Unearthing The Music - User contributions [en]

György Galántai

2024-02-08T19:08:31Z

Diogooutra:

Still active today, György Galántai was a key figure in [[:Category:Hungary|Hungarian]] non-conformist art in the 1970s and 1980s, and the founder of the [[Artpool Art Research Center]]. As the organiser of thirty-five exhibitions in a disused chapel in Balatonboglár from 1970-73, Galántai created a gallery for the display of neo-avant-garde and conceptual art at a time when such practices were marginalised and even under prohibition in Hungary. Despite being compelled to shut down the gallery and becoming the subject of Secret Police attention, Galántai continued to create networks for intellectual exchange, not least in the form of mail art.

As an artist, Galántai has explored various practices from painting and sculpture to performance. His works from the 1970s explore the production of meaning in sign systems. Later in the decade, he practiced as a sculptor, working with iron after training as a welder at the Csepel steelworks. Both interests combine in the acoustic sculptures which he made in 1984-85. Galántai viewed them as an invitation for spontaneous and improvised performance.

In 1985, the Hungarian ‘shaman punk’ outfit, [[Vágtázó Halottkémek]] (Galloping Coroners) played Galántai’s sounding sculptures at the Petőfi concert hall, Budapest. In 1987 members of the [[180 CSOPORT|Group 180]] and [[New Music Studio]] performed with the sculptures at the concert held on Marcel Duchamp's 100th anniversary at the Eötvös Lóránd University, Budapest.

<embedvideo service="youtube">https://youtu.be/teKUL1EcaB4</embedvideo>

In the 1980s, Galántai’s activities combined the fluxus tradition of the multiple with the ‘local’ practice of samizdat (self-publishing) and the punk DIY ethos. [[Artpool Radio]], for instance, was a series of eight cassette tapes that Galántai initiated in 1983 and distributed abroad through his mail art networks. A mix of interviews and conversations as well as music and documentation of concerts, and sound art, Artpool Radio demonstrates the close connections between visual artists and musicians in Budapest at the time. The third Artpool Radio tape documents the telefonkoncert which Artpool co-organised with the Vienna-based BLIX group. Over four hours in April 1983, musicians in Budapest (including [[Európa Kiadó]], [[Trabant]] and [[A. E. Bizottság|Bizottság]]), Vienna and Berlin performed across a network formed by telephones. The fifth cassette is a compilation of excerpts of sound documents from the Hungarian counter culture and was made by Galántai in 1984 for the vernissage of "Hungary can be Yours", the last banned exhibition in Hungary before the transition in 1989.

== Related Links ==
[[Freedom is Mere Illusion – Experimental Music and Media Arts in Hungary]]

[[Hues of Independence]]

[[Glimpses from the history of the Eastern Bloc’s neo-avant-gardes: Katalin Ladik’s collage-portrait]]

[[Vágtázó Halottkémek]]

[http://unearthingthemusic.eu/material/artpool-radio/ Artpool Radio (@UMCSEET MUSIC)]

[[Category: Hungarian Profiles]]

Notchnoi Prospekt on “Look or Sight”

2024-02-08T19:06:27Z

Diogooutra:

<embedvideo service="youtube">https://youtu.be/vdHUBisoDVQ</embedvideo>

[[Notchnoi Prospekt]] appeared on “Look or Sight”, a very popular TV Show in the late 80's in the USSR. The occasion was the opening of a youth apartment cooperative called Atom, in the north east of Moscow – word has it that Michael Gorbachov was supposed to attend the occasion, though he was never seen.

Here Notchnoi Prospekt, which were formed by [[Alexei Borisov]] and [[Ivan Sokolovsky]] and by this time had alredy been joined by Sergei Pavlov and Dmitri Kutergin, perform two songs from their album “Acids”, which at the time was available on reel-to-reel tape and cassette.

[[Category: Russian Content]]

HUDBA 85: A snapshot of the Czechoslovak New Wave

2024-02-08T19:03:23Z

Diogooutra:

The film Hudba 85 (Music 85) captures the nascent post-punk and New Wave scene in former Czechoslovakia, which was targeted by state-sanctioned media and other actors of the regime (though the bands, in comparison to let's say the Plastic People of the Universe, were hovering on the margins of legality). Shot on 16mm film by friends and amateur filmmakeres Petr Ryba, Alexej Guha and Vladislav Burda, it is an experimental rockumentary presenting the ephemeral state of the scene as it was in 1985, through concert footage and music videos, presented by the aptly nerdy music critic Josef Vlček. Interspersed with abstract meanderings and a well-curated music selection (from reggae Babalet, all-female Dybbuk, or minimal synth band Máma Bubo, etc), Hudba 85 remains a timeless snapshot of the unofficial Czechoslovak music scene of the mid-80s. Here we talk to one of the original authors of the film, Alexej Guha. 

 

<embedvideo service="youtube">https://youtu.be/Byd1QWv6X_4</embedvideo>

Can you talk about what preceded the film Hudba 85? What had you been doing?

Alexej Guha (1957) – direction, production, editing / employed as assistant producer at Czechoslovak TV; Vladislav Burda (1956) part. director / employed as ceramist at national company Dílo; Petr Ryba (1960-2009) part. director, cameraman, editing / employed as janitor at Sady, lesy, zahradnictví hl.m.Prahy/Parks,Woods, Gardening of the Capital City of Prague (alongside other dissidents, though he wasn't a dissident himself). Between 1981-1984 short sketches together or alone; awarded silver for the film „Momentální indispozice Kristýny Bojarové při nedělním obědě v kruhu rodiny“ (The Momentary Indisposition of Kristýna Bojarová During Sunday Family Lunch) together with P. Ryba at the amateur film contest Brno Sixteen.

[[File:HUBDA 85 1.png|thumb]]
How would you describe the situation in the early 80s as well as the scene surrounding the bands that you portrayed in the film?

People interested in unofficial culture – literature, music, film, art – would meet at Prague's bars and wine cellars. These circles were not so large. People knew of each other, even those living outside the capital. We were connected with the dissent movement because our friend, the amateur cameraman and photographer, Michal Hýbek, was imprisoned for being involved with the magazine Vokno at the Bory prison where Václav Havel also served a sentence. Even the musicians banned from performing didn't want to just sit at home and, for instance, the Plastic People of the Universe's Mejla Hlavsa began to write songs for the band Garáž.

New Wave as a genre reached Czechoslovakia in the early 80s and several local bands adopted the style until the infamous newspaper article A new wave with an old content, a scathing denigration of the scene, appeared in 1983. From today's standpoint it can be seen as a rather absurd nomenclature critique. Was this article an impetus for the film? 

[[File:HUBDA 85 2.png|thumb]]
Everyone was rather amused by the article because it was a hodgepodge. It was obvious that it was written by somebody who didn't know the scene too well. Over the course of a few months the bands would change their name (Jasná páka = Hudba Praha; Tomahawk = Hudebně zábavná skupina O.Hejmy…etc) and found a different „grantor“. It meant that instead of Svaz zahrádkářů (The Association of Gardeners) you'd obtain the stamp of approval from another, similar organisation and make new recordings and continued. But to an extent, it could be said that the article had some sort of impact on the film itself because someone had noticed that everyone is back on stage and there were rumours there would be a second round of prohibition. The direct impetus then was that our friends from the band OZW were conscripted for a year and they played their last gig at Motorlet and weren't sure how things would be in a year's time, whether they'd be able to organize a public performance again. And we decided we should film XY and YX before the regime tries to destroy them.

