On the evening of February 24, a charity concert “Ukraine’s Song” was played at the World Latvian Art Center in cooperation with the cultural management center “Lauska”, where Ukrainian bandura virtuoso Darja Leleko performed.
The concert was well-attended, people of different ages, families with children, residents of Cesis and residents of Cesis, as well as Ukrainians currently living in Cesis, came to express their support. Those who came had the opportunity to donate to the support of Ukraine, specifically to the Ukrainian music group “Joryj Kloc”, whose concert is scheduled in Latvia in July, but currently the members of the group are defending their country at the front. The representative of “Lauska” Juris Zalāns admitted: “For each of us, our families, friends, and the place where we live give us strength. And another of the greatest sources of strength is the culture that inspires and allows us to survive crises.”
Darja Leleko, who has been living in Sigulda with her two daughters since mid-March, but her husband is in Ukraine, defending her homeland against the invaders, has created a concert program where she shows the energy and strength of the people with Ukrainian songs. The Ukrainian is a singer, a musician who plays the Ukrainian national instrument bandura, an actress and a music teacher.
The concert was full of emotions, interwoven with sadness, hope, strength that Ukrainians possess. The special guest was the singer Imants Daksis, who opened the event with an emotional song. The bandurist herself did not tell much about herself, she put her story in songs and music. Their performance did not leave anyone indifferent, starting with the Ukrainian national anthem and ending with “Dark night, green grass” sung in Latvian, to which the audience quietly, emotionally and unitedly sang along. At the end of the concert, the audience stood up and applauded.
Concert visitor Sigita Klētniece said that she planned to attend the event as soon as she found out that it would take place: “I’m glad that there were really many listeners, unfortunately, sometimes excellent and high-quality events are rarely attended. The songs performed by the musician, her fantastic singing resonated a lot. But I was especially moved to tears by the Latvian performance of “Dark night, green grass”. And it was so special that the usually reserved Latvians quietly sang along, creating a special sound.”
Inese Roze also reveals that the song performed in Latvian made her cry: “And that’s how we all were next to each other – emotionally sensitive and moved. Just going to the concert ignited the emotions that were present at the rally in the city square a year ago.” I. Roze says that she has not been to concerts at the World Latvian Art Center until now, so she was pleasantly surprised that the space is so suitable for such events: “And I was also surprised by the guest artist, whose music was so much about today, about ourselves, that hit right in the heart. Also a revelation was the Ukrainian bandura playing, which was at such a high academic level. You could see how much the singer herself was addressed and moved by the lyrics and music. I wish Ukrainians strength from the bottom of my heart! Every thought we think, work we do, every event, every donation helps them. And it allows you to be an even better person and do even better.”
Along with the concert, the World Latvian Art Center also opened its 2023 exhibition season. Visitors could see the exhibition “Your Room”.
