A simple song in the minor – Imants Kalniņš «They danced for one summer» / Article

“The path of the song. Im.Ka ”

In anticipation of the 80th anniversary of composer Imants Kalniņš, LTV offers stories for eleven favorite songs of the composer. Memories are shared, significant events and legends are revealed by the composer’s family, friends and like-minded people.

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Tandem of Butkevics and Liepina in the film “Breathe Deeply”

Rolands Kalniņš’s film “Breathe Deeply” was not ready yet, when in August 1967 the premiere of the songs of the upcoming film was announced at the Liepāja concert work “Pūt, vējiņi”. At its festival “Liepājas dzintars”, which took place for the first time this year, actor Pauls Butkēvičs sang together with the ensemble of soldiers “Zvaigznīte”, winning the main prize.

Pauls Butkēvičs says: “I had to sing this song in the film, and I think that it was thanks to the actress Līga Liepiņa, her correctness and simplicity that the film was so very real. I had a feeling we knew each other and not singing for the first time. Our tandem and the words of Māris Čaklā, the music of Imants Kalniņš formed the success of this song!

I have never sung this song again since then, my conscience does not allow me to do it, because the feeling is that it was only then that it really sounded with Līga! ”

“I didn’t know that I would have to sing,” says actress Līga Liepiņa, “I remember that the director tried several soloists, but in the end decided that I would sing. Rolands Kalniņš decided that vocals are not so important, that the drama of the role is more important, that I don’t have anything to say about singing with Pauls Butkēvičs, Paul was very serious, reserved, worked very responsibly at that time.

Well, the biggest role here, of course, in words and melody, is placed there, dear, naive and tragic. ”

The fate of the poem

The lyrics of the song were written by Māris Čaklais already in 1966, when Gunārs Priede’s play “Thirteenth” was staged at the Youth Theater. When the film was made, the chakla texts already composed by composer Gederts Raman – “Song about four white shirts”, “Song about Napoleon” and “They danced for one summer” – were used again, but the commission selected Imants Kalniņš as the film’s composer. He also participated in the shooting of the film together with the ensemble “Optimisti”, in the role of which the members of the ensemble “Zvaigznīte” – Gunārs Rozenbergs, Uldis Stabulnieks and others took part. The lyrics of these songs are published in Māra Čakla’s collection of poems “Pedestrian and Eternity”.

“My dad was characterized by watching,” says Ingmārs Čaklais, head of the Latvian Cultural Center in Birmingham, “he put on what he saw in words and put it to use: re, where is it – take it!

He was very fascinated by himself, and I am sure that there is a woman behind this text as well. The poet’s texts tell the truth, it is very characteristic of my dad, we learn to hear and translate it! ”

The canon of Latvian culture in one song

After the film was banned, Pauls Butkēvičs found song notes on the shelves of the Riga Film Studio and returned them to the ensemble “Menuets”. In 2014, Māris Čakls’ double poetry album “Saxophone Saxophonist” was released, and a music recording of the film “Breathe Deeply” was fully published on one of the discs.

“Menueta” member Juris Sējāns remembers that no matter what program the group did not prepare, included or did not include the song “They Danced One Summer” in the specific repertoire, it always had to be sung:

“It’s one of the songs that listeners always demand, and we sing it with great pleasure. It is something ingenious, it is the canon of Latvian culture in that text and melody! ”

A simple song

Imants Kalniņš has admitted that the singing version of “Menueta” is considered to be the benchmark for the performance of this song, but closest to his heart and emotionally he still prefers the performance of Pauls Butkēvičs and Līga Liepiņa. The composer describes the song succinctly:

“Very simple song, very simple song in a minor minor”

This song can be found in the LTV archive in many different performances, one of the most emotional is the “Riga 810” anniversary grand concert “Master. Song. Legend ”on Mežaparks stage in August 2011. The song was conducted by Aira Birziņa, soloists – Rēzija Kalniņa and Marts Kristiāns Kalniņš.

Rēzija Kalniņa (National Union) reveals: “Singing with Martuka (Marts Kristiāns Kalniņš – ed.) Is very special, because it is the feelings of a brother and sister, it is more than a duo. But generally speaking of this song,

it is my life and mostly the life of my parents, mom and dad. No matter how summer they danced, but what happens after, after, after…

I know that my mother (actress Helga Dancberga – ed.) Lived all her life with this feeling of summer, with this feeling of love! ”

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