How did you choose which bands to feature in the movie and what was the film's dramaturgy? Hudba 85 remains timeless also thanks to its experimental style, but formally it also precedes the popularity of music shows and rockumentaries. 

[[File:HUBDA 85 3.png|thumb]]
The choice of the bands was largely based on the programming of two Prague clubs: Opatov Club, booked by journalist Vojtěch Lindaur and Na Chmelnici Club, run by Luboš Schmidtmajer. We discussed our band selection with both of them and somehow divided the selected bands according to personal preferences during the actual filming.

Can you talk about the filming itself? The film combines footage from live gigs, music videos and short introductions by Josef Vlček. 

[[File:HUBDA 85 4.png|thumb]]
The filming was primarily influenced by then available technology. Mobile video recorders were unavailable in Czechoslovakia at the end of 1984. We shot on two 16mm cameras mostly on expired film material or I'd take film spools from Czechoslovak TV left over from TV reportages (Czechoslovak TV only shot outdoor reportages on 16mm film) that professionals refused to shoot on (when there was lacking information from the laboratory tests, etc). We developed the film under-the-table and paid for it with pottery (coffee and tea sets) made by V.Burda. The filming of the live rendition of a particular track was fairly straightforward: we were only able to insert around 30 metres of material into the cameras we had, which ended up being around 2.5 minutes, while a song would usually last for 3 minutes. Cameramen would agree that one of them would shoot choruses and the other verses, which didn't always work out. Certain parts of songs would be missing, and thus additional shooting became inevitable. Some music videos were intended as such from the beginning (eg Ryba's Máma Bubo). Josef Vlček's comments were set on the backdrop of a derelict building which was supposed to epitomize the state of socialism in our country. Josef had prepared poignant descriptions of the bands, but he'd left his notes at home, so he was sometimes only able to utter „let's have Garáž now“.

Do you have any memories from the filming that stand out?

[[File:HUBDA 85 5.png|thumb]]
For instance, when V. Burda had the idea that a person of colour must be dancing in the audience during reggae band Babalet's live show. He went to the student dorms at Strahov (Prague) and ended up convincing someone who ended up joining the band during their live shows as their singer for several years. The best time was after the film was finished and the bands would be coming to watch it in my Prague flat with their partners and friends one by one. We accepted sandwiches and alcohol in the kitchen and then locked them in the living room, secured the windows (there was a hospital across the road, and they would sometimes call the police on us), everyone lit their cigarettes and we listened from the kitchen how they were enjoying the film (there's a Break in the film so that we could get some air).

[[File:HUBDA 85 6.png|thumb]]
How do you reflect on the film in retrospect?

Looking back, I see it as a professionally rewarding period that happened outside of our day jobs and in collaboration with people we wanted to meet. While we were putting the finishing touches to the film, Perestroika happened and instead of prohibition, the Socialist Youth Association (SSM) took these bands under its wing and organised the first Rockfest at the Palace of Culture in Prague (where our film would be also shown) in 1986. V. Burda became a fulltime freelance ceramist. P. Ryba was briefly working as a cameraman after 1989, and then built exotic fishbowls (he died in 2009). I produced and directed several music shows until the mid-90s, and as of 1997, I've been working as executive producer of various Czech TV programmes (documentaries, features, music shows). I also direct video reels for exhibitions at the Popmuseum in Prague.

By Lucia Udvardyova, September 2017

[[Category:Czechoslovakian Content]]

Ziemia Mindel Würm

2024-02-08T18:51:35Z

Diogooutra:

[[File:Ziemia zamek001.png|thumb|Ziemia Mindel Würm, Naczynie transmutacji (The Vessel of Transmutation), Granary Island, Gdańsk, Poland, 1992. Courtesy of Marek Rogulski and Piotr Wyrzykowski]]

Ziemia Mindel Würm was a Polish band active between 1990 and 1992, mainly in Gdańsk.

[[File:Ziemia004.png|thumb|Ziemia Mindel Würm, ‘CH3NHCH2 – nieustające adrenalinospady’ (CH3NHCH2 – Constant Drips of Adrenalin), Granary Island, Gdańsk, 1990. Courtesy of Marek Rogulski and Piotr Wyrzykowski]]
''The highly ritualised and many hours-long actions of the duo formed by Marek Rogulski and Piotr Wyrzykowski were designed to be a liberation from civilising codes and habits. Combing the names of geological time periods (Mindel and Würm), the group’s name was supposed to evoke an archaic context. The duo searched for the hidden forces of the unconscious, channelling shamanistic rituals and the magical practices of primordial cultures, using their codes to challenge the urban reality of the early 1990s. Their music, played during the performances, being an amalgamation of industrial noise and primitivistic construction, reflected a calculated fusion of both elements. Ziemia Mindel Würm was active between 1990 and 1992, mainly in Gdańsk. Their actions often took place on the Granary Island with titles that were somehow connected to the primordial energetic levels of the human mind. Ziemia Mindel Würm also performed music which was later used in their performances. The instrumentation consisted of prepared guitars and drums (Rogulski) and a bass guitar (Wyrzykowski). Both musicians used electronic sound converters and modulators. Eventually the duo split, and its members formed new, separate groups: Rogulski formed Tysiąc Najjaśniejszych Słońc, and Wyrzykowski formed Venom Underground.''

Text previously published in: Notes from the Underground, ed. David Crowley and Daniel Muzyczuk, Muzeum Sztuki, Łódź, Walther Koenig, 2016.

== Video ==
<embedvideo service="youtube">https://youtu.be/U81xU8PdMAw</embedvideo>
Video recorded at the Oliwa forests, 1990

== Related Content ==
[http://unearthingthemusic.eu/material/ziemia-mindel-wurm/ Ziemia Mindel Würm @ UMCSEET Music]

[[Category: Polish Profiles]] [[Category: Video]]

Russian Rock Underground

2024-02-08T18:32:00Z

Diogooutra:

“Russian Rock Underground” is a 30min documentary directed by Peter Vronsky, shot in Moscow and St. Petersburg between January and February 1988.

Featuring bands like [[Aquarium]], [[Televizor]], [[Marquisa]], [[Auction]], [[Nebo i Zemlya]] and [[Zvuki Mu]], it shows some of the contradictions and conflicts still happening at the final stages of the “Perestroika”.

Thanks to Peter Vronsky for kindly allowing us to share the video, which has only survived in this four-part version.

<embedvideo service="youtube">https://youtu.be/CzBl0k4xa7Q</embedvideo>
<embedvideo service="youtube">https://youtu.be/rbCBNwQQTVU</embedvideo>
<embedvideo service="youtube">https://youtu.be/uniQsi8RrG4</embedvideo>
<embedvideo service="youtube">https://youtu.be/GcV3HDhBUDc</embedvideo>

[[Category:Russian Content]] [[Category: Video]]

Vladimír Lébl

2021-11-05T15:37:54Z

Diogooutra: Created page with "Vladimír Lébl. Photo sourced from Discogs Vladimír Lébl was a Czech musicologist (6 May 1928..."

