Laika grāmata has released a photo album “Musical Latvia in Pictures: Orchestras, Conductors, Soloists”, created by the former head of the Music Department of the Museum of Writing and Music, the former head of the Music Department of the Museum of Literary and Music, modeled on the once popular 1930 publication Zemovich.
The photos in the new album with brief information show the most notable Latvian symphony orchestras of the 20th century, their conductors, guest conductors, local and foreign soloists, who collaborated with these groups until 1944.
Ilga Auguste: Each book has its own story of creation. What is this edition like?
Elmars Zemovics: I perceived this edition as a compilation of all three previous books that I have written about the Jurmala Symphony Concert Life, as well as three Riga orchestras and also Jelgava. It seems that a book about the musical life of Liepaja is left “overboard”, but I have long felt that sooner or later the people of Liepaja will do it. It also happened, because before the five-year anniversary of the concert hall “Lielais dzintars”, Liepaja women came to me and asked me about history and people in great detail. Then I encouraged them – if so much has been collected, then such a book about the musical life of Liepaja should be made.
What motivated you to create the album “Musical Latvia in Pictures”? Was there any impulse from the sidelines?
This was Marina Mihailets, an employee of the Music Department of the National Library of Latvia. She has access to my previous books and so the idea arose – what if I made such an album for all our performers and orchestras? I wonder why not? During the time of Latvia, albums “Latvian musicians in photos” were released.
I imagine that according to such a format, an edition could be created that would summarize everything that had happened in Latvian concert life.
What period of time does this history of performing arts cover?
This period can be counted from about 1910, when the first Riga Symphony Orchestra was founded by the then very famous conductor Georgs Šnēfogs, who worked here in Latvia for more than ten years before the First World War and in the early 1930s. He also worked in our conservatory as a lecturer, and on his initiative this orchestra also became. At that time, the situation happened that the director of the Riga German Theater dismissed almost the entire German opera orchestra of that time due to disagreements. And then these people, who lost their jobs, took advantage of the situation and formed the Riga Symphony Orchestra. It was played by very highly qualified musicians, and the period before the First World War was a very bright page in our concert life. During Latvia, there was another Riga Symphony Orchestra, which performed more in the parks of Riga in the summers – Vermandarza, Arkadia Park and other gardens, and it was also the Riga Symphony Orchestra. Because practically we have had two symphony orchestras with the same name.
The edition has a rich collection of photos. Below several images is the entry “From personal archive”.
Yes, I once very consciously started collecting all possible materials, photos about the life of orchestras and musicians, and so, in addition to working in the museum, I actually had a second day of work.
After the official working hours, I visited the older generation of musicians and I got a lot of interesting photo material from them. There is also a picture where, for example, Alexander Glazunov conducts at the National Opera. I found some of the pictures both in the National Library and in the collections of the Museum of Literature and Music, and I also found this on the Internet.
Photo: Publicity image
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Looking for these materials, walking around the old musicians and obtaining, you could say, historical relics in your possession, did you have any discoveries yourself?
Of course, for me, it was all a new discovery! Amazing pictures, for example, from the Ķemeri Symphony Orchestra. I found a whole series of pictures “Funny Viennese Girls” with one musician. It turns out that the Ķemeri Orchestra was entertained in a benefice concert in the 1930s. A Benefices concert is one where the proceeds from that concert go to pay the musicians in a pure way. In the third part, the musicians had made something like show, as nowadays it is said where all the musicians dress like either. Forester Jānis Zicmanis is like a sea robber there, Sāra Rašina has taken the trumpet in one picture instead of the violin, but the conductor is depicted elsewhere. The musicians changed places, and the big problem for me was deciphering many. When everyone is disguised with wigs, it is not so easy to recognize. (smiles)
Among the most notable guest conductors are many European celebrities – Herman Abendrot, Leo Bleh, Alexander Glazunov, also Eric Klaiber, Otto Klemperer, Emil Cooper, Bruno Walter, even Igor Stravinsky, who visited and conducted here in 1934. – with the joint National Opera and Radio Symphony Orchestras. So does Jean Sibelius. What conclusions can we draw at least from these words, who have visited Latvia?
Yes, Sibelius was in Latvia before the First World War. As far as I understand, he has been three times. Twice he has conducted concerts, but the third time he has been here as a listener. All I can say is that even before the First World War, very high-class musicians, both conductors and soloists, came here. Stravinsky, whose name means a lot in both world and our music culture, has not performed much as a conductor and has conducted only his own compositions. He had come here with his son, who had performed as a pianist.
I think that the 1920s and 1930s were a golden age in Latvian music life.
Back then, these artists were incomparably more and more widely known than the stars who come to us today. Although the violinists Jaša Heifecs already before the First World War and Bronislav Huberman also.
Knowing your work, I already anticipate that you are thinking of, if not the next book, then definitely the next work you are working on.
Now I will deviate a bit from performing arts and orchestras. I have worked in other areas that I would not want to miss. While working at the museum, I also gathered a lot of information about the builders of musical instruments. As the Museum of Literature and Music will have a big anniversary in 2025, it is planned to identify musical instruments in all Latvian museums. I also applied for help, because I have gathered a lot of information and created the indicator “Builders and masters of Latvian musical instruments”. It could be supplemented with photographs and published as a separate large, thorough work.
I think that it would be very useful, because so far the history of Latvian musical instrument construction has been little studied.
This is done, for example, for organ builders. Inese Žune also has a book about violin building, but not all instrument builders in Latvia have been compiled in one edition so far. The theme of piano construction is especially forgotten. Latvia would have something to be proud of in the construction of musical instruments.
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