Category: News

Alternative pop band Podruga has just released the single “Don’t Let Me Down” from their upcoming album “Sextasy” coming out in September. 

The melancholic dance track is inspired by the 90’s indie electronica. Airy and liberating, it makes you tempted to follow the White Rabbit and find your own Wonderland. The first draft of the song was written by the band’s vocalist Alise, when she took all of her music equipment and went to a music writing camp in Lithuania all by herself, instinctively recording the feelings of the moment. “Then I realized I’m chasing my own White Rabbit and trusting it to lead me to a better place,” says Alise. 

The music video follows Alise’s journey to a kinky Wonderland. It features some of the brightest names in today’s Latvian art world, such as performance artist Evelīna Baha, audiovisual artist Marss The Person, and drag queen Vencheska Baltique. 

The single was recorded and produced by Edvards Broders (“The Bad Tones”) at the “Red House” studio in Riga, and mastered by Alberts Levics (“The Bad Tones”). 

“Podruga” is: Alise Stefanoviča (vocals, keyboards, flute), Ričards Dauksts (guitar, keyboards), Jana Petkus (bass guitar) and Kārlis Lazdovskis (drums). The band was formed in 2016. So far, Podruga has released five singles and EP “YPA!”, which was highly acclaimed by the Polish radio station Radio Centrum.

On June 10, rock trio B OPTIMIST release their second single „Mēles” from their upcoming fifth studio album which is set to be released this autumn. A music video for „Mēles” is also out now.

This time the music is based more on electronic sounds, with a light, nostalgic summer feeling. „Our longest conversations started with – I’m going to sleep” – this song is about carefree moments and great unplanned adventures.

Song in Spotify

Music and lyrics: B OPTIMIST. Video: B OPTIMIST. Special thanks to Velta Liepa, Laura Ozola, Jānis Grosbahs, Toms Bahs un Signe Rusiņa. The song is available on music streaming platforms from June 10.

B OPTIMIST will perform this summer:

July 9 – „Fontaine GypsyCamp”, Liepāja

July 30 – festival „Summer Sound”, Liepāja

August 5 – festival „Bauska TASTE”, Bauska

August 13 – festival „LIMBIZKVĪTS 3”, Limbaži

In April B OPTIMIST released the first single „Akvareļos” from their upcoming fifth studio album. Previously B OPTMIST have released their album “Visur skan”, an acoustic album “Turpinies!” with Latvian folk song lyrics. The debut album “B OPTIMIST” was released seven years ago. It was then followed by the EP “KOPĀ”. B OPTIMIST – energetic and emotional rock music in Latvian since 2013. B OPTIMIST is Valters Levins, Roberts Levins, Linards Liepa. Their music is available on Spotify, Bandcamp, iTunes, Youtube, etc.

Osokins’ Freedom Festvial for Ukraine took place in Riga from May 25 until June 8. As a reaction to Russia’s military aggression, this year’s festival was dedicated to Ukraine. Almost 80 musicians and actors well-known both in Latvia and globally came together to perform nine concerts at five different venues: the Black Heads House (Melngalvju nams), Hanzas perons, Piano salon @152, “Ola Foundation” and the Anglican Church. During the festival over 20 000 EUR were collected from ticket revenues and donations for Ukraine’s support.

During the festival many Ukrainian musicians and actors – war refugees, who were forced to leave their country because of Russian military aggression, had the opportunity to perform on stage in collaboration with a multitude of leading Latvian artists and get involved in the cultural life of Latvia. One of the goals of the festival was to enable Ukrainian artists to continue pursuing their profession, so that cooperations born during this time may develop and enrich Latvian and European culture.

It was symbolical that the opening act of the festival on May 25 was performed by Anna Nimayer an actress from Mariupol’s Drama Theatre – a place known all over the world because of cynical shelling by Russian military, despite knowing that hundreds of people from Mariupol including many children had sought asylum there. After the performance Anna Nimayer revealed that now she has no theatre, no home, which was also destroyed by military, and no city and that she is grateful to have the opportunity to express her feelings on stage which was immensely important for her and the audience in the hall.

