Compilation honors composer Pauls ahead of 75th birthday

Egils Kaljo | 

The most famous Latvian popular music composer, Raimonds Pauls, will turn 75 in 2011. To celebrate the anniversary, the Rīga-based recording company MICREC has released a compilation on compact disc of some of his most famous songs, as well as some more obscure work.

The two-CD set, entitled Raimonds Pauls. Zelta 75, collects 49 popular songs from the 1960s to the end of the 1980s.

The set also collects a number of less familiar songs. Many of them are taken from the archives of Latvian Radio and from Soviet LPs produced by the Melodija recording company, and are being released on CD for the first time. Covering a range of styles from jazz to disco to popular to film music, these songs feature some of the greatest popular singers and other musicians of that time.

This is actually the third Pauls CD compilation set. The first was Zelta 60, released in 1995 to celebrate the composer’s 60th birthday, followed by Zelta 70 in 2005 to celebrate his 70th birthday.

Tracks and performed on the first CD include:

  1. Melodija (Eolika, from the film 235 miljoni seju)
  2. Reiz nāksi tu (Valentīna Butāne)
  3. Lai tik līst, perfored by Edgars Zveja)
  4. Tikai prieks (Zigfrīds Račiņš)
  5. Studentu brīvdienās (Valentīna Butāne)
  6. Ar tevi vien (Sieviešu vokālais ansamblis)
  7. Vecā jūrnieka stāsts (Zdzislavs Romanovskis)
  8. Vectētiņš un vecmāmiņa (Margarita Vilcāne and Ojārs Grīnbergs)
  9. Balāde manam vectēvam (Valdemārs Zandbergs)
  10. Hallo, Rostoka (Ojārs Grīnbergs)
  11. Kur tu biji? (Bruno Oja)
  12. Cik klusa nakts (Nora Bumbiere and Ojārs Grīnbergs)
  13. Ances Romance (Margarita Vilcāne, from the film Klāvs Mārtiņa dēls)
  14. Alus dziesma (Vīru vokālais ansamblis directed by E. Račevska)
  15. Precē mani, čigānzēn (Nora Bumbiere and Viktors Lapčenoks)
  16. Dzel manī sauli (Nora Bumbiere and Viktors Lapčenoks)
  17. Ai – dundur – dundur – dun – dun – dun (Nora Bumbiere and Viktors Lapčenoks)
  18. Pusnakts balāde (Nora Bumbiere and Viktors Lapčenoks)
  19. Undīne (Nora Bumbiere and Viktors Lapčenoks)
  20. Dziesmiņa par prieku (Viktors Lapčenoks )
  21. Tāls Parīzes radio (Margarita Vilcāne)
  22. O’Lamara (Nora Bumbiere and Viktors Lapčenoks)
  23. Balta pūka (Nora Bumbiere and Viktors Lapčenoks)
  24. Dresleriāna (Nora Bumbiere, Viktors Lapčenoks and others)
  25. Modo (Modo)
  26. Kā caur pelniem (Aija Kukule, Mirdza Zīvere, Pārsla Gebharde and Modo)

Tracks and performed on the second CD include:

