On latest recording, Šimkus tackles Beethoven

Egils Kaljo | 

Latvian piano star Vestards Šimkus (known as Vestard Shimkus internationally) has released his latest solo compact disc, entitled Interview with Beethoven.

The CD contains three works: Ludwig van Beethoven’s piano sonatas number 2 and 29 (the extremely difficult “Hammerklavier”), as well as Šimkus’ own “EU Variations,” which are variations on the theme from “Ode to Joy” from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

Interview with Beethoven was released in May by German music label Ars Produktion (ARS 38 099). The works were recorded at the Steinway-Haus in Dusseldorf.

Šimkus, who began playing piano at the age of 5, has become internationally renowned for his skill and interpretations. He was honored with the Latvian Great Music Award in 2002 and 2009. Šimkus also received accolades for his performance of Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks’ “The Seasons” solo piano cycle, which was released on CD by the German music label Wergo in 2010.

As shown on this release, Šimkus is also an active composer. His “Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra” received its world premiere in July 2008.

Tracks on the CD include:

  1. Vestards Šimkus, EU Variations on a Theme of Beethoven
  2. Ludwig van Beethoven: Klaviersonate op. 2 Nr. 3, Allegro con brio
  3. Ludwig van Beethoven: Klaviersonate op. 2 Nr. 3, Adagio
  4. Ludwig van Beethoven: Klaviersonate op. 2 Nr. 3, Scherzo: Allegro
  5. Ludwig van Beethoven: Klaviersonate op. 2 Nr. 3, Allegro assai
  6. Ludwig van Beethoven: Klaviersonate op. 106 Hammerklavier: Allegro
  7. Ludwig van Beethoven: Klaviersonate op. 106 Hammerklavier: Scherzo: Assai vivace
  8. Ludwig van Beethoven: Klaviersonate op. 106 Hammerklavier: Adagio sostenuto
  9. Ludwig van Beethoven: Klaviersonate op. 106 Hammerklavier: Introduzione: Largo – Fuga: Allegro risoluto

The CD booklet features essays on Beethoven and his works in both German and in English, as well as a brief biography of Šimkus and a brief essay by him. The disc is a Super Audio CD (SACD), which means it can be played on DVD players utilizing 5.1 channel output, if available.

More information about Šimkus is available on his website, www.vestard-shimkus.com.

Interview with Beethoven

On his latest compact disc, Latvian pianist and composer Vestards Šimkus tackles Ludwig van Beethoven.

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.

California tops in Latvian population, latest U.S. census estimates reveal

Andris Straumanis | 

California is home to the greatest number of people in the United States who claim Latvian ancestry, with New York a close second, according to new population estimates released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

In all, an estimated 91,096 people claim some Latvian ancestry in the American Community Survey, which is sent annually to a random sample of households. The figure has a margin of error of 2,282, meaning the range of people with Latvian ancestry could be between 88,814 and 93,378.

Updated data from the past five years of the ACS were released Dec. 8. More than 2 million households each year were sampled from 2006 through 2010, according to a press release from the Census Bureau.

An estimated 11,443 people with Latvian ancestry live in California, according to the data, followed by New York with 9,194. The data include both the first and second ancestry reported.

The top 10 states in terms of Latvian population also include Illinois with an estimated 6,982 persons; Florida with 4,921; Massachusetts with 4,706; Michigan with 4,265; New Jersey with 3,946; Pennsylvania with 3,754; Washington with 3,380; and Maryland with 3,289.

The greatest concentration of Latvians continues to be in the Northeast and Upper Midwest of the country, as it has for decades.

Here is a breakdown of the estimated Latvian ethnic population by state, according to the American Community Survey:

State Total Margin of error
Alabama 317 +/-142
Alaska 252 +/-107
Arizona 1588 +/-361
Arkansas 187 +/-112
California 11443 +/-893
Colorado 2142 +/-378
Connecticut 1876 +/-375
Delaware 180 +/-96
District of Columbia 297 +/-95
Florida 4921 +/-539
Georgia 1603 +/-390
Hawaii 338 +/-158
Idaho 376 +/-181
Illinois 6982 +/-720
Indiana 1490 +/-495
Iowa 942 +/-283
Kansas 327 +/-128
Kentucky 530 +/-209
Louisiana 265 +/-119
Maine 495 +/-253
Maryland 3289 +/-550
Massachusetts 4706 +/-531
Michigan 4265 +/-519
Minnesota 3010 +/-535
Mississippi 196 +/-103
Missouri 792 +/-226
Montana 337 +/-170
Nebraska 479 +/-149
Nevada 820 +/-244
New Hampshire 521 +/-188
New Jersey 3946 +/-563
New Mexico 411 +/-134
New York 9194 +/-919
North Carolina 1364 +/-242
North Dakota 102 +/-69
Ohio 2580 +/-330
Oklahoma 304 +/-125
Oregon 1701 +/-352
Pennsylvania 3754 +/-416
Rhode Island 127 +/-67
South Carolina 625 +/-160
South Dakota 147 +/-69
Tennessee 666 +/-218
Texas 2300 +/-361
Utah 300 +/-210
Vermont 357 +/-121
Virginia 1911 +/-383
Washington 3380 +/-521
West Virginia 96 +/-59
Wisconsin 2810 +/-468
Wyoming 55 +/-42
Puerto Rico 6 +/-9

When grouped by metropolitan areas in the United States, the region that includes New York City, Long Island and northern New Jersey accounts for the largest concentration of persons with Latvian ancestry, according to the data. A total of 9,098 Latvians were estimated to live there.

The Chicago metropolitan area is second with an estimated 6,560 Latvians, followed by the Los Angeles region with 4,176. The remaining metropolitan areas in the top 10 include Boston with 3,971; Philadelphia with 2,904; Washington, D.C., with 2,684; Minneapolis-St. Paul with 2,643; Seattle with 2,421; San Francisco and Oakland, Calif., with 2,201; and Miami and Fort Lauderdale with 1,846.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.

British police turn to Facebook, offer reward for missing teenage girl

Latvians Online | 

Police in Great Britain are now using social media and are offering a reward for information about a 17-year-old girl from Latvia who has been missing for three months.

Alisa Dmitrijeva has not been seen since shortly after midnight Aug. 31 in King’s Lynn, which is about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northeast of London. Dmitrijeva, who was born in Latvia, was reported missing by a relative on Sept. 6, according to the Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

Police have created a Facebook advertisement targeting people living in Wisbech, Norfolk and Lincolnshire that will take visitors to a page with details on Dmitrijeva and the GBP 5,000 reward being offered for information that leads officers to finding her. The advertisement is in English, Latvian and Lithuanian.

“We know Alisa used social media so this advert will target people who may have information about her whereabouts,” Detective Chief Inspector Melanie Dales said in a Dec. 5 press release. “By translating the advert we hope to reach members of the community who know Alisa but may not have seen the appeals in traditional media.”

Police say they are becoming increasingly concerned for Dmitrijeva’s safety.

Dmitrijeva is described as 5 feet, 6 inches tall (1.67 meters), with collar length dark brown hair with blonde highlights. However, her hair may now be darker with a fringe.

Persons with information about Dmitrijeva’s whereabouts may telephone Cambridgeshire police at +44 0345 456 456 4 or, anonymously in the United Kingdom, through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Alisa Dmitrijeva

Alisa Dmitrijeva, 17, has not been seen for three months, according to British police.