Valdis Muktupāvels, a professor, ethnomusicologist and composer at the University of Latvia, says after evaluating the category: Such are the “Folk Girls”, who have now turned to the musically gorgeous Auleja region, especially highlighting one local tradition in its diversity. It should be noted that those songs are more addressed by those songs where they have managed to get out of a nice-sounding tertiary grove. “Sventava” presents itself with a different kind of authenticity: the format of the album allows a mother recorded in the distance of Siberia to sing with the daughters of Iecava, and a traditionally rooted, alternately inviting and harsh Sib-Lat-folk-rock instrumental line. Ieva Kerēvica’s “Inheritance” delights the singer’s warmly flexible voice and instrumental interplay, but it seems that no matter what the theme – even a song – jazz anyway. Kārlis Kazāks album “13 | 1 ”offers the impression that very modern thoughts can be sung in different dialects, and all of them together are a great wealth. In turn, the arrangements of the upcoming folk ballet performances “How many suns in us” have merged in the last ten years in Latvian music space the techniques that have been tried and recognized as good many times – choreographers will have something to do. “
Musicologist, doctor of art, music critic Ilze Šarkovska-Liepiņa says: “There is a wide stylistic range in this category – from academically correct traditional music (“ Folk Daughters ”) to jazz, pop music and other versions of folk music, of which I think it is especially sympathetic. the vocation of singer Kārlis Kazāks with the winds of world music, loving various Latvian dialects in the texts. The quantity and quality of recordings in this category is also traditionally very respectable. “
13 i 1 – Kārlis Kazāks
Kārlis Kazāks has been on the Latvian music scene since 1995. He has released solo albums “On My Palms” (2007), “16 Hours” (2013), “Beds” (2015), “and She” (2017) and “Played” (2020).
He has released the album “13 i 1” with songs in Latvian dialects, which were made during the reception of the show “Hear the Voices with Kārlis Kazāks”. He has created a series of programs about the culture of other nationalities in Latvia “Hear the Voices with Kārlis Kazāks”, creating 6 new songs with the participation of people of other nationalities.
He has created two lullaby albums for children “The Moon will show the way to sleep for the mouse” (recording company Upe) and “Dad sings lullabies”, as well as a children’s music album “DūRainītis” (2020) with Rainis’ poems. In 2020, together with Kaspars Tobi, he released the album “Apspelēts”, which was nominated in the category Electronic Music Album, and played 3 concerts in the Great Hall of the Latvian National Theater.
Songs from Auleja – Tautumeita
The folk girls like to create their own style and go an independent path in music, but at the same time the folk girls love and respect the place and the country from which they come, as well as the folklore and traditions of this land. The album “Songs from Auleja” is a tribute and a tribute to our traditional music, which is beautiful in its purity and simplicity. It is touching how much through this seemingly simple and at the same time subtly nuanced language of music the message of the text of a folk song, in which the Folk Girls invite to listen, stands out. The group’s “Tautumeitas” debut album, titled “Tautumeitas”, has won the Music Record of the Year Award as the best ethno and folk music album of the year. “Tautumeitas” have given concerts in such countries as Japan, China, Russia, Switzerland, Germany, but in May 2021, the group’s concert tour was planned in Japan, which has been postponed to the summer of 2022 due to the prevailing world situation.
At the beginning of 2020, the group “Tautumeitas” released the album “Songs from Auleja”, which is also released in vinyl format. The group “Tautumeitas” was formed in 2015, it consists of six musicians – Asnate Rancāne, Aurēlija Rancāne, Ilona Dzērve, Lauma Bērza, Laura Marta Līcīte and Laura Liepiņa.
Kārlis Auzāns. Music from the upcoming folk ballet dance performance of the dance ensemble “Daiļrade” “How Many Suns in Us” – Performed by Jānis Strazdiņš, Kārlis Auzāns and Mārtiņš Miļevskis
Composer and musician Kārlis Auzāns is one of the creative teams of the creators of the first Latvian folk ballet single-act dance performance “How Many Suns in Us”. The music created for the dance ensemble “Daiļrade” tells about the relationship of modern people in search of the relationship between the Deities in the world – the twists and turns of the relationship between the Sun, Thunder and the Moon. From an observer of disturbing events, a person chooses to become part of the story of this relationship.
Kārlis Auzāns has also created a number of theatrical and cinematic music, such as music for the Daile Theater performance “Talented Mr. Ripley”, Klaipeda Drama Theater performance “Children of the Sun”, as well as music for the award-winning films “My Favorite War”, which was also nominated for the Golden Microphone. What does the quiet Gerda “,” Gorbachev.Paradise “,” Christmas in the jungle “. Created a new concert program “Five Elements” with cello trio Melo-M and Dinārs Rudāni.
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Heritage Volume 1 – Ieva Kerevica
Ieva Kerēvica is a singer, musician, vocal teacher, actress. She has worked in various music genres, such as pop, jazz, musical, theater music and as a jazz vocalist – in various directions of jazz music: contemporary, ethnojazz, worldjazz, bigband jazz. He has collaborated with many Latvian jazz music instrumentalists, Latvian pop musicians and academic music artists and conductors. She has been a laureate of several international jazz music competitions and a winner of the TV3 show “Choir Wars 2” Grand Prix. She has worked with Latvian theaters both as a vocal teacher / consultant in the process of preparing performances and as an actress.
In 2020, the albums “Heritage. Volume 1” and “Centerwise” were released.
Siberian songs – musicians’ association “Sventava”
Māris Muktupāvels ‘second album “Siberian Songs”, performed by the musicians’ association “Sventava”, does a valuable job – it highlights from oblivion songs sung by Latvians who, believing in the promises of a better life, left and settled in Siberia. The Latvian Siberian diaspora, which has developed since the beginning of the 19th century, has been identified and studied over the last three decades, with a special focus on the intangible cultural heritage, including song folklore.
10 songs arranged by Māris Muktupāvels, played and sung by members of the musical association “Sventava” – Ilga Reizniece, Gatis Gaujenieks, Mārtiņš Linde, young artists chaired by Kristine Karele, the owner of the votes. In the song “Go, sheep!” the voice of Ekaterina Matveyeva, whose ancestors still live in Siberia, is heard.
