Rancane’s meditative exploration of folk songs on new album

Egils Kaljo | 

Double-bassist Stanislav Yudin and ethnic singer Asnate Rancāne, though from different musical backgrounds (Yudin being a jazz musician, while Rancāne has a folk music background) teamed up to record the album Op. 2, a collection of folk song arrangements. The album, improvisational and subdued, is a meditative exploration of not just Latvian folk songs, but songs of other cultures as well.

Though the album is mainly just double bass and vocals, both musicians bring other instruments to the mix, as Yudin adds the kokle, keyboards and percussion and Rancāne also performs the kokle and reed pipe. These instruments, as well as those of some guest musicians, get synthesised into the diverse musical collage that appears on Op. 2.

The title track, an improvisation on the Latvian folk song ‘Tumsiņā(i), vakarā(i)’ begins with a quiet, plaintive introduction on the double bass, while Rancāne’s powerful, confident traditional singing is first heard at what seems like a distance, then slowly approaches. The song conjures up a mystic and magical vision, and the combination of the slow mournful sounds of Yudin’s double bass and Rancāne’s vocals leads the listener on a journey through a dark night.

The duo take inspiration from various folk songs, such as from the Bulgarian song ‘Яна турчин лъгала’, a song from the era of the Ottoman occupation of Bulgaria, about a Bulgarian girl who lies to a Turk about changing her religion from Orthodox Christianity to Islam. Rancāne faithfully reproduces the Balkan melody and character of the song, while Yudin’s slow and deliberate playing generates an authentic atmosphere.

‘Cik dziļa jūra’ is an introspective song of solitude, and is enhanced further by the sounds of the traditional Latvian kokle, possibly meant to evoke the sensation of being alone at the seashore, listening to the sounds of nature, and Yudin and Rancāne conjure up a similarly dreamy landscape. In a similar vein is their interpretation of the Russian song ‘Русалки’, a song from Trinity Week, where one of the elements is that the mermaids come out of the sea at this time and need to be given gifts (in this case, bread, salt, and onions). Yudin and Rancāne develop a magical music vision of this mystical event.

Saxophonist Artis Gāga and percussionist Artis Orubs join in on ‘Ganu dziesma’, a musical exploration inspired by the sounds of herders calling to their flock. Gāga and Orubs, as well as trombonist Laura Rozenberga, appear on the final track ‘Inspiration’, which serves as a dramatic and fateful conclusion to the album. With the thundering strings and brass, the performance, inspired by a Ukrainian song, offers a sharp contrast to the more meditative and quiet songs that came previously.

As there are songs from a number of different nations, it would have been helpful to include the lyrics and translations for non-native speakers, or at least an explanation of the song text (or even an indication of which culture a song came from), which would help develop an appreciation of the performances and interpretations even further. However, not knowing the details of a song adds to the mystery, which is perhaps the musicians’ desired effect.

Op. 2 is an engrossing and enchanting journey through not just Latvian folk songs, but also Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Russian and Lithuanian as well. Using mainly just double bass and vocals, Stanislav Yudin and Asnate Rancāne offer an entrancing and authentic voyage, with lush musical textures revealed by these improvisations. Rancāne, perhaps best known for her work with the modern folk group Tautumeitas, offers a quite reserved performance, as compared to the often boisterous energy displayed by that ensemble, but that just confirms her versatility, as well as how Latvian (and other) folk songs can work in many different settings and musical environments. The tandem have created a polished and vivid album, though mostly reserved and subdued, the album still engrosses the listener with its depth and creativity.

Op. 2

Stanislav Yudin, Asnate Rancāne

Brīvās mūzikas centrs, 2017

Track listing:

    1. 2
    2. Cik dziļa jūra
    3. Яна турчин лъгала
    4. Ganu dziesma
    5. Ne bet kokia
    6. Saulīte
    7. Русалки
    8. Inspiration

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.

