“At almost every concert, we see that these songs move people to tears. “

At the end of December, when the singer Līga Priede and the guitarist Andrejs Grimms will give a concert in Liepāja, they will also visit the composer Imanta Kalniņa, who released their songs in co -an album called “Imanta Kalniņa’s silent songs”. According to the two, the tunes that got the biggest response from the audience at the concerts are chosen for the program. Andrejs sang Kalniņas’s music once with the group “Autobuss debesīs”, of which he was a member in the first years of its existence and joined the ensemble on the 25th anniversary tour. Līga is also very close to the work of this author, not for nothing that Priede was among the winners of the competition “New stars Imanta Kalniņa” 20 years ago.

Līga and Andrejs met twenty years ago, no one remembers a specific moment or concert, but with the music of Imantas Kalniņas in the foreground, they have been walking together for a few years.

“Andrei came up with this idea, one day he called, and it was clear to me immediately that Kalniņš’s songs are close to my heart. We started adding song after song, the first show was ready straight away.”

At first, they remembered what they had played and sung before, but at one point, when Andrejs was still playing music as part of “Autobuss debesīs”, they did not come out to play together. They were also collaboration partners of the association of musicians “Kopējā ištsme” with Ainārs Paukšēnas, who played the cello in the new album. Both Priede and Grimms were also members of several Imandies:

“First of all, I have listened a lot to Kalniņa’s songs, first of all, sung by Austras Pumpure. I grew up with them from childhood,”

Līga admits that she is currently a singer and a music teacher in Saulkrasti and Carnikava high schools, but she is currently on a pleasant creative vacation with her fourth son. However, there is still time for music – on October 25, Ķegum, the celebration of the release of the 12-song CD “Silent Songs of Imanta Kalniņa” had a large audience, and several performances will be held throughout the week. of the public holiday in November.

Priede’s parents are musical, they sang in the youth choir “Zvani”, music has always surrounded them. The music school was followed by the Jázeps Mediņš College of Music as an opera singer, but the path continued to education.

“I prefer to talk to the audience in person at such small concerts, so I can look into their eyes. Opera is a completely different story, a different field.”

Andrejs Grimm says that one of his ancestors crossed the Baltic Sea from Gotland to Ventspils on foot during the cold season. His grandfather played the violin, Andrej also learned this instrument at a music school, after which he put the violin aside.

“I said again. Then I went to the “Turaidas roze” concert at the Saulkrasti stage and somehow woke up. Even before that, “Guth na Cuthaige” was my favorite album with songs by Imanta Kalniņš. So, Kalniņš brought me back to where I wanted to be, and I want to change his songs according to how I feel them inside. Well, it’s about time he succeeded.”

The album “Silent Songs of Imanta Kalniņa” includes songs from the films “Lake Sonata” and “Breathe Deeply”, as well as from the shows “Captain Grant’s Children”, “Love, Jazz and the Devil” , “The Prince and the. Beggar Boy” and “Liliom”.

“The beginning of Imanta Kalniņš’s music is a quiet beginning.
according to Andrejs Grimms, who arranged these 12 songs, among them there are also two instrumental pieces.

Līga also worked for a while at the free Waldorf school in Đadaži, where he led the choir, Andrejs works there even now – he leads a great orchestra.

“With my students, I made the theme of the movie ‘Breathe Deep,’ which is one of their favorites, although it’s not pop music, not even close to it.

Grimm, self-taught in music, trained in guitar playing, starting with Beatles books and songs, until he studied with our flamenco guitarist, singer Andras Kārkliņš. Grimm did this too, and maybe someone still remembers his group “Oroboro” from the late 1990s, which released two albums – in which Andrejs played music with Aleksander Maijers, who a- now making musical instruments on the Latgale side.