Female a cappella vocal group Latvian Voices have found success and have received much recognition in the short time since their founding in 2009. Having performed all over the world (the United States, Australia, Asia, and many European countries), winning many awards, and releasing multiple acclaimed albums, the groups’ fame and renown continues to grow. The group was also selected to be the musical ambassadors of Riga when it was the European Capital of Culture in 2014.

The past few years have seen many albums from the group. These include the albums inspired by Latvian folk songs – Tā kā taka (2011) and Sounds of Latvian Nature (2014) as well as a second Christmas themed album Zeit der Wunder (2014) – with German vocal group Viva Voce. At the end of 2015, the group released their latest album – Pāri robežām (Beyond Borders) which has a more popular music approach – vocal arrangements of some well-known popular songs, world music selections, as well as original compositions. Though the style of the album is a departure from their previous albums, Latvian Voices continue to display their talent and versatility, whatever the genre may be.

Latvian Voices, now a sextet, is made up of singers Laura Jēkabsone, Zane Stafecka, Andra Blumberga, Elīna Šmukste, Nora Vītiņa, and Laura Leontjeva. Many of the group members also actively work with Latvian choirs and vocal ensembles.

Though the group has moved away from the traditional and academic performances of their previous albums and has made a conscious decision to make an album that could potentially have world wide appeal (half of the songs on Pāri robežām are in English), the group has never shied away from the influences of popular music, which have been part of their repertoire since their first album – 2010’s Waving World Wide.

Group member Laura Jēkabsone also proves herself to be an adept songwriter and arranger, as the record includes Jēkabsone’s original works. These include the bouncy “Honey Tree” and the rousing “Pāri Robežām”.

Some of the arrangements stay quite faithful to the original, such as Jēkabsone’s arrangement of Alanis Morissette’s “Thank U”, where even Morissette’s vocal style is imitated. Then there is the arrangement of the Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever” which, for much of its running time, is almost unrecognizable.

Continuing the theme of being beyond borders, the group also presents their interpretation “Elas”, a song by Mercedes Peón, an artist from Galicia in northwestern Spain. To ensure authenticity, the singer even underwent special training in Galician pronunciation. Besides showing the group’s versatility, the song captures the spirit and enthusiasm of the original Iberian version.

For those that still expect the traditional and academic, Jēkabsone also provides her own music for one of poet Aspazija’s best known poems – “Mēness starus stīgo” (a challenge, considering that composer Emīls Dārziņš’ choir work with this text is one of the most popular Latvian choir compositions of all time). With the otherworldly vocalize at the introduction, the fantasy and mysticism of Aspazija’s poem is given a particularly ethereal feel. The absorbing portrayal, which reveres and enhances the text, is a fitting and satisfying conclusion to this musical journey.

A significant aspect of any record’s success is the producer, particularly in the case of Latvian Voices, where there are multiple singers and each voice needs to shine through clearly. For Pāri robēžām, the girls enlisted Latvian percussionist extraordinaire Rihards Zaļupe, who, as it turns out, is not just an excellent drummer, but has an excellent ear for production, as each individual voice can be heard with excellent clarity. Also, consequently, perhaps it is also no surprise that the album has a very significant percussive element, with many drumbeats and effects to be heard in many of the songs.

For some reason, the group does not identify either the original performers/songwriters for the songs or who arranged them – the information that appears in this review had to be taken from a recent concert program. Otherwise the CD booklet contains brief notes about the group and the concept of the album.

Though some listeners might have preferred the group continue with their Latvian folk song inspired performances, Pāri robežām is a natural, not to mention enjoyable, progression in their careers. Fusing popular, world music, and academic elements, the album is an engrossing listen. Beyond simply being excellent singers and arrangers, the group also displays an exceptional energy and vitality in their performances. In their short history the girls quickly made a name for themselves, and with each passing year become even more well-known on the world stage, and Pāri robežām, with its inspired arrangements and lively performances, should bring them the larger audience and appreciation they have earned and deserve.

For further information, please visit the Latvian Voices website.