Sniedze Prauliņa’s debut album a dreamy space rock opus

Egils Kaljo | 

Perhaps one of the most unusual, if not downright strange, albums recently released in Latvia is singer/songwriter Sniedze Prauliņa’s debut record Inkrustācija, released in 2017. Inkrustācija, an expansive space rock opus, features Prauliņa on vocals, flute, and synthesizers, among other instruments and effects. According to an interview with Prauliņa, the term ‘inkrustācija’ (or incrustation) is used to describe a decorative technique, where one material is infused with other materials.

As an introduction to this work, the first track is ‘Orbitālā prelūdija’, which features a heavenly vocalize from the choir Mūza, conducted by Guntis Cimiņš. This sets the stage for the journey to come, and gives a glimpse of the many talents and creative vision of Prauliņa.

On an album of strange songs, one of the more odd ones is the fuzzy sounding ‘Melncilts’, a lengthy duet between disembodied voices. As the lyrics are not included with the album, this song requires the listener to use a bit of imagination to understand the words, which is perhaps the artist’s intention, as these songs require the listener’s full attention to appreciate the nuances and subtleties in the music.

Edgars Šubrovskis, of the ensembles Manta and Hospitāļu iela, provides bass guitar on the track ‘If You’, a sparse and dreamy song that also features Prauliņa’s overlaid harmony vocals. To make the link to Manta even clearer, the album also has her version of the group’s song ‘Nāve jūras malā’, with just vocals and effects. Though the song offers a showcase for Prauliņa’s lovely vocals (which, at times, are less clear on the album’s other tracks), the song is a bit incongruous with the rest of the album’s cosmic songs.

The album has quite a few beautiful moments, particularly the song ‘Izoletta’ (with lyrics by Šubrovskis). Beginning with a gentle introduction, with the synthesizer sounding like small bells, as if in a lullaby, the song then develops into an undulating and hypnotic melody, which is balanced with Prauliņa’s breathy vocals.

Though much of the album is dreamy and in a slower tempo, there are a few more active works, such as the pulsating ‘Landing’ and the energetic album closer ‘All the Stars’, which also features Prauliņa’s flute.

In keeping with the science fiction theme, the CD booklet includes a short story by Prauliņa about a journey through space. One might still have appreciated the lyrics beings included, since often with the employed vocal effects, the texts are often difficult to understand, if not impenetrable.

Sniedze Prauliņa’s Inkrustācija, is a dreamy and sweeping album, and certainly does take the listener to distant and dark galaxies. Still, the album’s very leisurely and, occasionally, lonely atmosphere may make it a challenging listen for some, while others may find that perhaps there is an overreliance on effects and atmospheric sounds. Now that Prauliņa has explored the deep reaches of space, one is interested to also hear what her view of life on Earth might be, should she turn her attention away from the heavens. The album, at times relaxing, at times mysterious and distant, makes for an engaging outer space journey.

For further information, please visit Sniedze Prauliņa’s website.

Inkrustācja

Sniedze Prauliņa

Biedrība HI, HI14, 2017

Track listing:

    1. Orbitālā prelūdija
    2. Saturna josta
    3. Melncilts
    4. Izoletta
    5. W.B.
    6. Nemēģini
    7. If You
    8. If You coda
    9. Nāve jūras malā
    10. M.L.B.
    11. Landing
    12. All the Stars

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.

October 2018 Latvian Elections: Voting Information – Part 2

PBLA birojs | 

The current state of play

The parties have now registered their candidates and policies with Latvia’s Central Electoral Commission. There is less than two months until the elections and neither expense nor political tricks are being spared. The resulting noise is confusing to the onlooker, so this article attempts to strip away the hype and give an objective and critical view of the party candidates and their policies.

