Tribute to Vasks’ 70th birthday with release of 3 of his symphonic works

Egils Kaljo | 

Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks, who celebrated his 70th birthday in 2016, has long been a significant voice in Latvian classical music, so much so that his music, be it choir songs, chamber music, or large scale orchestral works, resonates with listeners all over the world. From small miniatures to expansive symphonic tapestries, his music is imbued with emotions, at times a great sadness but also with hope.

In 2015, the German music label Wergo released a collection of Vasks’ symphonic works, including three of his most significant and notable pieces – Sala, Musica Appassionata and Credo, performed by the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Atvars Lakstīgala. These three works, in the hands of the musicians of Liepāja, make for a memorable journey in the musical journey through Vasks’ compositional world.

Vasks often has themes of nature and conservation in his works, and elements can be found in the work Sala (Island), a symphonic elegy for orchestra composed in 2006. The musical portrait of the island begins as a lonely journey, with calm, plaintive melodies expressed throughout various wind instruments, such as the English horn, then later taken over by flute and clarinet. The island itself is a place of calm reflection, but is also lonely and abandoned, and one gets the sense that the island is also a place of banishment. Vasks’ music, in the hands of the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, paints a vivid and dynamic picture, transporting the listener to this imaginary place, full of beauty and solitude.

Musica appassionata per orchestra d’archi , composed in 2002, perhaps slightly unusually for Vasks, opens powerfully and dramatically, with a swell of strings. In many of Vasks’ compositions there often is a slow and gradual buildup of tension, and this work displays such an approach, a sense of growing unease as the melody begins its growing chromatic climb. The louder passages are balanced by quieter moments, but though the volume is lower the sense of anxiety remains palpable, particularly in the plucked strings. The orchestra maintains this dramatic intensity throughout the work, with the only real release at the very end, when a calmer melody prevails, and slowly fades out, punctuated by the rhythmic heartbeat of the double basses, giving the work a sense of mortality.

The spiritual and sacred are frequently the foundations of many of Vasks’ works, and this is particularly true in the final work on the album – Credo per orchestra, composed in 2009. Though instrumental, the work expresses a prayer-like affirmation of belief, particularly in the undulating strings throughout. Like many of Vasks’ works, it balances turbulence and harmony, and has a calm meditative nature. The entrance of the brass instruments gives the work a majestic flair, and then the work becomes meditative, with slow descending melodies in the wind instruments. As the orchestra fades out at the end, the sound of chimes brings the work to a peaceful and solemn conclusion.

According to the booklet notes (in both English and German), the multiple award winning Liepāja Symphony Orchestra is the oldest active orchestra in the Baltic States. The LSO often performs internationally, in many European countries as well as further afield in countries like Malaysia and India. Atvars Lakstīgala has been conductor since 2010, and has also conducted symphony orchestras, including the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra and the Rome Symphony Orchestra. The orchestra and conductor have also been actively recording, and have released many praised recordings, including Kurland Sounds (a collection of symphonic works by composers of the Kurzeme area) and Sound of Freedom (works by Imants Kalniņš).

The Wergo label also has a long history of working with Latvian musicians and presenting the best of Latvian compositions, particularly the music of Pēteris Vasks – including Viatore (symphonic works) and Gadalaiki (piano works performed by Vestards Šimkus). This CD is another memorable and significant entry in their catalogue.

Presenting three of Pēteris Vasks’ powerful symphonic works, this collection is a towering achievement, both by the composer and the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra and conductor Atvars Lakstīgala. It is a fitting tribute to the composer for his 70th birthday.

For further information, please visit the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra website and the Wergo website.

 

Sala, Musica Appassionata, Credo

Liepāja Symphony Orchestra, conductor Atvars Lakstīgala
Wergo, WER 7323 2, 2015

Track listing:

  1. Sala – symphonic elegy for orchestra
  2. Musica Appassionata per orchestra d’archi
  3. Credo per orchestra

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.

Life-changing experience for American Latvian interns in ancestral land

Emma Ikstruma | 

The American Latvian Association (ALA) recently celebrated its 65th anniversary and is sending a new group of young interns to work in the Baltics. ALA’s recently re-elected president, Pēteris Blumbergs, agreed to discuss issues of US-Latvian relations and the threat of Russia by email with The Baltic Times.

