The poetry of Latvian poet Aleksandrs Čaks, with its vivid descriptions of the city of Riga – both the bright and not so bright characteristics, featuring characters such as prostitutes, drunkards, even cockroaches, might translate well to a theatrical setting, one might think.

In fact, this idea became reality a few decades ago, when Latvian composer Artūrs Maskats wrote melodies for a number of Čaks’ poems, performed at the time by Ivars Kalniņš. The years went by, and the idea to bring these songs back to public life blossomed and Maskats began work on more songs with lyrics by Čaks.

These new songs, along with new arrangements of the older songs, became the project Hotelis Atlantīda, a musical/theatrical event that featured the Latvian Radio Choir (musical director Sigvards Kļava) and was premiered in April of 2012, and was directed by Viesturs Kairišs (who also was the author of the libretto).

A CD of the same name has been released, and now listeners can now be brought back in time to the Riga of the past, with not just its many seedy elements, but also with many charming and quaint aspects that may have been lost over the years.

Besides the texts by Čaks, much of the atmosphere is provided by the band, including Aldis Liepiņš playing the piano, Indulis Cintiņš on violin, Jānis Stafeckis on contrabass, Ivo Krūskops on percussion, as well as both Kārlis Bimbers and Iveta Romancāne playing the accordion. The instruments are essential to the action and atmosphere on Hotelis Atlantīda, and deserve much of the credit for the success of the work – for example, the sorrowful violin in “Klaidonis”, complementing the bitter words of the titular wanderer, gloomy laments like “Rūgtas dziesmās es izkliedzu sirdi” (In bitter songs I scream out my heart).

Though Maskats provides the melodies, many of the actual arrangements were done by other composers, and many of Latvia’s brightest composers were involved in this process – including composers such as Andris Sējāns, Anitra Tumšēvica, Emīls Zilberts, and Jēkabs Nīmanis.

The distinctive baritone of Ivars Cinkuss is one of the many stars in Hotelis Atlantīda, appearing on six of the numbers, providing what one might call the ‘soul’ of the performance, with the rueful prayer ‘Lūgšana’, or the plaintive ‘Vai varu tev pie kājām likt’, as well as the bitterly sentimental ode to the city outskirts in ‘Nomalei’, bringing the necessary haunted disenchantment that many of Čaks’ characters exhibit.

Singers Kristīne Barkovska and Agate Burkina give life to the world weary, cynical Rīga prostitutes depicted in the song “Prostitūtas dziesma”, singing about their various types of clients, and “tikai plaukstošs veikals labs” (only a blossoming store is good).

Perhaps one of Maskats’ most famous works is his setting to music of Čaks’ poem, the ode to Riga ‘Rīgai’. Celebrating both the ‘old’ Riga (“Rīga, sirmā Rīga”) and the ‘new’ Riga (“Jaunā, skaistā RĪga”), this song, though originally written as a song for a solo singer, has since become a popular choir work, and a perennial favorite at song festivals based around the anniversary of Riga. The Radio Choir provides both the necessary tenderness and reverence for this moving tribute to the Latvian capital city.

Composer Maskats, who has been working with theater music for much of his career, is clearly an ideal choice for adapting the works of Čaks to music. As much of his music has a dramatic, and yet romantic, aspect to it, the music of Maskats brings these characters of Čaks to a vibrant life – the music provides additional personality aspects, making them living and breathing beings that are also given form by the singers of the Latvian Radio Choir.

The combination of Aleksandrs Čaks’ poetry, Artūrs Maskats’ music, the Latvian Radio Choir’s singing and dramatic talent (under the direction of Sigvards Kļava) is a potent combination not to be missed. Čaks’ characters and images are vividly portrayed in their full colorful, if a bit scruffy, glory. Hotelis Atlantīda at once not only displays the talents of the singers of the Latvian Radio Choir, but also of composer Maskats, and, of course, the unique ability of Aleksandrs Čaks to breathe into existence the denizens of Riga, no matter what walk of life they are from.

The Latvian Radio Choir web page: http://www.radiokoris.lv

The Latvian Radio Choir on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Latvian-Radio-Choir/122477347765305

Some of the best rock ensembles throughout history have been described as ‘power trios’, made up of a guitarist, a bassist, and a drummer, with one of the members normally handling vocals.

In a Latvian twist on the ‘power trio’ concept – what would happen if you switched out the guitarist with a kokle performer? The result is one of 2013’s most striking and unique recordings, entitled Zarbugans.

This particular power trio is kokle player Laima Jansone, bassist Andris Grunte and Artis Orubs on percussion. The ensemble began playing together at the 2012 Rīgas Ritmi festival and the eclectic instrumental music that they have created together combines aspects of folk, popular, rock, and jazz music into an engaging musical synthesis.

Much of the music on Zarbugans has a very improvisational feel to it, making the listener think of a journey of three people, each of whom has the same destination, but each takes a different route to reach it.

One of the main reasons Zarbugans has such a unique sound is kokle player Jansone, who, besides being an acknowledged wizard with the instrument, has often strived to combine modern and traditional elements in her performances. Take, for example, the first track – “Uguns”. This fiery piece begins with an uptempo, driving melody in the kokle, providing for some energetic pyrotechnics from Jansone.  Over the course of the song, the music becomes very exploratory in nature, as the kokle, aided by effects that give it an almost unearthly sound, takes on an almost mystical tone, before the theme returns at the end.