A few words of warning

Firstly, about the people fronting party campaigns – they are not necessarily even candidates! In recent years, parties have taken to using their high profile members to head their election campaigns in order to attract maximum votes for their party. Some of these are genuine candidates, who appear on the ballot paper, some are not. So, if you are basing your vote on your support for a particular party member, it is wise to check before the election whether that person is even on the ballot paper. Some of the political show ponies in this election, whose names do not appear on ballot papers are: Roberts Zīle (“Nacionālā Apvienība”, National Union), Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš (“Jaunā Vienotība”, New Vienotība),

Another point to consider is that Latvian governments have traditionally been coalitions, as no one party has ever held enough seats to form a government alone. For this reason, the leader of the government is necessarily a figure of compromise and is unlikely to be the official leader of any of the parties forming the coalition.

Bear in mind also that the Latvian voting system allows for a party ballot paper to become essentially a vote for one individual, if a plus sign is marked against that individual’s name and all the other candidates on the ballot paper are crossed out. Candidates that promote this style of voting are not likely to support their party’s views, but rather their own self interest.

Finally, be aware of ambiguities in the party names, as some parties have deliberately created a name similar to an existing party. For example, “Par Alternatīvu” is not the same as “Attīstībai/Par” and “Latviešu nacionālisti” is not the same as Nacionālā apvienība “Visu Latvijai!”-”Tēvzemei un Brīvībai/LNNK”. Voters should be very wary, as even a few votes may be crucial to the success of some parties.

Party candidate lists

First, a few general points, then the specifics of the Riga area candidates, which will be the ones on the ballot papers for overseas Latvians. A reminder that we are only looking at those parties that are likely to poll over 2%. (According to current ratings figures). Each party’s candidate list has a mix of veteran and virgin politicians – some weighted more in favour of political experience, others in favour of fresh faces.

Parties which have opted to essentially retain their veteran politicians in the front line-up are: Nacionālā apvienība “Visu Latvijai!”-”Tēvzemei un Brīvībai/LNNK” (NA) and Zaļo un Zemnieku Savienība (ZZS).

The Socialdemocratic party “Saskaņa” has moved its traditional Russian background leaders to second place on their ballot papers and replaced them with Latvian background candidates as the front runners. (Including a couple of high profile defectors from “Vienotība”)

The once leading party “Vienotība” has become “Jaunā Vienotība” and in at least two areas it is leading its ballot paper with experienced government ministers.

“Jaunā Konservatīvā partija” (New Conservative Party) is not really all that new, but in this election seems to have a chance to enter the Saeima. Its drawcard is that at least two of its ballot papers are led by respected anti-corruption campaigners Juta Strīķe and Juris Jurašs. This party also polled well in the Riga local elections.

KPV.LV (short for “Kam pieder valsts” which translates as “Who does the country belong to?”) is aggressively putting itself forward, despite an almost total lack of political experience by any of its members. Its leader, Artuss Kaimiņš, has gathered a mixed bunch of strident candidates around himself.

The liberal, pro-western niche is this time occupied by “Attīstībai/Par”. Although the party styles itself as being young and fresh, its front runners are experienced politicians. This party also has a fair sprinkling of high profile arts identities.

Party candidate lists for Rīga

The ballot papers issued for Riga are tailored to suit the citizens of Riga and the Diaspora. The average Riga citizen has a higher income, is better educated and has a more global outlook than the average regional citizen. At the same time, the citizen of Riga is also more suspicious and inclined to change his or her mind.

An example of this tailoring is that the front candidate in Rīga for “Saskaņa” is Vjačeslavs Dombrovskis, a highly qualified economist with a doctorate from Clark University and ministerial experience. However, the other candidates on their list are not well known to the Latvian public, apart from the widely disliked “family values” proponent Jūlija Stepaņenko and defence expert Raimonds Rublovskis. “Saskaņa” has also included one of the Rubiks sons in its Riga line-up.

In contrast, the ZZS ballot paper for Rīga is full of well-known and respected candidates, beginning with Dana Reizniece-Ozola (Finance Minister and U-18 European chess champion) and ending with the Head of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, Ojārs Spārītis.

The NA candidates are also well-known, including Dace Melbārde (Minister for Culture), foreign policy expert Rihards Kols and Professor Dagnija Blumberga.