[[File:A-495083-1450541773-4017.jpeg.jpg|thumb|Vladimír Lébl. Photo sourced from Discogs]]
Vladimír Lébl was a [[:Category: Czech Republic|Czech]] musicologist (6 May 1928 - 8 June 1987).

== Biography ==
In 1946, Lébl began studies at the Medical Faculty of Charles University in Prague. He played the piano in student bar groups and in the 1948/49 season he was a pianist in the Prague Theatre of Satire [Divadlo satiry]. In 1949, after six terms, he abandoned medicine and changed over to the Philosophical Faculty to study musicology and ethnography. He graduated in 1953 with a dissertation entitled Five Chapters about Leoš Janáček.

Lébl was involved in setting up the so-called Electronic Committee at the Union of Composers, which, in collaboration with the Pilsen Studio of Czechoslovak Radio and the Radio and Television Research Institute in Prague, acquired and provided the necessary technical equipment for the Experimental Studio of Czech Radio Pilsen (*1967). Together with [[Miloslav Kabeláč]] and [[Eduard Herzog]], Lébl organised national thematic conferences on New Music in 1964 and 1965 and an international seminar in 1967, with participation of Pierre Schaeffer and some of his colleagues. In 1965 the composers [[Rudolf Komorous]], [[Marek Kopelent]], [[Vladimír Šrámek]], [[Zbyněk Vostřák]] and the theoreticians Josef Bek and Eduard Herzog founded an association called the Prague New Music Group [Pražská skupina Nové hudby]; Lébl was their programme spokesman. He maintained lively contact with the Brno composers [[Miloš Štědroň]] and [[Alois Piňos|Alois Piňo]] and with the group that formed around them, and he became a close personal friend of the Brno composer [[Josef Berg]].

In 1957 the Soviet communist ideologues, soon followed by their Czechoslovak equivalents, decided to acknowledge the legitimacy of cybernetics as a scientific field and allow scientists on their side of the iron curtain to pursue the subject. The first enthusiastic laymen outside the mathematical world, including Lébl, saw in cybernetics the way to understand and formalise the activity of the human brain. They believed that knowledge of how thought-processes work would enable development of all intellectual functions further. Not just aesthetic creation, but the perception of that creation would be improved: communication between composer and listener would be brought to a new high point. Lébl was convinced (if only for a time) that it was just a matter of time before contemporary music would find its place alongside the contemporary literature, drama and film that was discovering a source of inspiration and new expressive possibilities in modern technology.

His first text on electronic music came out in the magazine Hudební rozhledy in 1958 in an obscure context. Unlike Literární noviny, where the editors were already clearly signalling a more liberal line, at Hudební rozhledy a hard line was maintained and the political leaders in every issue interpreted resolutions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia on the desirable direction to be taken by the arts. Even here, however, there were increasingly gleams of other themes. The leader in Number 11, in which support was expressed for the “struggle of the Chinese people with Chang Kai Chek”, was followed by Lébl’s text On the Music of the Future and the Future of Music. He posed the question of what music would be like in 300 years time, what contemporary technical composition techniques would be like and the direction that might be taken in the immediate future by electronic music, musique concréte and music for tape. The lengthy article was solidly based on several German works and was definitely not naive.

Lébl’s systematic interest in technical music then emerged in successive articles focusing on all kinds of aspects of the theme: the objective acoustic and compositional attributes of music created from technical sources, the way in which it was subjectively perceived, problems in its notation and the issue of whether it could be written down at all. In 1966 Lébl then tackled the historical aspect of the theme in a separate publication Elektronická hudba [Electronic Music] which offered the Czech reader an account of the short history of this kind of music and described the centres where it was cultivated. He went on to deal with more general questions: What is the relationship between the composer and interpreter of technical music? What exactly is a work, when its composition no longer has the basic features of pieces written in previous centuries? What new processes, customs and rituals has the New Music brought to concert life? In the collection Podoby [Forms] II, published by Václav Havel and comprising texts by authors from the Tvář magazine circle, Lébl contributed an article on this theme with the title Metamusic, which contained “partly real facts about the musical present, partly a hypothesis and partly a Utopia”, and reflected on the crossroads at which contemporary music had arrived. Another of Lébl’s articles, called On Boundary Kinds of Music from the collection Nové cesty hudby [New Paths for Music] (1970) was concerned with already existing forms created on the boundary between music and the word, music and fine art and music and theatre. (Source)

== Publications ==
(in Czech unless noted otherwise)
'''Books'''
* Elektronická hudba, Prague: Státní hudební vydavatelství, 1966.

'''Articles'''
* "Brno Experimenting", Hudební rozhledy 5, Prague, 1970.
* "Brno in Sixties", Opus musicum 6, Brno, 1990.
* "Czech Musica Nova: Historical Background and Sociology of the Phenomenon", Czech Music 2 (Apr 2005). 1983 lecture. (English)

==References==
# Jitka Ludvová, "Vladimír Lébl", Czech Music 2 (Apr 2005).

''Text adapted from Monoskop''

[[Category: Czech Profiles]]

Karel Odstrčil

2021-11-05T15:36:47Z

Diogooutra: Created page with "Karel Odstrčil. Photo sourced from musicbase.cz Karel Odstrčil (b. 1930 - d. 1997) was a Czech composer. ==Biogr..."

[[File:Odstrcil k.jpg|thumb|Karel Odstrčil. Photo sourced from musicbase.cz]]
Karel Odstrčil (b. 1930 - d. 1997) was a [[:Category: Czech Profiles|Czech]] composer.

==Biography==
Karel Odstrčil's road towards composing was not typical and he entered the musical career rather late, though he hailed from a region with rich folk music traditions (born 1930 in Valaske Mezirici) and a musically inclined family.

His studies began in Ostrava at the Mining College (1954), where he acquired a mining engineer degree. Then he worked as teacher of mining subjects at the industrial school in Pribram. During his student years in Ostrava he also studied music with experts such as Josef Kysela (piano), Jaroslav Gotthard and Rudolf Vasats (conducting) and Josef Schreiber (composition). He complemented his theoretical studies with a practical activity as the conductor of the Ostrava Student Ensemble.

A meeting with composer Klement Slavicky (with whom he had private lessons between 1957 and 1963) represented the decisive impetus for the development of his creative talent: Slavicky proved to be a good teacher and adviser and sent him on the road towards the first ripe creative results.

Karel Odstrčil's first compositions include the symphonic triptych "450 Fahrenheit" (awarded a diploma of honour in the Czech Music Fund competition for the 20th liberation anniversary) and a piano sonata - both of them performed for the first time in Prague at the beginning of 1964.

In 1967 he began to work at the newly-established Studio of Experimental Music of the Czechoslovak Radio in Plzen, where he was one of the founding members. He is one of the first pioneers of electronic music in [[:Category:Czechoslovakia|Czechoslovakia]]: a status demonstrated by the remarkable creative results of his special-purpose compositions (audiovisual programmes for exhibitions, museums, trade fairs, etc.) as well as autonomous ones. His most important composition of this kind is the "Wax Figures Cabinet" (1967-72) and in synthetic compositions, Integration (1972), a quadraphonic composition, combining the sounds of asymphony orchestra, mixed chorus and vocal solists with electroacoustic music. Besides electroacoustics, the author is also interested in experiments combining sound and light (through the use of a space-developed laser beam and a sound source) - in cooperation with the Brno Via Lucis group.

