Renowned Latvian pianist Vestards Šimkus (known internationally as Vestard Šimkus) has released his latest album Wagner Idyll on the German ARS produktion label (ARS 38 123), containing four solo piano pieces by Richard Wagner.

What makes the album slightly unusual is that Wagner is not particularly known for his piano works – his opera works being far better known. In fact, three of the four selections on the CD are piano arrangements of Wagner works by other composers (including Šimkus himself).

The CD was recorded at the Immanuelskirche in Wuppertal, Germany in May of 2011. The CD booklet features a lengthy biography of Wagner, as well as a briefer biography of Šimkus in both German and English.

This is the second CD Šimkus has recorded for ARS – the first one being 2011’s Interview with Beethoven (ARS 38 099).

Vestards Šimkus’ website – http://www.vestard-shimkus.com
ARS produktion website – http://www.ars-produktion.de

Track listing:

1. Isolde’s Liebestod (transcription by Vestards Šimkus)

2. Fantasia in F sharp minor, WWV 22

3. Spinnerlied (Franz Liszt)

4. Siegfried Idyll (Glenn Gould)

A new radio program devoted to Latvians abroad plans a live broadcast examining pending changes to the homeland’s Citizenship Law, according to the show’s producers.

The “21.gadsimta latvietis” (The 21st Century Latvian) broadcast is scheduled at 13:05 hours Latvia time on Sunday, Nov. 25. The broadcast will air on Latvian Radio 1 and also will available as a live stream on www.latvijasradio.lv.

Participating in the broadcast will be MP Ingmārs Čaklais, chair of the Citizenship Law Amendments Subcommittee of the Saeima’s Legal Affairs Committee.

Among issues to be addressed during the broadcast will be dual citizenship and whether it will draw children born to mixed marriages back to Latvia, whether dual citizenship will result in an increase in voters who are disloyal to Latvia, and which citizenship will be more important and useful for Latvian citizens abroad.

The amendments to the Citizenship Law, which would include acknowledging dual citizenship for a broad range of individuals, have passed their second reading in the Saeima. A final vote is expected before the end of the year, in part because the amendments are supposed to take effect Jan. 1.

Producers invite the public to send questions to Čaklais between 13:00 and 13:30 hours Latvia time by calling the studio at +371 67222888 or +371 67225599, or by emailing 21.gs.latvietis@gmail.com.

The “21.gadsimta latvietis” show took to the air on Nov. 11. The broadcast is led by journalist Ansis Bogustovs and produced by Lūkass Tālis Rozītis.