The program of each concert included music by Ukrainian composers as well as Ukrainian folk music and poetry to popularize Ukrainian culture in Latvia and to invite audience to explore deep roots and colorful culture of Ukraine. More than 100 free invitations to the concerts were given to refugees from Ukraine currently living in Latvia. In cooperation with Viche, the confederation of associations of Ukrainians living in Latvia, special minivans were placed at the venues of the biggest festival concerts providing the opportunity to donate the necessary things and items to Ukrainians. All donated goods will be delivered to Ukraine.

The highlight of the festival was the closing Gala concert that took place on June 8 at Hanzas perons, where 50 Latvian and Ukrainian musicians and actors performed together on one stage in front of 600 spectators including the president of Latvia Egils Levits, Minister for Culture Nauris Puntulis, Deputy Chairman at Riga City Council and Ambassadors of Ukraine, Poland, United Kingdom, Estonia and Lithuania, as well as Deputy Chief of Mission of United States Embassy in Latvia. The final performance was the song “Resistance” by the united artists of “Latvia for Ukraine”. The concert ended with standing ovations.

Until Wednesday, June 15, it is possible to contribute to the donations on the Ziedot.lv website https://www.ziedot.lv/osokina-brivibas-festivals-ukrainai-4251.

On June 26, a special night concert by musicians Igo and Katrina Gupalo will take place at the St. Savior’s Anglican Church in the Old Town of Riga which will also be dedicated to Ukraine’s support. Tickets can be purchased here https://www.bilesuparadize.lv/lv/event/118141.

Coming up with bold, new ideas is something the classical and jazz-trained flautist Elizabete Balcus has never been short of.

In honor of the 25th anniversary of “Kremerata Baltica” chamber orchestra, SKANi releases an album by the orchestra led by Gidon Kremer called “ppp”. The name contains abbreviations of the surnames of the three prominent Latvian composers Pēteris Plakidis, Kristaps Pētersons and Georgs Pelēcis. The subtlety of chamber music and the love towards detail by Pēteris Plakidis, mathematical precision and composure along with transcendent and mystical images by Kristaps Pētersons and naive, cheerful, brave characters alongside a melancholic reverie by Georgs Pelēcis make this release a bright example of the Latvian contemporary music. The album (CD, streaming and download format) will be released on June 17, 2022.

“My ideal is to serve music. In whatever form that may be, I take great joy in being a servant to this lady”

Pēteris Plakidis

Pēteris Plakidis (1947–2017) is the greatest poet and interpreter of music among Latvian composers. According to his biography, he was also the “most academic”, because once he began his studies at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music, he never left the school. Studies in composition were followed by an assistantship and then a professorship. He also had the most typical path of a Latvian composer regarding education and career: the Emīls Dārziņš Music School, the conservatory, head of the music department at the Latvian National Theatre, a popular composer of film music, also a co-creator of wonderful animated films. He embodied the bonds of artistic fraternity between composer and performer, between members of a chamber ensemble, between poetry and music, between poets and musicians. These bonds were stronger than any external conditions; Plakidis belonged to an age of musical “insiders” where only talent and insight mattered. The Little Concerto for two violins (1991) premiered on August 18, 1991, in the Wagner Hall in Riga. It was performed by Aīda Grieze and Andris Pauls, to whom it is also dedicated. Precisely thirty years later, Gidon Kremer and Madara Pētersone recorded the concerto specially for this album.