What are ALA’s key goals currently? How have these changed over the years?
ALA operates a diverse portfolio of educational, cultural, and sports-related programmes intended to maintain an active and vibrant Latvian American community in the US. We also fund important charitable projects in Latvia, especially those focused on assisting at-risk children and families. Our Information Office tracks geopolitical issues such as Russian aggression in Ukraine and disinformation campaigns. We inform our elected officials in the US about developments in the Baltics and urge them to support their Eastern European NATO allies through programmes such as the European Defense Initiative which this year saw an over four-fold (proposed) funding increase from 800 million US dollars to 3.4 billion dollars.

Our goals in relation to education and culture have not substantially changed over the years and we continue to support Latvian American “Sunday schools” (21 schools nationwide) and cultural events such as concerts and plays. Of course over 65 years (ALA just celebrated its 65th anniversary), assimilation has taken its toll and led to smaller school enrollments and so on. At the same time, the “new immigrants” who have moved to the US since Latvia regained its independence have given many of our communities a jolt of energy and talent.

The biggest recent change for the Information Office is that Putin’s imperialistic ambitions have caused us to become very active again in tracking and responding to geopolitical developments after a relatively quiet time in the years immediately following Latvia’s accession to NATO in 2004.

As I understand it, your internship programme, which expanded last summer, used to only send Latvian Americans to the Occupation Museum. How did the programme begin?
ALA has awarded scholarships and support over the years to Latvian American students. This includes funding to attend the Garezers and Kursa summer high school programmes, college aid, and the subsidisation of ALA’s Sveika, Latvija programme, which sends 8th graders on a 2-week educational tour of Latvia (42 kids participated last summer including one of my sons). It made sense to expand our general scholarship programme to internships to enable older kids to gain some practical work experience. The Museum of the Occupation of Latvija was a natural partner in the project since we have long supported the museum’s mission and provided financial support. And given these ties, we knew the interns would have a rewarding experience.

What were the programme’s early successes and lessons?
Interns to the Occupation Museum always returned happy from their summer abroad. These young people were motivated and would seek out tasks and projects while at the museum. And their enthusiasm generated interest in donors. Some would donate specifically to support the internships.

How and when was the decision made to expand the programme to other museums and organisations?
In the summer of 2014, ALA’s Cultural Office Director Liga Ejupe had invited the Latvian Minister of Culture Dace Melbarde to visit Garezers, the Latvian American summer high school located in Three Rivers, Michigan. Minister Melbarde was impressed by the intensity of the cultural patriotism of the students, but understood that upon graduating the summer high school there were no options for continuing the students’ development of the Latvian language. During her three days at Garezers, the minister, Liga, and Anita Batarags (the then-ALA president) spent a good deal of time discussing the question “What next?” What could these talented Latvian Americans do after graduating Garezers? And that is when the idea formed to expand the existing Occupation Museum internship programme to a broader range of cultural institutions. And Liga took on the role as liaison between the Latvian Ministry of Culture, ALA, the institutions, and the interns.

How were the new museums and organisations chosen? Which have been the most popular among applicants?
The Ministry of Culture invited all of its institution partners to apply. From that list ALA coordinates the positions and the responsibilities with the assigned mentor in each institution. Most popular? According to Liga, “All of them! Last year we had kids express interest in all of the different options.” But the National Library and the Ethnographic Museum lead the pack as each had four interns, so they were the busiest.

How did the expanded internship programme fare last year?
From my vantage point, it seemed to be well-regarded. As Liga put it to me, “Well regarded is putting it mildly — it was fabulous!” ALA could not have predicted such positive results in the first year. All sixteen interns told us they regarded their experience as life changing. One intern decided to continue her studies at the Latvian Academy of Art. Two interns found full-time employment through the programme and now live in Latvia.

I hear that this year’s interns will soon be headed to Latvia. How many are there?
This year 18 students will be participating in the programme. Fourteen from the US, one from Canada, and three from Australia. One intern has already started working at the Academy of Culture. The majority will start work by the middle of June. The intern feedback was so positive last year, that the Latvian Association of Australia and New Zealand (LAAJ) wanted to include their interested students, even though the kids will miss part of their winter school semester.

Does ALA have any plans to further expand or change the programme in the near future?
We are continuing to look at ways to evolve, especially with an eye toward finding opportunities that particularly interest or professionally benefit our Latvian American students. This year we have expanded the options beyond the original cultural institutions and have included three leading technology firms for those applicants with business or scientific backgrounds. We are looking to create partnerships with think tanks or NGOs that might take on students with political science, international relations, or journalism backgrounds.