== Electroacoustic music ==
* Integration - quadrophonic musical programme for the Czechoslovak exhibition ot the Brno International Engineering Fair (1972) 30'
* Wax Figures Cabinet - cycle of compositions: Einstein, Sorge, Curie Kafka Gandhi, Amundsen, Hemingway, Louis (1967-72) 78'
* Fiction I (1970) 11'
* Fiction II (1974) 11'
* The Urban Tower four chime programmes (The Spring, The Summer, The Autumn, The Winter) to inougurate the tower clock in Kosice (1977), r (under preparation) 110'
* Ex Plzen - music for an exhibition of the same name in Plzen (1978, 1979, 1980) Maxwell (1978)
* Homo Sapicus - multivision music (1980) 30'

==References==
# http://www.musica.cz/comp/odstrcil.htm
# https://www.musicbase.cz/composers/699-odstrcil-karel/
# https://monoskop.org/Karel_Odstr%C4%8Dil

[[Category: Czech Profiles]]

Dyusha Romanov

2021-11-05T15:34:15Z

Diogooutra: Created page with "Dyusha Romanov. Photo sourced from the Russian language Wikipedia Dyusha Romanov (real name Andrei Igorevich Romanov; born July 28, 1956, Leningr..."

[[File:Dusha foto.jpg|thumb|Dyusha Romanov. Photo sourced from the Russian language Wikipedia]]
Dyusha Romanov (real name Andrei Igorevich Romanov; born July 28, 1956, Leningrad - died June 29, 2000, St. Petersburg) was a [[:Category: Soviet Union|Soviet]] and [[:Category: Russia|Russian]] rock musician, best known as a member of the rock group [[Aquarium]].

== Biography ==
Andrei Romanov studied in the same class as [[Alexander Lyapin]] and in the same school as [[Alexander Titov]], who later also played in Aquarium. From the age of 13 he participated in amateur rock groups together with A. Lyapin. Around 1968 he met [[Boris Grebenshchikov]].

In 1972 he founded his own group, Strange Growing Trees. From 1973 onwards he played keyboards in Aquarium and after a while, under the influence of his acquaintance with the American musician Richard Mayer, he began to play the flute. In the 70s, Dusha became interested in theater and, along with the rest of the group, participated in an amateur theater under the direction of Erik Goroshevsky, usually getting the main roles in performances, and almost left music. This activity ceased soon after the decision of the members of Aquarium to concentrate on music. He participated in the group as a flautist and backing vocalist, until its self-dissolution in 1991.

After the collapse of the first incarnation of Aquarium, Dyusha tried his hand at journalism, painting (together with Mitki), theater, and wrote music for several plays and films. He played in his own band "Shamrock" (which had began back in 1987 as his side project, where he played when not busy with Aquarium), and recorded ten albums. In addition, he released an album of electronic cover versions of Aquarium songs - "Virtual Defense" (1997). He was the author of the book “History of Aquarium. The Flutist's Book”, the first edition of which was published posthumously.

He died at the age of 44 on June 29, 2000 at 22 hours 40 minutes from acute coronary insufficiency during a concert with Nikolai Rubanov in the St. Petersburg club "Spartak". He was buried at the Volkovskoye cemetery.

In 2003, friends of his recorded a tribute album in his memory entitled “My friend is a musician. Songs for Dyusha”.

== Discography ==
'''Shamrock:'''
* Sailor silence, 1989
* Music of Middle-earth, 1991
* Acoustic maneuvers, 1996
* "Shamrock" LIVE 1995-1999

'''Salt:'''
* Film Music, 1990-1992 (published in 2002)
* Advanced Tales, 1997
* Virtual defense (Aquarium mix), 1997
* Music for exhibitions, 1998
* Winged Expressions (Pro Ear), 1999
* Electric siege (part 1, part 2), 1999

'''Tribute:'''
* 2003 - “My friend is a musician. Songs for Dyusha"

== Bibliography ==
* Romanov A. History of "Aquarium". The flutist's book. - M .: Amphora, 2006.

== Links (in Russian)==
* [http://rockarchive.ru/text/n-2/666/index.shtml Dyusha Romanov interview (1991)]

''Text adapted from the Russian language Wikipedia''
[[Category: Russian Profiles]]
[[Category: Soviet Profiles]]

Alexei Tegin

2021-11-05T15:32:51Z

Diogooutra: Created page with "Alexei Tegin. Photo sourced from Discogs Alexei Tegin is a Russian artist working in a number of medium..."

[[File:A-1644116-1457639656-1488.jpeg.jpg|thumb|Alexei Tegin. Photo sourced from Discogs]]
Alexei Tegin is a [[:Category: Russia|Russian]] artist working in a number of mediums, including music, photorealism and sculptures. He began performing with musical groups in 1983 and was one of the first in Russia to explore industrial music and its cross and sub-genres. Together with Vladimir Epifantsev, he established the legendary “Cardinal Art Factory” in Faleevsky lane.

He is a founding member and lead performer in the Russian band [[Phurpa]], dedicated to the ritual music of Bon, the oldest Buddhist tradition of Tibet. He also released a solo album titled "GYER" in 2002.

==References==
# [https://www.discogs.com/artist/1644116-Alexei-Tegin Discogs Profile]
# [https://iralupu.com/publications/alexey-tegin-of-phurpa/ Alexey Tegin: “In Fact, I’m Dead”]
# [https://www.last.fm/music/Alexey+Tegin/+wiki Last.fm Profile]

<youtube> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-sYzKFe74Y </youtube>

[[Category: Russian Profiles]]

Inokentijs Mārpls

2021-11-05T15:30:59Z

Diogooutra:

[[File:Inma2.jpg|thumb|Inokentijs Mārpls]]
Inokentijs Mārpls is a rock band founded in 1985 in Riga, [[:Category: Latvia|Latvian]] Soviet Socialist Republic. Originally known as Aklā Zarna, it was renamed Inokentijs Mārpls in 1987. Their music can be described as punk rock, heavy punk rock and ska. Inokentijs Mārpls’ lead singer and guitarist [[Raimonds Lagimovs]], nicknamed Dambis, has long been renowned as the driving force behind Latvian underground music. He has organised numerous important DIY music events and released many underground records.

==Biography==
Inokentijs Mārpls is not only one of Latvia’s most famous bands, but was arguably the pioneer of heavy punk rock in the USSR. The band has performed at many underground festivals not only in Latvia, but also abroad, including in [[:Category: Lithuania|Lithuania]], [[:Category: Estonia|Estonia]], Holland, [[:Category:Hungary|Hungary]] and [[:Category:Russia|Russia]]. The band's modern sound is punk rock, rock'n'roll, reggae, new wave, rock music, heavy punk rock and jazz, etc.

Around 1984, Dambis and his childhood and school mate Māris Šverns bought an acoustic guitar and recorded their first songs, Pasaciņa and Meklē mani peklē. Performing under the name Aklā Zarna, around 1986 they started playing at concerts and festivals (at Polygraphs Club and Riga 7th Secondary School). Soon after Didzis Erra joined the band as its bass player. Māris Šverns and Dambis sang and played guitar. The name Inokentijs Mārpls dates back to the spring of 1987. That same year, Māris Šverns lost his finger and has not performed with the band since. Despite this personal setback, Šverns went on to establish a successful musical career of his own. Some of his songs were recorded at Dambis’s house and later on he established his own band, [[Baložu Pilni Pagalmi]].

