Musician Daumants Kalnins happy to receive old poetry books / article on his birthday

The audience’s favorite musician Daumants Kalniņš has created a song program “Drošinājums” with lyrics by Knut Skujenieks this autumn. A few days before the premiere at the music house “Daile”, the artist visits the LTV program “Lots of happiness, jubilee!”.

His concert program “Joy of the Heart” with the poetry of Fričs Bārda has already received a wide response. Both Skujenieks’ poetry and Bārda’s poetry have been presented to him by friends – for inspiration. And also the show “Congratulations, Jubilee!” director Andrejs Volmārs (knowing in advance or just guessed?) presents his guest with poetry books on his birthday.

“I am very inspired by the name and the personality of the poet,” singer and composer Kalniņš rejoices as he crosses the gifted poems. “For example, Bronislava Martuževa or Fricis Bārda, how beautifully they write about simple things. They also seem to have lived very close to nature. ”

The interview also takes place in a beautiful corner of nature – in the creative residence of the music house “Daile” in Lapmežciems, with the sea quietly rippling in the background of the conversation. Sitting on the summer garden veranda, Daumants admits that he likes not only the poetry of the earlier era, but also the thoroughness, unhurriedness and romance of the ancient years:

“Maybe we Latvians are romantic people.”

This string of somewhat masked romanticism seems to be one of the things that musicians unite with Maestro Raimonds Pauls: “Paul and I are people from different eras, and he is, of course, my authority, an outstanding soloist. And at the same time – he can listen to the other, ”says Daumants about Maestro. “I have such a great opportunity not only to play music with Maestro, no. We are also in the scene together. And Paul always talks… “

Little Daumants started his solo career at the age of nine, studying at the Dome Choir School – with the role of genius in Mozart’s “Magic Flute”. It is significant that in the following years he was also called a prodigy!

“Daumant didn’t have impossible, unsung singing opuses!” remembers his teacher at the Riga Dome Choir School, conductor Mārtiņš Klišāns.

By the way, the voice of Daumants’ Children’s Day is immortalized in the solo album “Listen, Spulgacit”. “I can’t deny, in my early years my own CD – it’s something quite special,” comments the singer. “Of course, I didn’t really like the name. It didn’t correspond to my new years… Eventually I started to call myself Spulgacīte at school. ”

Daumant’s “genius” did not come out of nowhere. Both of his parents are musicians. In addition, the mother, while expecting her son, studied choral conductors and listened to the opuses of classical music many times before the exam session. Over and over again to prepare well for the tests. So it turned out that a large part of the pearls of world music had to be heard by the little Daumant even before he was born (who probably didn’t even have a name at that time!).

Today Daumants Kalnins is a favorite of the public. And it is even difficult to say whether he is more loved by his ladies or by young girls whom he has to pass on the street by motorcycle or on a winter mountain – with a snowboard, or even – on forest trails – by bicycle. The young musician likes “that life happens”, likes risk and excitement. And how not? He, who has sung on the big stages of the world as a child, and solo – he is used to challenges. In music, sports, everywhere. He always delights and surprises the audience – be it jazz, Frank Sinatra’s repertoire, opera, musical or even dramatic theater – there is no genre in which he has not proved himself. And there is no performance in which he does not “give up” everything.

“It’s a real choir boy’s temper,” laughs Kalnins himself. “Whatever happens, it must be received and done in all circumstances!”

Daumants Kalniņš is the winner of several jazz vocal competitions, the winner of the “Grand Prix” in the competition “Riga Jazz Stage 2015”. Received the “Players’ Night” award in the category “Debut of Performing Arts of the Year” (the role of Quasimodo in the “Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris” at the National Theater). Twice – the winner of the public sympathy award at the “Grand Music Award”, but the main prize for each artist – of course – redeemed ticket offices and full auditoriums, to which we all hope to return.

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