“Jaunā VIENOTĪBA” is headed by Foreign Minister Rinkēvičs, who is supported by well-known and experienced politicians, such as Ojārs Ēriks Kalniņš, Interior Minister Rihard Kozlovskis and Education Minister Kārlis Šadurskis.

JKP has chosen Juta Strīķe to head their list. She has had a high profile since 2003, with her first candidature for KNAB (the anti-corruption organisation). Their list includes economist Gatis Eglītis and well-known administrator Indulis Tupenis.

The candidate list of “Attīstībai/Par!” begins with Economics Minister Daniels Pavļuts and includes former minister Vita Anda Tērauda, anti-corruption experts Inese Voika and Kristaps Petermanis and other familiar faces.

In contrast, KPV.LV has assembled a surprising array of characters, including singer and TV personality Andris Kivičs, actor Ivars Puga and Fisheries Union president Didzis Šmits.

In short, the party candidates offer a broad spectrum of knowledge, experience and political history. Voters should consider carefully the rival merits of experience/youth, education/popularity, strong patriotism/a global outlook, etc. It is clear that newcomers to politics will have a cleaner reputation than those who have already been there for some time. However, a well-educated politician does not necessarily have the skills to be promote his or her policies and previous business experience may be an indicator of either links with corrupt practices or a deep understanding of Latvia’s economic problems.

The simplest way to gain some clarity on the issue is to look at the past achievements of the candidates and parties.

Programs and promises

Over 4,000 programs have been registered by the competing parties. The programs are not of themselves generally considered as important campaign elements. However, it is a good idea to cast your eye over them, to gain some insight into how the party perceives its voting support base. Some are written in plain language, outlining aims, objectives and strategies, while others are couched in flowery language, big on hype and devoid of strategic substance. It should be remembered that for a party to enact its policies, it is not enough for it to gain seats in the Saeima, it must negotiate successfully with the other members of government. Here again, the best indicator of future achievements is past performance.

Coalition with “Saskaņa”?

The popularisation of Artuss Kaimiņš’ party KPV.LV has led to the concern that there may be a real possibility of a future coalition government with “Saskaņa”. “Saskaņa” has such a different position to the vast majority of the parties on Latvian language, history and geopolitical orientation that this concern is understandable.

KPV.LV has until now been unpredictable in its political decisions and has not made any firm commitments, so there can be no certainty that it would not invite “Saskaņa” as a coalition partner.

This seems a very remote possibility, as the right-wing parties that are likely to win places in the Saeima (according to the current ratings, see below) have all ruled out forming a coalition with “Saskaņa” and some of them would need to be part of such a coalition, to get the voting mandate above 50%.

Another point to remember is that the President has the power to invite a party representative to negotiate a coalition to form a government, the party with the largest number of votes does not automatically gain this privilege. It would seem that the current Latvian President Vējonis has enough political sense not to invite “Saskaņa” to form a government. If KPV.LV were invited to form a government, there would be immense community opposition to “Saskaņa” being involved.

Whoever is invited to form a government, it will be difficult to negotiate a workable coalition. There is a greater likelihood that the right-wing parties will set aside their differences and form a government if the only alternative is inviting “Saskaņa” to the table. If such a coalition should be unattainable, the majority of right-wing parties would opt for an extraordinary election rather than a government that included “Saskaņa”.

The relative strengths of the parties in the next Saeima is critical in all of these scenarios. So, more than ever, not only does every vote count, but it can be crucial to the entry into the Saeima of the minor parties that are hovering around the 5% mark. It is also important that people of differing political views talk to one another: the plethora of small political parties is symptomatic of a fragmented Latvian society, each shard isolated from the others. It is not always easy nor pleasant to speak with people who hold radically different political views. The alternative is to complain after the elections of a duplicitous government with policies at odds with Latvia’s interests.

From information compiled by Ivars Ījabs, an independent political analyst commissioned by PBLA.