Richard Zaļupe: Award-Winning Composer and Musical Innovator

“Famous”

Film music is one of Richard’s challenges in recent years, so as a gift the musician will receive a beautiful study by Bordwell and Thomson “Film Art. Introduction”, which has already been translated to many languages ​​of the world. “Cinematic language is my interest in the last few years,” said the man who composed the song. It is interesting that Riharda’s internationally known music for the film “Namejs” was originally created as an academic musical stage work.

“At first, the theme of Namej was meant for the film idea of ​​the director Mar Martinson: I wrote the theme, but the idea of ​​Mar did not appear. Later, the director Grauba started working on this theme, and based on motifs of the symphony, soundtrack for the film “Nameja ring”, Zaļupe appears.

“Cinema is very close to me, anyway, it is written on my website that telling stories is the most important thing for me as a writer, and this is very important: to tell something to the listener with music.”

Hollywood-level ambition and award nominations

Both music and film critics admit that Richard’s music draws visual scenes in the mind, that it is very cinematic. Not only Latvian, but also American critics have praised Zaļup, calling him a musical master and jeweler: Rihards was nominated for two “Hollywood Music in Media Awards”, which is not only his , but as an assessment of Latvian art in the world: “In my opinion, the most beautiful thing is that the soundtrack continues its sovereign life even after the film: I heard that there are people England marries the film’s love theme.”

“He is a very talented person – a composer who opens up any emotions in the listener and is able to do it with the greatest dignity. Rihards has an amazing purpose, as well as abilities awesome work,” said film producer and director Andrejs Īkis. “Zaļupe is also very sensitive, empathetic, and that’s why he succeeds. I think he still has a lot ahead of him!”

When you have to put your vision of life aside for a movie

“We have collaborated with Andrej on many projects, but the sympathy he mentioned must be present, because we work with emotions,” said the jubilee on Īkis’ reception. you have to put aside your principles, your vision of life, because you have to create music for characters whose actions may not suit me. You have to stick to the film, you have to be very flexible , and it’s not easy at all!”

The Boy from “Tulsi Dixieland”

One of Rihard’s awards is “Lielais Kristaps” for the music of the film “1906” (director Gatis Šmits): “At the ceremony, he was very happy to receive an award from Lolita Ritmanes, a well-known Latvian composer in Hollywood, and when I get to be in Hollywood, I try to meet her. Lolita has helped me a lot: when I was in Hollywood for the first time, she arranged meetings , she took me to some parties to meet the great film writers.”

Would it have occurred to Richard, a “Tulsa Spreedish” Dixieland boy, that he would reach this level of success? At that time, at the beginning of the nineties, when Latvia was in a rather difficult time, financially difficult, new independence established and many challenges. “I wouldn’t say I enjoyed going to music school then,” the musician laughed. “I think I told my parents three times that I wanted to leave. Of course, the nineties were also a powerful time because the computer age started, the time of synthesizers. Computer games were many times closer to my heart than attending percussion lessons.”

Brother of the Petrauski brothers

“Richards and I have grown up together and we laugh that the three of us are like brothers,” laughs the renowned saxophonist Oskars Petrauskas, who together with his brother Raimonds Petrauskas and Richards has played music in many projects and what is now the “Xylem Problem”.

“Raimondas and I played the four-handed piano from the age of the sandbox, later my piano and saxophone joined Richard’s percussion instruments, the marimba, creating an interesting tandem,” continues Oskars Petrauskas. “Now, when we are working on a musical project, we cannot do without sharp, but creative discussions. And our strong academic education has helped us find paths in other genres as well . one of those who like to throw something around the basket, move it, play it!”

“Thank you, Oskar! It is not so common to throw it in the basket, now I have started to try squash,” Zaļupe refers to the last sentence of the statement of his musical brother Petrauska .

The musical potato pancakes

By the way, mixed Richard is not only connected to sports. With a little irony, sticking to the word, that can be said tossing and turning from genre to genre, from country to country, from performer art to writing – this describes both Zaļupe’s working abilities, as well as professional and human power: challenge, inspiration, also including all kinds of innovation – whether it is a composition for ten timpani, which has not been done in the world until now, creating non-traditional musical compositions, or, for example, using a potato grater in the field of playing percussion instruments . “Think of the power of a mass of grated potatoes with potatoes to the tight rhythm of a musical score! What a structural charge of this mass!” Zaļupe laughs. “Potato pancakes would be very musical indeed!”