LATVIA :For about a year, Andris Veismanis brings to light Ādolf Skulte’s majestically stormy poem “Jūrai” with Ziedonis Purva’s poetry, which was once carried by the Riga Chamber Choir “Ave Sol” to the vast distances behind the Iron Curtain. Reaffirming the effectiveness of the instrumental singing manner, the Riga Chamber Choir “Ave Sol” under the direction of Andras Veismanis is releasing a version of the poem “Jūrai”.
In February 2023, the Riga Chamber Choir “Ave Sol” under the leadership of conductor Andras Veismanis recorded rarely sung pearls of Latvian choral songs – three songs by Tālivalž Ķeniņas, poems by Jānis Kalniņš and Ādolf Skulte – for the archives of Latvian Radio. Normunds Slava took over the sound control console in these recordings.
In the chordal songs of Tālivalžs Kēniņas, written in three different periods, you can feel both the composer’s refined polyphonic writing and the warm and classical texture of the choir and the splendor of the harmonies. The newly recorded chord songs “Augstākā dētene” (1961) with the words of Ata Ķeniņas, “Saulīt’ vėlu vakarā” (1974) with folk words, as well as the motet “Alleluia”, composed in 1981, have reached the listeners.
Jānis Kalniņš’s emotionally patriotic song “First Night” (1947) with lyrics by Zinaidas Lazdas, composed for Teodora Reiter’s choir and premiered in Stockholm in 1948. The song features a wide range of the choir, in which the harmonious timbres of the choir’s voices can be clearly heard.
The theme of the sea in the choral work was especially close to Adolf Skulte, there are several songs in which it is noticeable: “Sea” for men’s choir, “Vētrainā jūrā”, “Pali”, “Ledus iet”. The poem “Jūrai”, composed in 1971 with the poetry of Ziedonis Purvas, is dedicated to the Riga Chamber Choir “Ave Sol” and the conductor Imantas Kokar. After a break of several decades, the choir sang it in a new interpretation.
The premiere of all five recordings took place on June 13 on Latvian Radio 3 “Klasika”, but from June 14, the recording of Ādolf Skulte’s poem “Jūrai” can be heard on the most popular streaming platforms – Spotify, Apple Music and many others.