In 1988, the band recorded their song Mēs esam suņi and performed at the Purvinoji Žiema festival in Kaunas, Lithuania. The following year they played at the Vilnius Underground festival in Vilnius, Lithuania and at Durvis 89 in Latvia. That same year, the band was invited to Ostankino Television, Moscow, Russia to record a video for Satan’s Circle. The main theme of the video was about rock bands and the Riga Rock Club, but unfortunately, the video proved to be a failure. The show was censored and not broadcast, citing Nazi and pornographic propaganda.

In the late 1980s, Dambis launched a parallel musical project [[Amorālā Psihoze]]. Its musical offering is eclectic including jazz, psychedelia, new wave, alternative rock, experimental and avant-garde. During the first part of the following decade, Inokentijs Mārpls recorded two unofficial albums known as Dambja Izlase 1987—1990 and Hubb (1992). Samples of these passed from hand to hand, with one being rewritten from the other.

[[File:A3401833314 16.jpg|thumb|Logo for Bitīt Matos]]
Throughout the 1990s, Inokentijs Mārpls continued to perform at the Riga Rock Club until its eventual closure. In 1991 the band performed at a concert at the Riga Secondary School No.93 and recorded the song Deģenerātu Zeme. In 1992, the band played at the Otrdienas Manevri festival, where the song Good Night was recorded. In 1993, the band’s iconic song America, Fuck Off, was released in the compilation albums LatvijasPunk/HC Izlase and Odekolns Izlase. In 1995 Dambis and Jānis Daugavietis launched the radio show Bitīt Matos, a show dedicated to Latvian non-commercial music, where they were later joined by bass player Didzis Erra. In 1999 Inokentijs Mārpls performed at the alternative rock festival Mirušais Laikmets in Riga and recorded some new songs, but unfortunately no recording of the concert has been released. The year 2000 began with the release of Inokentijs Mārpls’ official debut album Spēks no Tētiem, recorded in 1999 and released 13 years after the band’s first concert. The album includes fourteen songs. It is distinctly eclectic, difficult to perform in concerts, featuring reggae, folk rock, punk rock, hard punk, avant-garde and other genres and musical directions. In 2003, the record company Strongly Opposed Records released the album in the format of a long-playing record in Switzerland.

The song Pilsēta was included in the 2000 Latvian independent music promo compilation Starteris I and the song Jā, jā, jā! was included in the 2002 compilation album Starteris II. In 2000, in a concert at the Dome Square, the band played and recorded the song Asins Līst. The same year the band performed at the Trincstoka festival, where the song Lelles was recorded. The group also played at Tabūns non-commercial music festivals in Kuldiga. The band’s songs Revolucionārs and Hei, miskaste! are included in the compilation Tabūns. In 2001, the group performed and recorded the song Revolucionārs at the Hanazas Dienas contemporary folk music festival.

[[File:1 (1).jpg|thumb|Inokentijs Mārpls live]]
In early 2002, Inokentijs Mārpls recorded six exclusive songs, which they released on its second official album Bitīt Matos (Ezītis Sper Soli). Several songs became instant hits including Māte Terorists. Around 400 copies of the album were produced and not surprisingly, it quickly sold out. In 2003, the band’s song Sistēma Darbojas was included in Latvijas Punk/ HS Izlase Nr. 2. In 2004, the band went to a concert in St. Petersburg, Russia, where they recorded the song Ļubovnij Rokenrol. In 2005, the group performed at the Sutas Balss festival, where a video recording was made. Later in the same year, the band gave a concert and recorded a new song Es gribu vairāk, which were broadcast on the LTV1 show Siena šķūnis. ´

On April 27, 2007, Inokentijs Mārpls’ third official album Ķeras Pie Sirds was released. The album material was recorded at various studios, but was published by Gauja Records. The band celebrated its 20th anniversary with the release of the album. The new album includes fifteen songs composed between 2000 and 2006. The album also includes two cover versions including Ciku caku caurā tumba, originally recorded by Hardijs Lediņš' band [[NSRD]]. These cover versions reflect the band’s desire to revive the best songs of groups of the past. The most famous songs from the album are Eu, priekšniek!, Māt, es gribu būt nevainīgs and Motociklists. The album book is glued to the cover, not letting it disappear over time. The album design was created by Dambis in collaboration with Silvestrs Ūsiņš. Kaspars Bindemanis (keys), Nils Īle (percussion), Anastasija Zvirbule (violin) and many other artists associated with the band in previous years took part in recording the album. Currently, the group consists of Dambis (voice, guitar), Renarts Braufmanis (bass guitar) and Ēriks Lizbovskis (drums).

In 2007, the album Ķeras Pie Sirds was nominated as the Best Rock Album in the Latvian Music Record of the Year Award. However, the award went to the band Dzelzs Vilks with the album Sārtā Rītausma. In recent years Inokentijs Mārpls has performed at various festivals and concerts and is one of the few remaining punk rock bands in Latvia.

[[File:InokentijsMarpls.jpg|thumb|Inokentijs Mārpls live]]
== Band members ==
* Raimonds Lagimovs / Dambis (voice, guitar)
* Ēriks Lizbovskis (drums)

=== Original line-up ===
* Raimonds Lagimovs (voice, guitar)
* Māris Šverns (voice, guitar)
* Didzis Erra (bass guitar)

=== Former band members and guest artists ===
* Ivo Stankēvičs (died, February, 2021)
* Kaspars Bindemanis
* Kaspars Putriņš
* Renarts Braufmanis
* Māris Čistovs
* Artis Ozols
* Nils Īle
* Māris Šverns
* Didzis Erra
* Uģis Vītiņš
* Ivars Talacis
* Mārtiņš Lablaiks
* Indriķis Veitners
* Anastasija Zvirbule
* Agris Rostoks
* Edijs Galzons

== Albums ==
* 2000 - Spēks no Tētiem, CDr, HUBB
* 2002 - Bitīt Matos, 7 EP, Ezis Sper Soli
* 2003 - Spēks no Tētiem, LP, Strongly Opposed Records

[[File:A1496040174 10.jpg|thumb|Cover of Keras Pie Sirds]]
=== Compilation albums ===
* 1991 - Dambja Izlase 1987-1990, independently recorded, home studio
* 1992 - Hubb, Independently recorded, home studio
* 2007 - Ķeras Pie Sirds, CD, Gauja Records

== External links ==
* https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inokentijs_M%C4%81rpls
* https://inokentijsmarpls.bandcamp.com/album/muris-un-sirpis
* http://www.tornis.lv/inokentijsmarpls/
* https://www.alternative.lv/zinas/inokentijs-marpls-30-gadu-jubileja-un-albuma-raudzibas-1804/

<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEnMNlCbPHc&list=RDEM96WOzINGqLEK0Siq7v6SBA&start_radio=1</youtube>

[[Category: Latvian Profiles]]

File:1 (1).jpg

2021-11-05T15:30:56Z

Diogooutra:

Inokentijs Mārpls live

File:InokentijsMarpls.jpg

2021-11-05T15:30:31Z

Diogooutra:

Inokentijs Mārpls live

File:A1496040174 10.jpg

2021-11-05T15:30:02Z

Diogooutra:

Cover of Keras Pie Sirds

File:A3401833314 16.jpg

2021-11-05T15:29:10Z

Diogooutra:

Logo for Bitīt Matos

File:Inma2.jpg

2021-11-05T15:28:07Z

Diogooutra:

Inokentijs Mārpls

2021-11-05T15:22:34Z

Diogooutra: Created page with "Inokentijs Mārpls is a rock band founded in 1985 in Riga, Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic. Originally known as Aklā Zarna, it was renamed Inokentijs..."