Kristaps Pētersons (1982) holds a bachelor’s degree with highest honors in double bass and composition (2005) and a master’s degree in composition (2007) from the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music. For outstanding accomplishments during his studies, he received the Arnolds Šturms Award and the Tālivaldis Ķeniņš Award. Pētersons has been a musician with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra since 2005 and a musician and soloist with “Kremerata Baltica” since 2015. In 2010, he was awarded first place in the young composers’ category at the UNESCO-organized International Rostrum of Composers competition for his composition Twilight Chants recorded by the Latvian Radio Choir. Ground premiered in 1999, while π = 3.14 for two double basses, percussion and recording was composed specially for this “Kremerata Baltica” album. Pētersons is at times inspired by transcendent, even mystical things, yet at the same time his music possesses a mathematical precision and composure that gives the impression of immediacy and directness. The irrational number π (or pi or P) playfully relates to something as barely determinable to the ear as the tuning of a piano. Music for a Large Ensemble was written specially for the musicians of “Kremerata Lettonica”. It premiered on May 22, 2021, at the Wagner Hall in Riga as part of a concert honoring the centenary of diplomatic relations between Latvia and Germany.

Georgs Pelēcis (1947) is a composer and significant researcher and scholar of the history and theory of counterpoint. He studied at the Emīls Dārziņš Music High School in Riga and, encouraged by his classmate Gidon Kremer, continued his education at the Pyotr Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory, where he studied composition under Aram Khachaturian, graduating in 1970. Seven years later at the same institution, he completed graduate studies in music theory under Vladimir Protopopov. Pelēcis began teaching polyphony at the Latvian State Conservatory (later, the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music) in 1970 and became a professor there in 1990. Pelēcis is a unique phenomenon in the cultural scene of the 20th/21st century. His ideal is euphony and harmony. His music is dominated by naive, cheerful and brave characters that exist alongside a melancholic reverie. Violinist Gidon Kremer – a friend since their youth – has proven to be a remarkable interpreter of Pelēcis’ music and an ambassador of his work. The Fiori Musicali collection of compositions is like a follow-up by Georgs Pelēcis to Flowering Jasmine, an opus he wrote in 2007 for Gidon Kremer. Pelēcis named this blooming garden Fiori Musicali after Girolamo Frescobaldi’s collection of liturgical organ music from the 17th century.

KREMERATA BALTICA is considered by music experts to be one of the best international chamber orchestras in the world, and with performances at important venues across the globe, it has secured an excellent reputation. In addition to regular concert tours throughout Europe, Kremerata Baltica has also performed at most of the major centres in Asia, Australia and North and South America. Kremerata Baltica has released several dozen albums, including recordings of music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giya Kancheli, Leonid Desyatnikov, Astor Piazzolla, Raminta Šerkšnytė, Arvo Pärt, Pēteris Vasks and Georgs Pelēcis. It has received several prestigious awards, including a Grammy and Echo Award in 2002 and the Praemium Imperiale grant for young artists in 2009. The orchestra’s albums of works by Georges Enescu and Mieczysław Weinberg were both nominated for the Grammy Award, and its recording of Shostakovich’s piano concertos with Anna Vinnitskaya won the Echo Klassik award in 2016 for best concert recording (20th/21st-century music). It has received several nominations for the Latvian Grand Music Award and won Latvia’s highest state award in music in 1999 for outstanding artistic qualities in concert programmes in Latvia and popularizing Baltic composers worldwide. It also won the Latvian Grand Music Award in 2004 for the Shostakovich and Schnittke: Unfinished Century festival.

Violinist Gidon Kremer founded Kremerata Baltica in 1997 at the Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival as a 50th birthday present to himself. The orchestra consists of musicians from the three Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. One of its main aims is to inspire and promote musical growth in the Baltic region as well as encourage innovative programming and performance that is open to experimentation and poses bold challenges to the status quo. Kremerata Baltica has held its own, eponymous festival in Latvia since 2003. Since the orchestra’s inception, it has regularly collaborated with world-renowned musicians and conductors. In addition to Kremer himself, soloists have included violinists Vadim Repin, Lisa Batiashvili, Thomas Zehetmair, Baiba Skride and Kristīne Balanas; cellists Mischa Maisky, Mario Brunello and Yo-Yo Ma; singer Jessye Norman; pianists Mikhail Pletnev, Martha Argerich, Khatia Buniatishvili, Katia Skanavi and Reinis Zariņš; and accordionist Ksenija Sidorova. Guest conductors have included Saulius Sondeckis, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Simon Rattle, Heinz Holliger, Ainārs Rubiķis and Andris Poga.

