Memorial fund benefits Zholtok’s family

Andris Straumanis | 

A memorial fund has been established to aid the family of Sergei Zholtok, the Rīga-born professional hockey player who died unexpectedly Nov. 3 while playing in Minsk, Belarus.

The 31-year-old Zholtok, whose last appearance in the National Hockey League was with the Nashville Predators, was diagnosed with a heart ailment last year. He collapsed shortly after removing himself from a game between Rīga 2000 and the Dinamo team of Belarus. Zholtok was playing for the Latvian team while NHL labor negotiations continue, which had prevented him from pursuing a new contract as a free agent.

The Sergei Zholtok Memorial Fund, set up through The Kids First Fund of Milwaukee, Wis., will benefit the education of Zholtok’s sons, Edgar and Nikita, as well as other family needs, said Jay Sorensen, president of Kids First. Zholtok was an honorary director of the charity, which aids abused children in Latvia.

The fund will be open through Dec. 31 and donations are not tax deductible, Sorensen said.

Checks must be made out to “KFF Sergei Zholtok Memorial Fund” and mailed to KFF Sergei Zholtok Memorial Fund, c/o Kids First Fund, 1916 E. Kensington Blvd., Shorewood, WI 53211, USA. Wire transfers should be sent to KFF Sergei Zholtok Memorial Fund, c/o Wells Fargo Bank, account no. 631-503-0830, bank routing code 075-911-988. Donations may also be made at any Wells Fargo branch.

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

Murdered missionary worked for Campus Crusade

Andris Straumanis | 

An American missionary found murdered Nov. 1 in his Rīga apartment had been living in Latvia for two years and worked for Campus Crusade for Christ, The Christian Post newspaper reported Nov. 6.

The missionary, who was found with a knife in his chest and strangulation marks around his neck, still has not been identified pending notification of next of kin, according to Latvian media reports.

However, two suspects—a Latvian soldier and an unemployed man—have been arrested, the LETA news agency reported Nov. 5.

LETA cited police sources in detailing the crime. The missionary apparently let the two young men into his apartment. They tied him up and robbed him of LVL 1,000, two portable computers and other valuables. Realizing the missionary could identify them, they killed him.

LETA also reported the soldier had been undergoing psychiatric evaluation in a Rīga hospital, from which he fled Oct. 26.

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

Retrospective focuses on master of French horn

Egils Kaljo | 

Many pages have been written about how difficult the French horn is to play. Due to its tiny mouthpiece, it takes serious determination to be able to play the thing. Because it is so difficult to play well, it also makes it a less popular musical instrument. However, in the hands of a capable player, the French horn can be one of the most beautiful of instruments—though true masters of the French horn are few and far between.

One of those masters must be Latvian French horn player Arvīds Klišāns, who has been making his mark in the music world for the last half-century. Listeners who have heard the compact discs Latvian Millennium Classics or Latviešu klasikas dārgumi will have already heard Klišāns’ playing on the Andrejs Jurjāns piece “Bakarola.” Arvīds Klišāns Rīgas Domā, a full compact disc of his work released in 2003, is an apt document of one of Latvia’s many great talents.

This CD is a compilation of recordings of Klišāns at the Rīga Dome cathedral. All the pieces are duets with the famous organ (played by well known Latvian organists Aivars Kalējs, Oļģerts Cintiņš and Tālivaldis Deksnis). The recordings span the years from 1980-1998, and are taken from the archives of Latvian Radio. The organ and French horn combination, while unusual, offers some unique possibilities for the performers and the listeners, and leads to some very beautiful arrangements.

A range of different composers are heard on the CD. From the Baroque era there is “Andante” by George Handel. From the Mozart family, there is a concerto for French horn by Leopold Mozart and “Larghetto” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. And, for those seeking something a bit more modern, there is the “Missa muta” by Bernhard Krol.

The CD also contains a biography of the artist (both in Latvian and in English) by Vilnis Strautiņš that details his amazing career. Klišāns’ repertoire is quite diverse and he performs frequently. He also performs benefit concerts in churches, helping to modernize and refurbish them.

The recording is an excellent retrospective of the performances of Klišāns with organ throughout the years. So many instrumental talents have come from Latvia, and this CD shows that Klišāns is one of them. The beautiful interplay between the organ and the French horn is one of the main reasons to listen to this disc, as a French horn in the hands of a master like Klišāns is a wonder to hear.

Details

Arvīds Klišāns Rīgas Domā

Arvīds Klišāns

Rīgas skaņu ierakstu studija,  2003

RS 041

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.