“Holiday Chest”
From June 1 to 30, on weekday mornings, “Svetku lade” is played in Klasika, from which we reveal interesting and lesser-known facts from the 150-year history of the Song and Dance Festival.
A large part of the scenes were created in cooperation with the researchers and art experts of the Museum of Writing and Music, who also participated in the creation of the new exhibition “Dziesmusvētku telpa”, but there are also stories of chief conductors and chief conductors, as well as researchers and makers of folk costumes.
The series was created with the support of the Latvian National Cultural Center.
While creating the new exhibition dedicated to the history of the Song Festival, in the spring of 2021, we received a call from Gunārs Janaš at the Museum of Literature and Music, who offered his photos taken during the festival for the exhibition.
We established a good contact – we cooperated, for two months we sat together at the computer in the Master’s apartment and selected the necessary ones from many thousands of scanned or digital frames.
As a result, more than 700 digital files with photos of nine General Song Festivals ended up in the museum’s collection. A large part of it can also be seen in the newly opened exposition dedicated to the Song Festival. Gunārs Janaitis is probably the most widely represented photographer there.
The selection was complemented by interesting conversations and stories about the photographer’s feelings and experiences during the holiday, as well as various colorful, funny and touching scenes. I encouraged him to write about it. Unfortunately, this was Gunnar’s last big project, and he didn’t get to write anymore…
Dance holiday concert at the Daugava Stadium at the XX General Latvian Song Festival. Auseklīš’s article “Weavers’ dance” (choreography by Harija Sūnas). 1990
Photo: Gunārs Janaitis / Collection of the Museum of Writing and Music
Janaitis used to be a photo correspondent of the weekly cultural newspaper “Literatūra un Māksla” from 1967 until the closing of the newspaper in 1994. A master whose works have spoken in the language of photographic art for at least half a century about people, including poets, artists, about Latvia, important for Latvian society in the conditions of Soviet occupation, during changes and after regaining independence. They often reach the level of a work of art in terms of emotionality, imagery and artistic generalization.
A choir singer from exile – for the first time at the Latvian Song Festival after five decades. 1990
Photo: Gunārs Janaitis / Collection of the Museum of Writing and Music
Janaitis photographed song festivals for more than 30 years, starting from 1970. He himself says that he performed eight times in the choir of photographers of the song festival – from Mediņš to Sirmaj. At each song festival, up to 2,000 shots were taken during at least 10 days of intensive work.
I want to share the highlights of what we heard in our conversations. About the warming effect. Without it, it is impossible to work at the song festival. Must be in it all the way inside! Figuratively and even literally. Already at the centenary song festival, Janaitis had sneaked into the choir for the first time, where, walking along the rows, he captured moments and close-ups. In 1980, it was already more complicated. In order to make this task easier for himself, he rented a national costume from the workshop of the Latvian Theater Society and, having mingled among the choristers, fulfilled his mission.
Gunārs Janaitis at the XVIII General Latvian Song Festival. 1980
Photo: author unknown / Silvija Voite’s private archive
After the 1973 festival, he excitedly told his friend, the poet Imantas Ziedonis, about what he had experienced and encouraged him to write about this song festival. The article came out unaccustomed to that time, patriotic, with subtexts and very direct suggestions about the folk song, ethnographic ensembles, kokli movement, young people at the song festival.
Ms. Ziedonis, actress Ausma Kantāne, brought it to the editorial office, the text was rewritten on the machine. The editor-in-chief was on a business trip or otherwise absent, the deputy missed it, and the article was printed in the August 4 issue. A major scandal followed, but what are you going to do about it…
A photographer must be able to see the valuable, shoot from the best point of view, intuition is also very important – what and where could happen, what will be the development of the specific situation, calculating to be in the right place at the right moment.
Singing “Our Father in Heaven” by Lúcias Garutas at the XX General Latvian Song Festival. 1990
Photo: Gunārs Janaitis / Collection of the Museum of Writing and Music
Because the shooting object in the Song Festival is 360 degrees all around. The photographer is in the excitement of the shooting pleasure, the photographic instincts work like a hunting taxi, which is almost, almost on the trail of a mighty beast. For humor, he said that he was often followed by the tail of several other photographers who also wanted to get to the right place at the right time.
He said that photographing no event gives such an influx of strength and energy as photographing the Festival of Songs. Such a spirit of the people together must be at the top of the wave.
The “Līgo” flag flutters over the singers’ heads on the Mežapark stage at the 20th General Latvian Song Festival. 1990
Photo: Gunārs Janaitis / Collection of the Museum of Writing and Music
“Together” is the name of Janaish’s second solo exhibition, he also applies this word as a concept to his sense of the Song Festival. At the same time, Janaitis is an excellent portraitist, and his camera captured excellent close-ups of singers and chief conductors during the holidays, where the character, emotion, and sometimes even the life story of the particular person can be seen.
He is able to notice and record colorful details or create combinations of details with a clearly readable subtext.
A little about the logistics of being a song festival photographer. Photographers had to fight for a place in the first row of the stage audience, because there were always not enough of them. Everyone put down their bags and ran to look for the best vantage points. Left the photographer lady to guard. The main thing is that someone does not spoil the place.
At the 20th General Latvian Song Festival concert on the Mežapark stage. 1990
Photo: Gunārs Janaitis / Collection of the Museum of Writing and Music
There were also rules from above, where you can and where you can’t take pictures. Sometimes there is a construction in front or simply a preference for film and television people. Then I had to change everything. Another political curiosity that is both dramatic and funny. In 1980, fearing provocations of a national nature, soldiers were stationed in the bushes around the Mežapark stage. For every occasion.
At the end of the celebration, everyone disperses, but the photographers go to eat a portion of hot dog at a food shack. Militiamen arrive and order to clear the square. Photographers are protesting – they have worked hard all day, they also want to eat.
A conflict arises, in which the photographers do not give up – they will eat and leave. And then they see what they should never have seen – how about 20 heavy trucks with spotted tarpaulin covers in camouflage color come out of the bushes. Full of armed soldiers of the Soviet army.
Mrs. Janaiša, a long-time specialist of the Riga History and Shipping Museum and keeper of the photo collection, Silvija Voite, remembers that Gunārs, together with his colleague Leona Balodi, wanted to publish a photo album with pictures of the Song Festival after the 1990 holiday. The plan has not been realized. As if there was a lack of funding. It would be worth thinking about publishing such a photo album of Gunāras Janašis – there is enough material and ideas for a couple. Maybe to remember the Master’s 90th birthday in 2024?
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2023-06-30 12:48:40
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