SKANi is a division of the Latvian Music Information Centre (LMIC). Funded by the Latvian Ministry of Culture, its goal is to produce high quality recordings of Latvian classical music performed by both emerging and established Latvian musicians and promote Latvia’s classical music heritage through its distinctive and varied programming. Founded in 2014, it has released around 100 recordings and is managed by a Latvian clarinetist Egīls Šēfers, who is also a Director of the Latvian Music Information Centre and Chairman of the Latvian Music Council. It has longstanding relationships with the Latvian Radio Choir, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, State Choir “Latvia”, Sinfonietta Riga, Liepāja Symphony Orchestra and many other soloists and chamber music groups.  

TRACK LIST:

Pēteris Plakidis: Little Concerto for two violins

1. I. Singing Together 3:21
2. II. Evening Music 7:34
3. III. The Road 5:50

Kristaps Pētersons

4. Ground for double bass solo 4:44
5. π = 3,14 for two double basses, percussion, and recording 8:46

Music for a Large Ensemble

6. I. ♪ = 124 0:52
7. II. ♪ = 82 2:29
8. III. ♪ = 124 5:35

Georgs Pelēcis: Three pieces from Fiori Musicali

9. The Lone Calla 4:41
10. Dance of the Peonies 5:44
11. Cosmea Melancholy 4:17

TT: 54:22

Gidon Kremer, violin (1-3, 11)

Madara Pētersone, violin (1-3)

Kristaps Pētersons, double bass (4, 5)

Iurii Gavrilyuk, double bass (5)

Andrei Pushkarev, vibraphone (5, 9, 11)

Kremerata Baltica (9-11)

Kremerata Lettonica (6-8)

Recorded in: Riga Recording Studio, Latvian Radio Studio 1, 2021 & 2022

Recording producer, editing, mixing, mastering: Varis Kurmiņš

Booklet text: Ingrīda Zemzare

English translation: Amanda Zaeska

Photos: Jevgeņija Frolova, Edmunds mickus, Maksims Novikovs, Angie Kremer

Design: Kirils Šmeļkovs

Executive producer: Ingrīda Zemzare, Egīls Šēfers

℗ Kremerata Baltica, 2022

© Kremerata Baltica & LMIC/SKANi 139, 2022

On Tuesday, April 26, June River invite their listeners to take a walk in the streets of colorful Barcelona in his new song & video ‘Tavu Ēnu Meklējot’

The song ‘Tavu Ēnu Meklējot’ (Searching for Your Shadow) was written

in February of 2022, walking through the colorful streets of Barcelona and searching for nostalgic memories of study time. Many years ago, when we were Erasmus students, we walked through strange places, drank cheap sangria, and spent time with local young people. When I return here today, it seems that a lot has changed in the city, in people, and in my mind as well, but the feeling of aura and freedom is still the same, says the musician.

At the beginning of the year, the world seemed to begin to return to its usual rhythm – travel restrictions were lifted, concerts resumed, and people began to gather in cafes, but everything has changed after the morning of February 24 when Russia invaded Ukrainian territory and began committing its heinous war crimes.

It was hard to read the headlines and I couldn’t fall asleep that night so I decided not to release the song at all or postpone it – at that point, the music seemed so insignificant compared to the war. But It’s not possible to live in such a state of mind for a long time and absorb negative emotions, so everyone has their own way to divert or turn them into something productive – it’s music for me. That’s why I still do it I will never stop making music, says indie folk musician June River.

The song was recorded, mixed, and produced in the musician’s personal studio, mastered by one and only Kārlis Šteinmanis (KS Records – Unity Audio). The song is in indie-folk style, supplemented with an experimental synthesizer and ambient sounds. The video of the song was made in Barcelona, ​​where the city can be seen in all its glory.