The traditional comes to light in “Pusnakts šūpuļdziesma diviem”, which uses elements of the Latvian folk song and lullaby “Aijā, žūžū, lāča bērni”. The folk song begins a metamorphosis into something almost nightmarish, with the kokle’s harsh, distorted sounds, before returning to a more dreamlike state where the familiar folk song melody returns.

Bassist Grunte provides the foundation for “Puķe, puķe, roze, roze”, introducing the song with a jumpy, slightly erratic baseline that is then built upon by drummer Orubs’ frenetic percussion, which then paves the way for Jansone to join in with a kokle melody that is at times soaring, at times subdued.

The title of the record –  Zarbugans – is actually a percussive instrument that was designed by drummer Orubs. This unique instrument features on the title track of the album, providing a backdrop for the interplay between Jansone and Grunte. Orubs’ deliberate, rapid fire playing provides the climax for the song, with machine gun intensity.

“Laiks ir tuvu” provides more mystical elements for the listener, with an otherworldly, even ominous kokle sound suggesting a cataclysmic event, perhaps the dawn – or end – of time.

Zarbugans is certainly one of the most innovative and creative albums to be released in recent months. With its improvisational style, veering between the melodic and the jarring, between the calm and the tense, it provides an emotional and eclectic journey. Jansone, Orubs, and Grunte have pooled their talents and created a vivid kaleidoscope of sound, combining elements of both Latvian folklore and jazz, among other elements, that can be at time entrancing, at time clashing, but, in the end, a memorable listen.

Hot on the heels of the similarly-themed winter solstice album Puzurs by Lauska record label mate Vecpilsētas dziedātāji, comes Es čigāna meita biju by folk ensemble Laiksne. Their first new album since 2010’s Putra, this album also presents winter solstice themed folksongs with modern arrangements.

Besides releasing similar albums, there are other parallels between Laiksne and Vecpilsētas dziedātāji. Both groups feature a large number of female members, nearly all of whom sing, so vocal harmonies play an important part in their music. Laiksne have more of a history, now being a veteran ensemble celebrating their 20th anniversary, and Es čigāna meita biju is now their fifth CD release.

One of many things that made Putra such a memorable folk release was that, besides containing performances of lesser known folk songs, Laiksne imbue their songs with energy and humor, creating records that are simply fun to listen to. Es čigāna meita biju is no different, and the album reveals the variety and vividness that can be found during the winter solstice time, which perhaps is slightly ironic, considering this is the darkest time of the year (listen to, for example, the very subdued winter solstice album Totari by Iļģi, which makes for a sharp contrast).

The group’s members include Lauma Garkalne, Dina Liepa, Vineta Romane, Baiba Indrēvica, Imanta Nīgale, Zanda Ancāne, Kaspars Indrevics, Gatis Gaujenieks, Aija Biezaite, Gundega Drava and Vēsma Putniņa.

The group’s skill with harmonies and arrangements appears on the song ‘Ai, bagāti Ziemassvētki’, an a cappella arrangement of the traditional folk song – all throughout the song there is the repeated mantra-like ‘Ziema, ziemassvētki’, and, over the course of the song, more and more voices join in, giving the song a very rich vocal performance. After the climax of the song, the voices depart one by one, perhaps like the slow departure of the budēlīši (roughly translated as mummers, much like ķekatnieki, masked visitors that travel throughout the village during the winter solstice).

A more modern arrangement of these ancient folk songs can be heard in the Latgallian song ‘Svātki guoja’, a driving, trance-like performance, with the solstice refrain ‘Kalado’ repeatedly chanted, with an almost hypnotic result.

The humor and enjoyment of the winter solstice can be found in the song ‘Labvakari, saimeniece’, a story of the mummers finally finding a place to rest and eat, after wandering and shivering the entire night. Sadly, there is no meat to offer them, as the children have already eaten all the meat and left only the bones in the pot, so the mummers continue on their journey.

Čigāni (normally translated as gypsies or Roma, though can also be roughly translated as ‘mummers’ in the context of these songs) are known not only for their colorful clothes, but also for their active songs with creative refrains. For example, in the song ‘Es čigāna meita biju’, a gypsy girl flirts with the boys while the rest of the mummers steal sheep, all the time singing ‘Aidā tidra kudra, aidā dīdā, ai duhaidā, ai fir lir lir, ai jumpidralalā’.

It is also worth noting the excellent production work on this CD, recorded at GEM studios and produced by Gatis Gaujenieks (not only an instrumentalist in Laiksne, but also bass guitarist and vocalist for Iļģi), as the songs have a fantastic sound and the production is quite crisp, especially the clarity and brightness in all the voices.

The CD booklet contains the lyrics to all of the songs, notes on the songs in English, as well as a brief explanation of the winter solstice season in both Latvian and English.

Though this time of year is dark and cold, Es čigāna meita biju offers a way to brighten up these gloomy days, with festive songs. Reaffirming their place as one of the premiere Latvian folk ensembles over their twenty year career, Laiksne reveals the multi-colored facets of the winter solstice time over the course of the album. Much like the spirited journey of the ķekatnieki, Es čigāna meita biju offers a vivid and memorable picture of the winter solstice season.

Laiksne website: http://www.laiksne.lv
Laiksne on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/LAIKSNE/118084614935325