The Berlin Latvian Choir is the oldest Latvian cultural group in this city, it has existed for 17 years. Since 2008, the choir has participated in all song festivals. Several Germans have also become part of it.
“Latvian national costume creates a festive feeling”
22 years ago Louise Schmidt (Luise Schmidt) studied in the 11th grade at a German school and applied for a student exchange: “It was clear to me that I wanted to go more to the east because I was interested in European history, although I didn’t really know much. I remember our neighbors were White Germans, my wife probably even a Latvian, in any case, Latvian was the mother tongue of both of them. However, the fact that I ended up in Latvia was a coincidence, because I had also applied to programs in Lithuania, Slovakia, and Poland.”
The road took Luiza to Limbaži. During the year, she learned the Latvian language so well that only a few could say that she is a foreigner living in Latvia for a short time. Even now, the language has not been forgotten, besides, Louise goes to Latvia at least once every couple of years to visit her then host family. In addition, coincidentally, her younger brother recently studied medicine in Latvia, so Louise also went here to visit her brother for six years.
Luise remembers her first impressions upon arriving in Latvia – it was the end of August, immediately September 1st: “I noticed how important flowers are to Latvians! On September 1st, all students go to school with flowers for their teachers. There is no such tradition in Germany.” In the literal sense, she also took buckwheat from Latvia – Louise really liked it, but at that time buckwheat was not available in German stores (except for the so-called “Russian stores”), they are not very popular there. Therefore, after every visit to Latvia, Louise must have had a packet of buckwheat in her bag. She also likes beets very much, so cold soup was the best food in the summer.
In Latvia, Luize sang in the choir of the Limbažu school and thought about joining the Latvian choir even after returning to Germany, but there was no such choir in Greifswalde. Now she lives in Berlin for three and a half years and sings in the Berlin Latvian Choir. “I haven’t participated in the song festival yet, but I have seen the video. My friends are also impressed by what they saw in the recording, but I will be able to enjoy it in real life too!” Louise’s Latvian folk costume is from the Limbaži region – remembering the year she spent in Latvia. “These outfits were festive outfits, and so when you put them on, you get a festive feeling,” she says of the feeling when she puts them on. But Louise, like many foreign singers, names the not-so-simple “Sit kočiņu pi kociņa” as her most beautiful song.
Kristiāne (from left) and Luīze in Latvian folk costumes in Berlin.
Photo: from K. Schubert’s private archive
“They ask me if I want to take a gene test – maybe I also have Latvian blood?”
“Five years ago, I was riding a tram to a stage in Latvian national costume, a gentleman came up and said – you should sound good, country girl! I wish he knew that I’m not Latvian at all and I’m not from Latvia!” laughs Christiane. Indeed, several people half-jokingly advised her to take the now popular genetic DNA test, which shows the blood of ancient ancestors in a person – her facial expressions seem so classically Latvian that they could easily play “Put, vējini!” Baibu, moreover, in Latvian, even after 22 years, since she lived in Latvia for a year, she speaks excellently.
Christian Schubert (Christiane Schubert) once went to Latvia in the same exchange group with Luiza. “At that time, it was fashionable for young Germans to go to the USA, but we went to the ‘new Europe’,” she recalls of the unusual choice. At the time, it did not occur to her that this decision would have an impact on her entire future life.
“I didn’t know anything about Latvia before that, but there were courses before the exchange program, where we were told – you have to immerse yourself in the culture of the country where you will be! Of course, first of all, it’s the language. And it’s no harder for us to learn Latvian than it is for Latvians to learn German. We were only sixteen years old, and then it happened quickly and easily, and we lived in host families. I was very lucky to have a host family! I am not very lucky in life, but I was very lucky then. Until now, I go to Latvia once a year and visit my Latvian family in Koknese family, that’s how my Latvian language is maintained,” Kristiāne says sincerely.
Thanks to the mother of the host family, who herself sang in the choir, Kristiāne also got into the Koknese women’s choir and “got sick” of Latvian choral music.
She moved to Berlin about 12 years ago and immediately started searching: “I wrote to the Latvian embassy, I asked – is there a Latvian choir in your case? They really answered me and gave me contacts. So from that time, with a little pause in between, I sing here. I also participated in the 2018 Song Festival with this choir.”