To change the subject, ALA recently hosted its 65th Congress in Los Angeles. What were some of the highlights and takeaway messages?
Our annual meetings have evolved over the years. In the early days, there were internal political battles and feisty debates over the direction of the organisation. These days things are calmer, but I think that more serious work gets done. We have really focused on getting leading Latvian thinkers to serve as guest speakers, and their presentations and findings help propel our organisation’s agenda for the upcoming year. In Los Angeles, for instance, we heard from Yale researcher Inta Mierina who has just completed the most significant study ever conducted of the post-1991 Latvian diaspora. The numbers are troubling and it made us realise the importance of a Latvian re-emigration plan. Similarly, we gained valuable insights into the Russian state-sponsored disinformation campaign when we screened the Re:Baltica film, “Masterplan,” and heard from the filmmakers. ALA will be active on these two issues (demography and disinformation) in the upcoming year.

What was the general sentiment regarding “Masterplan”?
The general sentiment is that film is really well done and the filmmakers are talented and courageous. So long as Latvia has a steady supply of people like Re:Baltica’s Sanita Jemberga and Inga Springe, I have a lot of optimism for the country’s future. Some had warned that the film’s subject matter (Russia’s disinformation war in Latvia) was depressing and alarming, but I think most Latvian Americans share such a dim view of Putin that nothing said about his schemes and machinations surprises us. It was interesting to understand, however, that Putin’s “masterplan” is general destabilisation and that Putin is an opportunist with no particular blueprint. So, in response, we have to limit his opportunities and build stability. ALA can help in a variety of ways. We will encourage expressions of support for Latvia through visits by congressional delegations and high-level governmental officials, we will continue to expose Putin’s agenda by hosting seminars and publishing works, and we will combat disinformation by promoting institutions such as Radio Free Europe and the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence.

What is ALA currently doing in response to Russia’s continued presence in Ukraine?
ALA has adopted and published numerous resolutions condemning the activities in Ukraine. We have organised seminars (including two in the past year, in New York and Chicago) and published articles that cast light on the situation. We have periodic meetings with the State Department where we voice our concerns and propose solutions (including, for instance, enhanced funding for the European Defense Initiative which we view as a major achievement). Our affiliate organisation, the Joint Baltic American National Committee, which is a registered lobbyist, is very active in the halls of Congress. This upcoming summer, Congress will be considering whether to renew sanctions connected to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and JBANC has been actively advocating on the issue.

To end on a lighter note, what role is ALA playing in preparing for Latvia’s 100th anniversary in 2018?
As our gift to Latvia, we will concentrate on raising public awareness of Latvia and Latvians in America. We will emphasise the positive history of Latvian American relations as well as future partnerships. ALA through its Cultural Office has conceived a plan that will mirror the celebration in Latvia. From Nov. 18, 2017 through Nov. 18, 2018 we invite everyone, every organisation, every group large or small to participate. Our goal is to celebrate 100 events for the Centennial. The ALA Cultural Office will serve as an information conduit and idea center. The Centennial year celebration is an ideal opportunity for everyone — whether you speak Latvian or not — to work together.
 
This interview was originally published in The Baltic Times on 19th May, 2016.

Skyforger reissues folk song album “Zobena dziesma”

Egils Kaljo | 

Latvian pagan metal band has reissued their long out of print 2003 album Zobena dziesma (Thunderforge Records, TFR 003). In contrast to the heavy metal musical style on their other albums, Zobena dziesma is an album made up entirely of Latvian folk songs performed in a traditional manner.

The songs, mainly about war and Latvian mythology, also feature well known Latvian folk musicians, such as Kaspars Bārbals from the group Auļi on bagpipes.

The CD booklet contains all the lyrics, as well as English translations.

The album also includes two bonus tracks – “Pār kalniņu Ūsiņš jāj” and “Cekulaina zīle dzied”, both recorded in 2006.

In other Skyforger news, the band’s 2015 album Senprūsija was awarded the Latvian Gold Microphone award for being 2015’s best hard rock/heavy metal album.

The band will be performing at a number of European festivals in the summer of 2016, including Steelfest Open Air 2016 in Helsinki, Finland, the Under the Black Sun Festival 2016 in Bernau, Germany, and the Positivus Festival in Salacgrīva, Latvia.

For further information, please visit the Skyforger website.

 

Track listing:

  1. Sen dzirdēju, nu ieraugu
  2. Zobena dziesma
  3. Parkiuns vede vedeklenu
  4. Gatavs biju karavīrs
  5. Apkārt kalnu gāju
  6. Prūšu meita karā jāja
  7. Aiziedams pērkons grauda
  8. Sidrabiņa upe tek
  9. Migla, migla, rasa, rasa
  10. Zirgi zviedza
  11. Kur tu jāsi bāleliņi?
  12. Zviegtin’zviedza kara zirgi
  13. O kai saulutė tekėjo

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.