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.

Hockey player Zholtok dies during Belarus game

Andris Straumanis | 

National Hockey League player Sergei Zholtok of Latvia, who most recently skated for the Nashville Predators, died Nov. 3 in Minsk, Belarus, according to media reports. He was 31.

Zholtok, who had been diagnosed with a heart ailment last year, collapsed during a game between Rīga 2000 and the Dinamo team of Minsk. Zholtok was pronounced dead en route to a hospital, said the Web site www.hockey.lv.

“We are all saddened and shocked to hear of Sergei’s sudden passing,” Predators General Manager David Poile said in a statement released by the team. Zholtok, a forward, joined the Predators in March after being traded from the Minnesota Wild. He became a free agent in July.

Zholtok was playing for the Rīga team while a lockout in the National Hockey League continues.

He began playing in the NHL in 1992, after being drafted by the Boston Bruins. His career also took Zholtok to the Ottawa, Montreal and Edmonton teams, according to the Canadian Press. He played in a total of 588 NHL games.

Zholtok also played for Latvian national teams, most recently during the 2004 World Ice Hockey Championship in the Czech Republic. He was the Latvian team’s leading scorer during the championship.

Zholtok was an honorary director of The Kids First Fund, a Milwaukee, Wis.-based charity that aids abused children in Latvia.

Arturs Irbe, a fellow NHL player from Latvia who also is involved with Kids First, released a statement about Zholtok through Jay Sorensen, president of the charity.

“I am in tremendous grief and shock over the loss of Sergei,” Irbe said. “He was a very dear friend and I just can’t imagine the pain his family is feeling over this loss. My primary concern now is to do what I can to help his family.”

Zholtok was born Dec. 2, 1972, in Rīga. He is survived by his wife, Anna, and sons, Edgar and Nikita.

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

U.S. warns of terrorist attack in Baltics

Andris Straumanis | 

In the second terrorism alarm in less than a week, the U.S. State Department is warning Americans living or traveling in the Baltic countries to be wary of suspicious activity or persons and to avoid large shopping areas and transportation hubs.

In a message posted on the Web site of the U.S. Embassy in Rīga, the State Department says it “has received threat information” and urges U.S. citizens to be vigilant on or about Nov. 1.

The warning comes three days after a new videotape surfaced of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and one day before elections in the United States.

The U.S. Embassy in Helsinki, Finland, on Oct. 30 warned Americans to be careful “especially in centers of ground-based mass transit.”

Authorities on Oct. 29 warned of a possible terrorism threat and tightened security at several embassies and other potential targets in Rīga, Latvian media reported. Information about the threat came from sources in the United States, Norway and Estonia, the Interior Ministry said in a Nov. 1 press release.

A suspect also has been identified, but Latvian authorities clarified that the suspect had not entered the country.

Norway on Nov. 1 closed its embassy in Rīga to the public, the newspaper Aftenposten reported. A Norwegian Foreign Ministry spokesperson declined to say how long the embassy would be closed, the paper said.

President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga was scheduled to meet with the National Security Council (Nacionālā drošības padome) on Nov. 1.

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