June River, also known as Jānis Andžāns is a guitarist of rock bands “Wild” and “Crow Mother”. He participated in the pre-Eurovision contest LTV “Supernova” in 2016 and has performed in European cities such as the United Kingdom, Sweden, etc.

In the last summer, the musician traveled to Greece in a self-made van and dedicated the song to the trip – “The Land of Burning Sand”, as well as participated in the recording of Katrīna Gupalo’s song “Resistance” dedicated to supporting Ukraine. At the end of last year, June River released their debut album “Sand in my Sleeping Bag” and released a video for “The Lighthouse.” June River is currently working on his second studio album and the next single will be released in the beginning of summer.

Here’s to starting 2022 with a heart warmer, emerging UK pop singer-songwriter ELIZZA brings us a deep emotional ballad in her new single and acoustic music video “Unhurt”.

In this apology ballad, ELIZZA tells a story about the painful mistakes we make in our relationships and she wishes we could take them back and somehow heal the other person and ourselves. The lyrics, very much a poem, express the raw feelings: “I wish I could unhurt you, I wish I could…”

The accompanying acoustic music video directed by Elliot Simpson showcases a dream-like atmosphere with ELIZZA performing along with the pianist and violinist. The bare room expressing the emptiness but also creating a space for what the future holds.
About the song ELIZZA says: ”When we love deeply, we sometimes tend to take people for granted and end up doing or saying hurtful things we don’t even mean. I wish we could undo and unhurt, but we should remember that it will leave a scar that might not even fill up with time.”

Today, February 11, artist Karlina, full name Karlīna Šēnknehte, releases a new song in English “BOOM”.The song was written for the song contest “Supernova”

The song was created in collaboration with entertainment and art company “Vincent Entertainment”. The authors of the song are Loreta Reide and Karlīna Šēnknehte, while the producers of the song are Rolands Prīverts and Loreta Reide.

“BOOM” is about reality and tells about how life comes to a stage where you may have to look at yourself in the light of truth to understand that you can’t escape from yourself and your own reality and the feeling of it can be a little scary, “says Karlina. “The idea of the song came together with Loreta Reide, in a small songwriting camp, writing everything that comes to mind and corent situation in many people’s lifes . Loretta recently started working as a producer, so she sank into the song’s production and I sank into writing lyrics for the song. It was a very harmonious process and we decided to submit the song to the “Supernova” song contest, but it was not included in the semi-finalists list.

The production of the song was continued by the producer Rolands Prīverts. He gave the song its own sound and colors that make it so powerful and noticeable.

The song is available on streaming platforms from today, and a video of the song is coming soon.

Spotify

The LP, which the band spent a good deal of time on, is finally available on all streaming platforms and CD, which includes a bonus track.

“We’re really proud and honored to finally release the full-length record for listeners all over the world. The first three singles have already caused some significant noise here, and abroad as well, gathering us new fans and listeners, who are really into the sound that we make. We’ve read various different reviews, and gotten feedback, so it’s really exciting to see how the resto f the album is going to be received. As it’s a very versatile record, we have no doubt that anyone will find a song, lyric or vibe on it that they can relate to” – says the band.

The digital version offers 10 tracks, and the CD includes the exclusive “Moonlight Days”.

“None of a Kind” helped us to get everything off our chests at the time, so you’ll hear those raw emotions, read about genuine experiences, it’s all there, and putting it into song is the best way to deal with it for us. We’ve experienced and learned a lot during the making of this record, and that helped us develop our skills and personalities. It’s a very strong foundation for the band today – with our own esatblished sound and attitude, we’re ready for our next big thing. And while listeners are feasting their ears on “None of a Kind”, we’re in the kitchen, cooking up the next trouble course, and we’ve just clocked in. “We’re here to do some damage!” – to quote the band.

“None of a Kind” has been released via “Rockshots Records”, which signed “Quickstrike” last year.