Inokentijs Mārpls is a rock band founded in 1985 in Riga, [[:Category: Latvia|Latvian]] Soviet Socialist Republic. Originally known as Aklā Zarna, it was renamed Inokentijs Mārpls in 1987. Their music can be described as punk rock, heavy punk rock and ska. Inokentijs Mārpls’ lead singer and guitarist [[Raimonds Lagimovs]], nicknamed Dambis, has long been renowned as the driving force behind Latvian underground music. He has organised numerous important DIY music events and released many underground records.

==Biography==
Inokentijs Mārpls is not only one of Latvia’s most famous bands, but was arguably the pioneer of heavy punk rock in the USSR. The band has performed at many underground festivals not only in Latvia, but also abroad, including in [[:Category: Lithuania|Lithuania]], [[:Category: Estonia|Estonia]], Holland, [[:Category:Hungary|Hungary]] and [[:Category:Russia|Russia]]. The band's modern sound is punk rock, rock'n'roll, reggae, new wave, rock music, heavy punk rock and jazz, etc.

Around 1984, Dambis and his childhood and school mate Māris Šverns bought an acoustic guitar and recorded their first songs, Pasaciņa and Meklē mani peklē. Performing under the name Aklā Zarna, around 1986 they started playing at concerts and festivals (at Polygraphs Club and Riga 7th Secondary School). Soon after Didzis Erra joined the band as its bass player. Māris Šverns and Dambis sang and played guitar. The name Inokentijs Mārpls dates back to the spring of 1987. That same year, Māris Šverns lost his finger and has not performed with the band since. Despite this personal setback, Šverns went on to establish a successful musical career of his own. Some of his songs were recorded at Dambis’s house and later on he established his own band, [[Baložu Pilni Pagalmi]].

In 1988, the band recorded their song Mēs esam suņi and performed at the Purvinoji Žiema festival in Kaunas, Lithuania. The following year they played at the Vilnius Underground festival in Vilnius, Lithuania and at Durvis 89 in Latvia. That same year, the band was invited to Ostankino Television, Moscow, Russia to record a video for Satan’s Circle. The main theme of the video was about rock bands and the Riga Rock Club, but unfortunately, the video proved to be a failure. The show was censored and not broadcast, citing Nazi and pornographic propaganda.

In the late 1980s, Dambis launched a parallel musical project [[Amorālā Psihoze]]. Its musical offering is eclectic including jazz, psychedelia, new wave, alternative rock, experimental and avant-garde. During the first part of the following decade, Inokentijs Mārpls recorded two unofficial albums known as Dambja Izlase 1987—1990 and Hubb (1992). Samples of these passed from hand to hand, with one being rewritten from the other.

Throughout the 1990s, Inokentijs Mārpls continued to perform at the Riga Rock Club until its eventual closure. In 1991 the band performed at a concert at the Riga Secondary School No.93 and recorded the song Deģenerātu Zeme. In 1992, the band played at the Otrdienas Manevri festival, where the song Good Night was recorded. In 1993, the band’s iconic song America, Fuck Off, was released in the compilation albums LatvijasPunk/HC Izlase and Odekolns Izlase. In 1995 Dambis and Jānis Daugavietis launched the radio show Bitīt Matos, a show dedicated to Latvian non-commercial music, where they were later joined by bass player Didzis Erra. In 1999 Inokentijs Mārpls performed at the alternative rock festival Mirušais Laikmets in Riga and recorded some new songs, but unfortunately no recording of the concert has been released. The year 2000 began with the release of Inokentijs Mārpls’ official debut album Spēks no Tētiem, recorded in 1999 and released 13 years after the band’s first concert. The album includes fourteen songs. It is distinctly eclectic, difficult to perform in concerts, featuring reggae, folk rock, punk rock, hard punk, avant-garde and other genres and musical directions. In 2003, the record company Strongly Opposed Records released the album in the format of a long-playing record in Switzerland.

The song Pilsēta was included in the 2000 Latvian independent music promo compilation Starteris I and the song Jā, jā, jā! was included in the 2002 compilation album Starteris II. In 2000, in a concert at the Dome Square, the band played and recorded the song Asins Līst. The same year the band performed at the Trincstoka festival, where the song Lelles was recorded. The group also played at Tabūns non-commercial music festivals in Kuldiga. The band’s songs Revolucionārs and Hei, miskaste! are included in the compilation Tabūns. In 2001, the group performed and recorded the song Revolucionārs at the Hanazas Dienas contemporary folk music festival.

In early 2002, Inokentijs Mārpls recorded six exclusive songs, which they released on its second official album Bitīt Matos (Ezītis Sper Soli). Several songs became instant hits including Māte Terorists. Around 400 copies of the album were produced and not surprisingly, it quickly sold out. In 2003, the band’s song Sistēma Darbojas was included in Latvijas Punk/ HS Izlase Nr. 2. In 2004, the band went to a concert in St. Petersburg, Russia, where they recorded the song Ļubovnij Rokenrol. In 2005, the group performed at the Sutas Balss festival, where a video recording was made. Later in the same year, the band gave a concert and recorded a new song Es gribu vairāk, which were broadcast on the LTV1 show Siena šķūnis. ´

On April 27, 2007, Inokentijs Mārpls’ third official album Ķeras Pie Sirds was released. The album material was recorded at various studios, but was published by Gauja Records. The band celebrated its 20th anniversary with the release of the album. The new album includes fifteen songs composed between 2000 and 2006. The album also includes two cover versions including Ciku caku caurā tumba, originally recorded by Hardijs Lediņš' band [[NSRD]]. These cover versions reflect the band’s desire to revive the best songs of groups of the past. The most famous songs from the album are Eu, priekšniek!, Māt, es gribu būt nevainīgs and Motociklists. The album book is glued to the cover, not letting it disappear over time. The album design was created by Dambis in collaboration with Silvestrs Ūsiņš. Kaspars Bindemanis (keys), Nils Īle (percussion), Anastasija Zvirbule (violin) and many other artists associated with the band in previous years took part in recording the album. Currently, the group consists of Dambis (voice, guitar), Renarts Braufmanis (bass guitar) and Ēriks Lizbovskis (drums).

In 2007, the album Ķeras Pie Sirds was nominated as the Best Rock Album in the Latvian Music Record of the Year Award. However, the award went to the band Dzelzs Vilks with the album Sārtā Rītausma. In recent years Inokentijs Mārpls has performed at various festivals and concerts and is one of the few remaining punk rock bands in Latvia.

