At the end of October, Richard Lībietis’ second original music album “Lines and Miniatures” was released, which includes ten instrumental compositions and which is ideologically similar to the musician’s first album “RL Elektronix”, which was released in 2015.
On Thursday, November 11, at 6 pm, the guitarist together with his group “Rihards Lībietis Orchestra” will be in the 1st studio of Latvian Radio, where he will perform live in the “LV Jazz Series 2021”. Live tickets can be purchased at «www.aula.lv». In the new concert program “Outside Here”, the band will perform original compositions from their album “Willful Blindness” released in May this year.
Unlike last fall, which came with uncertainty and uncertainty about the future, this is the time for you to harvest your creative work – two gorgeous music albums have been released.
It would be more accurate to say that the last year and a half spent writing music and recording was quite productive. When the restrictions of the second wave of the pandemic started at the end of last year and the concert activity was canceled, we had just managed to record the new album “Willful Blindness” by “Rihards Lībietis Orchestra” in the studio. Along with the emotions that came with the uncertainty about the future, I also became convinced that this was the moment when I should start writing music for another album. It created “Lines and Miniatures”. Although the concept lived on for me long before the pandemic, the events and feelings of the last year – especially loneliness, insecurity and uncertainty about the future, and certainly melancholy – made me think that this emotional background fits very well with some flashes of “Lines and Miniatures”. ». Each piece is like a small miniature – an adventure with a story that the listener can feel, get to know and enjoy in a few minutes. The themes of lines and miniatures also appear in various ways in the titles of several tracks included in the album, such as “Transmit Parallels”, “Switches”, “Heart Line”, “Whisper Miniature” and others.
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What do you want to say to your listeners with this album?
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It is very important to me and my team that worked on this album that everything is not as bad as it may seem. Although this music very accurately describes what is happening in Latvia and the world now, it gives the listener both comfort and a charge of recharging and inspiring emotions. And this positive charge is not intrusive, but it is felt and permeates all the compositions of the album.
At first I thought that “Lines and Miniatures” would be my solo album, but already in the process of creating music it was clear that this music requires more space and shades. Therefore, the first thing I addressed was drummer Toms Kagainis, who played drums in several compositions and created various sound effects. After a while, already when creating compositions together, it became clear that we also want to invite individual guest artists. And cellist Erna Daugaviete, violinist Olga Bučinska, flutist Ieva Rūtentāle, pianist Matīss Repsis also take part in this album, and as a surprise, the magical vocal vocal of Beata Sweden appears on the culmination of one piece in the instrumental music album. The album was recorded in the studio “No Fuss Audio” in Tukums, as well as in the studio “AMFO Music” in Riga, and its sound director, mixer and master creator is Valērijs Černejs.
What will you offer your listeners on Thursday, November 11, when you and your group will play live in the 1st studio of Latvian Radio?
We will perform original compositions from the album “Willful Blindness” released in May this year and also compositions from previous albums that are already popular among our listeners. This time, due to different circumstances, we will play in a slightly different composition. The existing members of the group – me, Gints Smukas (guitar) and Jānis Polis (bass) – will also be joined by Toms Kagainis with percussion instruments and Jānis Pauls with cello. This will make this concert unique, because no one has heard us in this line-up yet, and it is very likely that we will not be able to hear it in the future. But in any case – there will be typical warming rhythms, hot-blooded music, which is exactly what you need in November! Of course, a concert in a studio without the presence of spectators is not nearly the same as playing a concert live, but it is the closest possible, so we are really glad that we will have such an opportunity.
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Both albums have begun their journey to their listeners. What’s next?
I still enjoy the aftertaste of the release of the albums, and there is still a whole bunch of works related to the album “Lines and Miniatures”. In principle, it is a studio project, but we also want to create a concert and at the first opportunity to play this music live. Currently, this album is only available digitally, heard on major music streaming sites, including «Spotify». In the late spring of next year, we plan to release it in vinyl format, and the final works are still underway. But as soon as the November 11 concert is played, I plan to relax a bit. I think I deserve it, because this time was really very intense.
What is the best rest for you?
I recently thought that the moment a new music is written, there is a lot of focus on it, and it consumes quite a lot of psycho-emotional energy. In the meantime, the improvement of the technical capability of the tool is somewhat neglected. Therefore, the first thing I would like to do at this time is to enter the proper exercise routine of your instrument. So it will be a recreation mainly from creating new music. Creating new music requires renewing energy, finding new technical skills and gathering new stories to tell. It is very important to me that the music I write is a deeply personal observation of what is happening. It is not possible to create continuously, you have to gather strength and understand exactly what I want to talk about and how to say exactly so that it is even better than before. Of course, I will also try to relax in a format such as being more in nature, being at home with my wife, family, simply doing some homework that has accumulated during this time while I was writing music.
What is your personal observation about what is happening in the world and in Latvia this autumn?
Very difficult time. The confrontation of the society has come to the fore and is very noticeable, there is also a bit of a winning process of attention. We are divided, divided into several camps, and that does not make us feel good. On the new album, I have a piece called “Cleavage” that well describes this general feeling of mine. The single tells about the desire to get out of the routine for a moment, to hide from society and get out of the urban environment, as well as about the fact that by choosing to look at life situations with inner peace and from the sidelines, problems often become more solvable and less important. Along with the new album, a video of this single has been released, which has been created in collaboration with the creative artist “Colortime” video artist Arvi Belova.
I very much hope that it will end someday, that we will return to the normal world, that we will be able to overcome all these difficulties, negations, scabies and low inclinations and that we will be able to emerge from this pandemic much stronger. As an artist, I naively believe in that. But maybe it’s not naive, maybe we all just have to believe that we as humans can strive for something higher, for something more. We each have a great potential for development, and I believe that we must try to find peace in ourselves, without increasing negation, but inspiring each other not to be afraid, to do and to move on. And although this autumn the situation is much different than many of us hoped, we must stick to the light and for the better! I very much want this once-in-a-lifetime time to help, as far as possible, to look at things from the sidelines and not forget what is really important.
Music has a healing and inspiring power. What inspires you to do and move on? What music do you listen to to stay emotionally balanced?
I listen to all kinds of music, and at different stages of my life it changes a lot. For example, when writing “Lines and Miniatures”, I am inspired by post-rock and film music, especially the works of composers Thomas Newman, Tony Anderson and Oulavur Arnalds. But right now, when I’m done, I have a short break from some particular music, and I’m listening to meditation music with as little information as possible. But, yes, feelings change a lot during a pandemic. There are times when you want to listen to something very cinematic or something instrumental and thought-provoking, or just “old” rock music – “Guns N ‘Roses”, “Aerosmith”. And you rightly said that the most important function of music is healing. It’s really amazing that it can be – by putting on a particular piece at the right time, the whole day can change by 180 degrees.
Please suggest to the readers of “Independent” one piece from your new album to listen to, so that on a day when the mood is as gray as the time outside the window this week, change it by 180 degrees.
Good question. I think “Pattern of Life” might be a good option. May we all have strength and health!
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