  1. Tango (from the film Teātris))
  2. Diksilends (Eduards Pāvuls, Gunārs Cilinskis and Valentīns Skulme, from the film Melnā vēža spīlēs)
  3. Heksenberga mīlas dziesma (Vaironis Jakāns)
  4. Lāsts (Juris Strenga)
  5. Brauciet lēnām pār tiltu (Jānis Paukštello)
  6. Tāpēc jau, ka nevar zināt kāpēc (Edgars Liepiņš)
  7. Kad nekas nav palicis tevī (Imants Skrastiņš)
  8. Zvaigzne (Rolands Zagorskis)
  9. Balts sniedziņš (Dainis Porgants))
  10. Svētvakars (Andris Bērziņš)
  11. Dāvāja Māriņa (Aija Kukule and Līga Kreicberga)
  12. Muļķe sirds (Žoržs Siksna)
  13. Varavīksne (Ingus Pētersons)
  14. Nepareizā dziesma (Dālderi))
  15. Meitene ar kallu ziediem (Credo)
  16. Kad saule aiziet (Viktors Lapčenoks and Inversija)
  17. Nenāciet klāt man rudenī (Laima Vaikule)
  18. Robots (Aija Kukule and Remix)
  19. Vardīte (Viktors Lapčenoks)
  20. Pelnrušķīte (Viktors Lapčenoks)
  21. Miega vilcieniņš (Dainis Porgants and Dzeguzīte)
  22. Nepasauc, nepiesauc mani vēl (Remix)
  23. Melodija (Odis, from the film Depresija))

In addition to the CD compilation, a big anniversary concert is scheduled in the Arena Rīga on Jan. 16, which will be an event in three parts. The first part will feature songs from the 1960s and 1970s, including lesser known works, the second will be theatre and film music, and the third part will feature his most popular songs.

Raimonds Pauls. Zelta 75 width=

A new compilation honors composer Raimonds Pauls with 49 of his songs.

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.

Latvia’s population to lose 19,000; emigration, birth rate are top causes

Latvians Online | 

Latvia’s population will have dropped by 19,000 individuals come the end of this year, which is a larger decline than experienced in 2009, according to the Central Statistical Bureau in Rīga.

The forecast is based on analysis of provisional data from the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (OCMA) and from civil registry offices that record births, deaths and marriages, the statistical bureau’s Elmīra Seņkāne announced Dec. 17.

At the close of 2010, Latvia’s population will be 2.229 million, the data suggest. Continued emigration from Latvia and a drop in the birth rate contributed to the population decline.

The total number of emigrants this year could reach 10,000, OCMA data show. Already in the first 10 months of 2010 the number of emigrants—8,800—topped last year’s total of 7,400. Meanwhile, immigration to Latvia has slowed.

At the same time, the number of children born in Latvia is decreasing. From 2004-2008, according to Seņkāne, a slight increase in births was recorded. The number of births in 2008 reached 23,900, the highest number since 1994. However, last year the number dropped to 21,600. This year, the statistical bureau warned, births will not top 20,000.

Also registering a continued decline is the number of marriages. While the drop this year compared to 2009 will not be large, from 2008 to 2009 the number of marriages in Latvia decreased by 3,000 to about 9,900, according to the data.

Death appears to be the one constant, according to the data. The number of deaths in Latvia this year figures to be about 29,000, or about the same as in 2009.

Artist releases second in comic book series

Andris Straumanis | 

A Latvian-American artist in Massachusetts has released the second in his series of independent comic books.

Ansis Puriņš received a grant from the Xeric Foundation to self-publish Zombre #2: The Magic Forest, according to a press release.

“The 48-page comic tells the story of the blundering park ranger Martin Elvis, mysterious ranger Jones, and the well-intentioned Zombre, who are all inhabitants of the Magic Forest,” according to the press release. “Interwoven throughout is the story of young Acorn and her father, who are on a camping trip to the Forest. After an interaction with Zombre, father realizes he’s been too overprotective of his daughter.”

Zombre #2 is a follow-up to Zombre #1: Zombre vs. Slappy Megathunder Showdown, a 12-page comic released in 2009.

The Xeric Foundation, started by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Peter A. Laird, supports comic book artists as well as charitable and nonprofit organizations.

Puriņš attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where he focused on illustration and printmaking. He has published a number of comic book titles and has exhibited his work in the Boston area. For his illustration work Puriņš counts such clients as Holgate Toys, Ska Brewing Co., and the Boston Phoenix.

For more information about Puriņš and his work, visit www.ansis.tv.

Zombre comic book

Artists Ansis Puriņš has released the independent comic book Zombre #2: The Magic Forest.

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