with Rullis cryptically reciting the digits ‘0850360’ at the beginning of the song. The song, the longest on the album at almost six minutes and thirty seconds, has an almost Dire Straits-like feel to it, what with its lengthy, meandering outro. This mellow song brings the album to a satisfying close.

The only minor criticism about the album is that Rullis’ vocals are sometimes a bit lost in the mix – and, at times, there is a seemingly unnecessary over-reliance on vocal effects. Otherwise the performance of all the musicians involved is exemplary, particularly Rullis’ guitar work, which gives the entire album a solid foundation in rock and blues.

Currently the album is only available as a digital download via the http://www.bandcamp.com website, though a vinyl pressing of the album may appear in the near future.

A new Alis P album is always a reason to celebrate, since few other Latvian rock ensembles (and, it is also worth noting, the number of Latvian rock ensembles seems to decrease with each passing year) offer such enjoyably raw and rough melodies. Attiecību putra has a punchiness that was not as evident on Uz priekšu (though Uz priekšu did present slightly more variety – like the slow blues of ‘No Tapešu ielas’). A refreshing rollicking romp throughout its nine songs (which certainly leaves one wanting more), Attiecību putra is yet another worthy entry in the Latvian rock canon from Alis P.

Alis P website – http://www.alispudelis.lv
Alis P on Bandcamp – http://alisp.bandcamp.com

 

Details

Attiecību putra

Alis P

2012

Track listing:

1. Ceļotāji

2. Sapņu Tēls

3. Jauns Gads

4. ZiemeļLauma

5. Ej Tu Nost

6. Attiecību Putra

7. kas Bija, kas Būs…

8. Jaunas PaAudzes

9.Pacietīšos…

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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.

Leģendas released to celebrate Ojārs Grīnbergs’ 70th

The Leģendas series, produced by the Latvian record label MicRec, continues with the third release, a compact disc featuring well known Latvian singer Ojārs Grīnbergs (MRCD 497), to celebrate Grīnbergs’ 70th birthday.

Leģendas, meant to spotlight singers who were integral parts of Latvian popular music in previous decades, began with a release in 2010 dedicated to the late Nora Bumbiere. The series’ second entry was Leģendas Ziemassvētkos, a collection of Christmas songs.

Grīnbergs, who has had a career spanning five decades, rose to fame, as many did in the 1960s and 1970s, after collaborating with Raimonds Pauls. Many of Pauls’ best known early songs were performed by Grīnbergs – such as ‘Mežrozīte’ (though there was also a version performed by Zigfrīds Račiņš), ‘Tev, mana labā’, ‘Sens ir tas stāsts’, ‘Somu pirts’, among many others.

The Leģendas CD collects 26 recordings – mainly compositions by Raimonds Pauls, but also songs by Gunārs Freidenfelds, Uldis Stabulnieks and Ivars Vīgners. The songs by Vīgners, from the children’s puppet theater production of Šveiks, are released on CD for the first time. The CD also has three re-recordings from 2007.

The CD booklet contains an essay in Latvian on Grinbergs by Latvian music journalist Daiga Mazvērsīte.

Track listing:

1. Sens ir tas stāsts

2. Tev, mana labā

3. Mežrozīte

4. Nepārmet man

5. Kam ziedi, mežabele

6. Tik dzintars vien

7. Gaujai

8. Zilie lini

9. Mirdzošais gliemežvāks

10. Somu pirts

11. Dziesma nenosalst

12. Cik klusa nakts

13. Saulrieteņa dzīvībiņa

14. Atmiņu lietus

15. Zvaigžņu laiks

16. Sāpju dziesma

Dziesmas no izrādes Šveiks

17. Piparkūku sirsniņa

18. Šveika songs

19. Šveiks cietumā

20. Šveiks dodas karā

21. Mazliet mīlas un mazliet šūpuļdziesmas

22. Karalauka pasts

23. Fināla dziesma

Papildus

24. Tik dzintars vien (2007)

25. Nepārmet man (2007)

26. Zvejnieku sievas (2007)

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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.