== Band members ==
* Raimonds Lagimovs / Dambis (voice, guitar)
* Ēriks Lizbovskis (drums)

=== Original line-up ===
* Raimonds Lagimovs (voice, guitar)
* Māris Šverns (voice, guitar)
* Didzis Erra (bass guitar)

=== Former band members and guest artists ===
* Ivo Stankēvičs (died, February, 2021)
* Kaspars Bindemanis
* Kaspars Putriņš
* Renarts Braufmanis
* Māris Čistovs
* Artis Ozols
* Nils Īle
* Māris Šverns
* Didzis Erra
* Uģis Vītiņš
* Ivars Talacis
* Mārtiņš Lablaiks
* Indriķis Veitners
* Anastasija Zvirbule
* Agris Rostoks
* Edijs Galzons

== Albums ==
* 2000 - Spēks no Tētiem, CDr, HUBB
* 2002 - Bitīt Matos, 7 EP, Ezis Sper Soli
* 2003 - Spēks no Tētiem, LP, Strongly Opposed Records

=== Compilation albums ===
* 1991 - Dambja Izlase 1987-1990, independently recorded, home studio
* 1992 - Hubb, Independently recorded, home studio
* 2007 - Ķeras Pie Sirds, CD, Gauja Records

== External links ==
* https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inokentijs_M%C4%81rpls
* https://inokentijsmarpls.bandcamp.com/album/muris-un-sirpis
* http://www.tornis.lv/inokentijsmarpls/
* https://www.alternative.lv/zinas/inokentijs-marpls-30-gadu-jubileja-un-albuma-raudzibas-1804/

<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEnMNlCbPHc&list=RDEM96WOzINGqLEK0Siq7v6SBA&start_radio=1</youtube>

[[Category: Latvian Profiles]]

Boris Lyatoshinsky

2021-10-20T16:31:24Z

Diogooutra: Created page with "Boris Lyatoshinsky. Boris Mykolayovych Lyatoshinsky or Lyatoshynsky (Ukrainian: Бори́с Миколáйович Лятоши́нський,..."

[[File:Liatoshinsky.jpg|thumb|Boris Lyatoshinsky.]]
Boris Mykolayovych Lyatoshinsky or Lyatoshynsky (Ukrainian: Бори́с Миколáйович Лятоши́нський, Borys Mykolayovych Lyatoshyns′kyi; January 3, 1895 – April 15, 1968) was a [[:Category:Ukraine|Ukrainian]] composer, conductor, and teacher. A leading member of the new generation of twentieth-century Ukrainian composers, he was awarded a number of accolades, including the honorary title of People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR and two Stalin State Prizes.

== Biography ==
[[File:Lyatoshynskiy borys 2008 zhytomyr.jpg|thumb|Monument to Lyatoshynksy in Zhytomyr. Photo by Wikipedia user Texnik]]
Boris Lyatoshinsky was born on January 3, 1895 in Zhytomyr, Ukraine (then part of the Russian Empire), a town well known for its cultural life. Lyatoshinsky's parents were musically inclined and well-educated. His father, Mykola Leontiyovych Lyatoshynsky, was a history teacher and active in historical studies. He was also the director of various gymnasiums in Zhytomyr, Nemyriv, and Zlatopol. Lyatoshynsky's mother played the piano and sang.

Lyatoshinsky started playing piano and violin at 14, and began writing soon after, composing a mazurka, waltz, and quartet for piano. He attended the Zhytomyr Gymnasium, from where he graduated in 1913. After graduating, he studied at Kiev University and later at the newly established Kiev Conservatory where he studied composition with Reinhold Glière in 1914. Lyatoshynsky graduated from Kiev University in 1918 and from the Kiev Conservatory in 1919. During this time, he composed his String Quartet No. 1, Op. 1, and Symphony No. 1, Op. 2. Symphony No.1 (1918) was his graduation composition, and it showed him influenced by the music of Wagner and atonality. It was performed and conducted in 1919 by Reinhold Glière who recalled (writing at the time of Lyatoshinsky's 60th birthday): ‘I was glad to notice the relation of his first String Quartet to the traditions of Russian musical classics. Such quality revealed itself even more in his First Symphony, which was the final course work of the composer.’ In his opinion, Lyatoshinsky was a gifted student and worked very hard on developing various compositional techniques. Further musical pieces by the composer were described by Glière as ‘intensive searches’ of individuality. Lyatoshinsky is influenced by the symbolism and expressionism: this can be traced to his choice of poetic texts which he sets to Romances; the treatment of the melody, choice of the instruments; harmonic manipulations, such as unclear tonality, dissonant chords and the complex parallel chord structures.

During this early period of the composer's development, he drew some inspiration from musical works by Tchaikovsky, Glazunov, and [[Alexander Scriabin|Scriabin]]. Many young composers, like Lyatoshinsky, who were living in various parts of the Russian Empire during the early years of the twentieth century, regarded Alexander Scriabin's (1872- 1915) experiments as a triumphant turning point in music. Taking his initial inspiration from some techniques used by Skriabin, the young Ukrainian avant-garde took tonality to its limits and beyond. In his ‘Piano Trio No.1 (1920), Lyatoshinsky demonstrates a debt to Scriabin, still searching for new musical methods and pushing boundaries of harmonic language.

At the age of 25 (1922), Lyatoshinsky, by then professor and lecturer in the Kiev Music Conservatoire, pioneered the development of Associazia Suchasnoi Musiki (The Society of Contemporary Music). (Similar establishments were organised throughout the Soviet Union.) From 1922, he taught composition. It appears that Lyatoshinsky, despite receiving a conservative musical education, was determined to raise the standards of contemporary composition; he was not only making innovative changes regarding his own music but also leading other young contemporary composers, helping them to establish new methods of writing.

Modernism did not exist as a musical discourse in Ukraine; rather, it was reflected in the works of B. Yanovsky, F. Yakimenko, M. Verikivsky, and L. Revuzky. Their musical works show influences of impressionism, expressionism, neoclassicism, and constructivism. However, it was Lyatoshinsky who captured the radical ways of modernism in his compositions, focusing on the decadent moods of morbid pessimism and motivic transformation.

From 1922 to 1925 he was director of the Association of Modern Music in the name of Mykola Leontovych. These were, arguably, the happiest years of the composer's life, where he could express himself freely and was able to work creatively with fellow composers without any intervention from the authorities. He was working feverishly, writing music for the voice, violin and the piano. Lyatoshinsky composed Suites, Ballades and numerous songs (some of them even set to the lyrics of the Chinese ancient poets). His cycle of seven pieces for the piano Vidobragennia (Reflections, written in 1925) remains one of his most celebrated musical works. His music shows increasing decadent melancholic moods and pessimism.

Lyatoshinsky carried on experimenting with various music materials. During the 1920s he created 24 Romances (written between 1922- 1924 and based on texts by poets-symbolists), Sonata for the violin and fortepiano, and Third Quartet. His opera Zolotui Obruch (The Golden Hoop) based on the novel of the Ukrainian writer I. Franko, describes the struggle of the Ukrainians against the Mongol invaders in the thirteenth century. The opera was performed in the various theatres in Ukraine, even though it was not staged for very long. (Lyatoshinsky's second Opera, Shchors, based on the story of the Commander Nikolai Shchors, was finished in the 1930s.)