Kristianė also has her own folk costume, she chose the Krustpils side costume, because the Koknese women’s choir also had those, and she still has vivid memories of wearing it for the first time, participating in the Song Festival in 2003: “I got my own a few years ago. I went to Riga , ordered. The moment I received this national costume was a very, very important event for me.”
It can be said that Kristiane has been living in two worlds for 20 years: “I am happy that I also have this other world. Sometimes there is a little discomfort, for example, on political topics, where Germans look differently than Latvians, and vice versa, but this is a small thing. I’ve also learned to speak differently with Latvians and Germans, I don’t tell all the little things that I might not understand. For example, I can’t tell my German acquaintances in words what my mental experience is when I stand on the stage of the song festival. There are also stories that Latvians wouldn’t understand. I even speak Latvian different than German!”
Christiana loves many songs. “Don’t know where to start, where to end!” she laughs. I like “Strike a stick on a stick”. “Giamas pils”. “Mother of the Wind”, “Latgale” from the women’s choir. “Pie Dieviņa gari galdi” is not my favorite from the repertoire. But I like a lot of songs!”
Christiana has no intention of ever giving up singing in the choir: “I will sing as long as I can stand. But, after all, you can sing sitting down too…”
Martins Pfeffer in the Berlin Latvian Choir.
Photo: Photo from M.Pfefer’s private archive
“I don’t feel like a stranger in the choir, I feel like I belong”
After the conversation, Martins Pfeffer (Martin Pfeffer) once again emphasizes in writing in the interview: “I just want to emphasize again: I love the Berlin Latvian Choir! Wonderful choir members, most of the songs are wonderful. And this is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time!”
Because it is really important for Martin to make it clear to everyone that fate, which has taken him to the Latvian choir, has made him very happy.
It might seem that everything was determined by Her Highness Coincidence, but Martins says that he does not believe in coincidences. But everything happened like this: “I am a musician, I also teach guitar. One of my students is half-Latvian, born in Riga, but raised here, mother Latvian, father German. He feels like a German, but also like a Latvian. He always told me about Latvia , how nice, beautiful there, I listened, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. But once he told me about the song festival and also showed me a video. Then it was immediately clear to me – I have to get there! I asked – when does it happen? He says – every five years, but the next ones are already next year. But you will only get there if you sing in a Latvian choir, because it will be practically impossible to buy tickets! I say – but how will I get in a Latvian choir?! And he – my mother sings like that, come and see how everything is happening there! It was Latvia’s Independence Day, the choir performed, I listened and understood – yes, I want to be in this choir!”
Until then, Martins knew a little something about Latvia as such, but he had no connection with our land, music, or people. He had never listened to Latvian music before, but he was very impressed by the songs he heard at the concert, and at the beginning of January he was already on the list of choir members.
Martin’s German friends perceive his new passion differently. Many are surprised, say, why the Latvian choir?! It seems exotic and unheard of. “I tell my story, sometimes I play a song, then they say – wow! Those friends who are musicians themselves understand all this very well – if you get excited about something, then you want to be there, it draws you in. My wife was also confused at first, now she knows that I do it with great love, with all my heart, and she too has fallen under the spell of Latvian songs.”
On a daily basis, Martins Pfeffer plays music on a professional level and teaches guitar lessons.
Photo: Photo from M.Pfefer’s private archive
In the beginning, it was not easy in the choir, because I had to read both notes and foreign words at the same time. The people sitting nearby helped by translating the conductor’s instructions. Martin has not been in any special status, as he says with a laugh, “I don’t have any special care”, but everyone unobtrusively tries to help and encourage.
“Everyone was very nice to me from the very beginning, when I was still having a hard time. I studied a lot at home, specially prepared for rehearsals. This was also noticed, and the conductor offered me individual lessons. Another member of the choir is a translator, and she teaches me Latvian language lessons once a week. And now I’m already starting to understand something, it’s also becoming easier for me to sing. This is my first big experience in the choir, and everything is going well. Now there will be a song festival, a concert in November. Because everyone tells me to stay in the choir even after for the holidays and it’s very sweet. I don’t feel like a stranger there, I feel like I belong. I had no idea that such a thing even existed a year ago, and now I love this choir, I love this music! Some of the songs are so incredibly beautiful . Such a small nation, but so many composers, so many choral songs! It is said that Latvians are a nation of singers – and now I can understand it well. I have immersed myself in it all.”
2023-07-03 03:35:07
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