Pāri robežām

Latvian Voices
SIA LV MUSIC, 2015

1. Sākums un gals
2. Pāri robežām
3. Honey Tree
4. Sanomi
5. Viegli
6. Strawberry Fields
7. Sleeping at the Wheel
8. Elas
9. Explorers
10. Thank U
11. He Lives in You
12. Dear Mr. Henry
13. Mūsu laiks
14. Mēness starus stīgo

DaGamba are an instrumental ensemble that brings together both Western and Eastern music, as well as classical and popular music, to create unique musical pastiches formed of individual parts from various sources. On their second album Recycled, they bring together a wide variety of styles, from classical to rock to traditional Persian music.

Dagamba formed in 2011, and now the group includes Latvians Valters Pūce and Antons Trocjuks on cello, Lithuanian pianist Dainis Tenis, and Iranian percussionist Hamidreza Rahbaralam (who plays traditional instruments like the daf, udu and dohol). The musicians’ first collaboration was on an arrangement of Carl Orff’s “O Fortuna” from his work “Carmina Burana” (which is, unfortunately, not included on the album) and their unique blends have resonated not just in Latvia, but internationally as well (the group also performed as part of the Glastonbury Festival).

The title of Recycled is appropriate, as the group take existing material and reuse and refurbish it, creating something entirely new. For example, the group takes elements from Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev’s music for the ballet “Romeo and Juliet” and combine it with the theme music from the 1980s TV show “Knight Rider” in the work appropriately entitled “Prokofiev the Knight Rider”. These two dramatically disparate elements are melded together seamlessly by DaGamba, creating a unique synthesis. The Kinght Rider theme performed on cello gives it an added tension and urgency.

It may seem unusual to hear the works of Mozart and rock group Radiohead together, but DaGamba combine elements from Mozart’s “Requiem” and the Radiohead song “Paranoid Android” into a work titled “Paranoid Amadeus”. Though composed centuries apart, the sadness of Mozart’s “Lacrimosa” and alienation of Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android” flow together in an engrossing work of melancholy.

DaGamba’s Eastern influences and the talents of percussionist Rahbaralam come together in the work “Bach Goes to Iran”, which, as its name would indicate, combines the music of Johann Sebastian Bach with the music of Iran. The work begins with the well-known Prelude No. 1 by Bach, then with a dramatic mid-stream tempo and style change, naturally and organically changes into Persian motifs.

The group created the work entitled “It’s OK, it’s Latvia” by infusing elements from the Latvian rock band Pērkons’ song “Gandrīz tautas dziesma” (music by Latvian composer Juris Kulakovs) and perhaps the best known composition by Czech composer Bedřich Smetana – Vltava (or Moldau) from his work Má Vlast, music that embodied the spirit of the desire for Czech independence. Similarly, Kulakovs’ music often had national patriotic elements (though, considering that the 1980s were still well within the Soviet era, these patriotic elements were obliquely presented through the almost absurdist lyrics of Māris Melgalvs). These similarities allow the music of Smetana and Kulakovs to be fused together into a cohesive and catchy performance.

The packaging of the album is very limited – one wishes that they had provided a bit more detail on their choices, and why they put some of the compositions together. Also, the actual compositions that were “borrowed” are not identified (beyond naming the composer or group that performed them), so it is up to the listener to identify the works specifically. In some cases, the music is quite recognizable, but in some other cases it may not be so easily identified – some listeners might not be as familiar with the works of, say, Prokofiev.

Some listeners may be shocked by these occasionally incongruous combinations, but others will appreciate and enjoy the creative and inspired arrangements on DaGamba’s Recycled. Providing a fresh take on many well-known melodies, some hundreds of years in age, these modern interpretations and arrangements make them as relevant today as they were in centuries past. Merging the music of various composers and continents and centuries, DaGamba’s talented and skilled members provide new perspectives and viewpoints on these compositions. Using sources as diverse as Rachmaninoff and Muse, Handel and Celtic music, Beethoven, among many others, DaGamba’s Recycled is at once familiar and fresh, altogether an enjoyable and entertaining listen.

For further information, please visit the DaGamba website.

Recycled

DaGamba
DaGamba, 2015

1. Aquarium
2. Prokofiev the Knight Rider
3. Irish Sarabande
4. Bach goes to Iran
5. Paranoid Amadeus
6. Hysterical Rachmaninoff
7. Ode to Joy
8. Ruhballad
9. It’s OK, it’s Latvia
10. Solveig’s Song