Lyatoshinsky's two Piano Sonatas and Sonata for the violin and the piano appear between 1924 and 1926. The Piano Sonata No.1 was his first printed work, published in Moscow, in 1926. This work was unusual for its time. It displays the fine skill of a piano player and a composer who is not afraid of experimenting. Thus, Lyatoshinsky changes the structure of the traditional Sonata piece, creating only one movement and uses challenging rhythmic combinations. The Sonata No2 (1925), dedicated to Miaskovsky, displays the composer's technique which includes the use of the romantic shapes and a strongly defined thematicism. Some of the melodic ideas presented by the composer are supported by a growling accompaniment, the two often functioning in cross-rhythm.

The start of 1926 was a turning point for Lyatoshinsky's art; afterwards it would never be quite the same again. By this time, folk music was firmly integrated into the ‘map’ of future cultural policies, providing perfect grounds for the development of Nationalism. Thus, Lyatoshinsky composed an Overture based on Four Ukrainian Folk Songs, which used complicated arrangements of folk themes. It seems Lyatoshinsky's music was destined to follow the familiar track taken by his fellow composers. However, he carried on writing music in his preferred style, changing it and fusing with folk themes in order to fit in with the demands of the Soviet authorities.

In 1929, Lyatoshinsky composed the Ballade for piano, similar in style to his previous Sonatas. Triplets and quintuplets appear super-imposed while Lyatoshinsky manipulates, transforms and imitates motivic wave deformations heard in the bass accompaniment. These compositional methods of writing reveal defining aspects of his 1920s style and his further development.

Amongst other works composed in the 1930s are the Second Piano Trio and many arrangements of Ukrainian songs. Following the commission from the officials of the Odessa's Opera and Ballet theatre, Lyatoshinsky made the trip to Tajikistan in order to study folk music and compose a ballet about the life of local people. As a result, Lyatoshinsky composed Three Musical Pieces for the violin and the piano based on the folk music of Tajikistan (a region which was very little known or even unheard of before Stalin's nationalism idea). Amongst Lyatoshinsky's compositions is an arrangement of a Jewish folk song ‘Genzelex’ (Little Geese). In it, he preserved an original melody and decorated it harmonically, using F major and d minor tonalities and added complex chords within the harmony. (This composition remained in the archives of the composer until it was re-discovered in 2000.)

From 1935 to 1938 and from 1941 to 1944 Lyatoshinsky taught concurrently at the Moscow Conservatory. Lyatoshinsky wrote his Second Symphony in B flat (1936) in his favourite modernistic style, obviously knowing that this was not quite what was expected of him. He 'painted' disturbing images of the dark reality of Soviet life, often by means of atonality. Written in the conventional three- movement form, the symphony is full of contrasting moods and severely dramatic conflicts. Lyatoshinsky, indeed, had taken a huge risk. His Symphony was finished at the time when [[Dmitri Shostakovich|Dmitry Shostakovich]] and other composers were singled out for political attack during the so-called Musical Conference, which in real life amounted to political hearings.

The planned premiere of Lyatoshinsky's Symphony (in February 1937) did not take place. It is not entirely clear why this particular performance of Symphony No 2 was delayed until 1941. It can be only suggested that he experienced some difficulties and it was not possible for him to achieve this sooner. His non-performed Symphony was already gathering some negative comments in the local press (as well as Shostakovich's Fourth) regarding its unnecessary complexity and the absence of positive images of Soviet life.

At the orchestral rehearsals, Lyatoshinsky noted that ‘members of the orchestra were divided’; some praised his works and others criticised it. Some musicians ‘were incredibly insolent’, saying that “it was no music at all”, “it is rubbish” and “definite 100% formalism”. Lyatoshinsky replied that he was surprised at such a reception and could not believe that ‘musicians from Moscow could allow such a rude unethical attack’ towards him. He admitted that it was understandable that there would be different opinions about his composition, but it was not a work of a formalist. ‘I have written it sincerely’, carried on Lyatoshinsky, ‘using my own characteristic musical language’. After his speech, the orchestra musicians ‘were shouting so much as if someone was physically attacked’ and ‘emotions were high’. It was unfortunate for Lyatoshinsky that a representative from the newspaper Musica, D. Zhitomirsky was also present at the above rehearsal. Five days later he wrote a very critical article in Sovetskaya Musica. Lyatoshinsky recalled that he had ‘never heard such destructive criticism’ in all his life.

In 1948 Lyatoshinsky came to the National Conference of the Composers in Moscow (19 April) even though he was already excluded from the Composers’ Union of USSR. As he mentioned in his letter, ‘I will be a participant of this [forthcoming] Conference, not a composer. My 3rd Symphony cannot be performed yet while my ‘old’ works remain, are disregarded by everyone and they are banned from performances. In May 1948 he responded to a letter from Gliére, ‘I feel much the same - very bad; as the result of the previous events, I have completely “disappeared” from all concerts and Radio programs. If I was to say it in one word, for now, I am dead as a composer [!], and when my resurrection will take place, I don’t know.’ This letter was written after Lyatoshinsky received another ‘dose’ of severe criticism of his Symphony No.2. This work was dismissed and performances forbidden; Lyatoshinsky was labelled as a ‘formalist’ and his music as ‘contrary to the people’.

During the Second World War, Lyatoshinsky created some chamber works: ‘beautiful compositions’ (as observed by Glière) such as Ukrainian Quintet (for the piano, violin, viola and cello), Shevchenko's Suite for the piano (dedicated to legendary long-suffering Ukrainian poet), Ukrainian Quintet Fourth String Quartet (based on the Ukrainian themes), Suite for the Quartet, Second Trio for the piano and many solo and choir arrangements. Remarkably, Lyatoshinsky chooses themes for his compositions based on the songs with a melancholic character, such as Pechal za Pechaliu (The Sadness is following Sorrow). During these years, Lyatoshinsky carried on his work as an academic and a composer.

Between 1941 and 1943 many faculties of the Moscow Conservatoire, including the music department, were relocated to Saratov, a town near the Russian river Volga. Lyatoshinsky was expected to work not only as a composer but as a public figure. During this time, Lyatoshinsky established contacts and worked collaboratively with the administrators of the local Concert Hall and Radio Committee; he took charge and led operations to save and transport Ukrainian musical manuscripts to the areas of non-conflict. At this time Lyatoshinsky approached the transitional moment in his music, achieving the necessary compromise between pessimistic decadence and revitalisation. It is characterised by the demands of the renewal in the face of anxiety and despair, reviving a vital driving force by means of modernistic fusion of atonality with the motivic realisation of folk song, encapsulated in the polyphonic writing.

In 1946, Lytoshinsky's Ukrainian Quintet was honoured with the Stalin prize (in 1952 he received another Stalin prize, this time for the music in film about a Ukrainian national poet and a revolutionary hero Taras Shevchenko).

In 1951, the composer re-discovered his energy despite previous setbacks and carried on writing his Third Symphony which developed themes of heroic struggles placed against pessimistic dejection, which were interpreted by his contemporaries as epic philosophical themes of war and peace. Lyatoshinsky presented himself as a demonstrative traditionalist, master of symphonic writing and the tradition of thematic development. At the same time, he considered structural and expressive forms of decay, deformation, mannerism, nihilism, sickness and convalescence. The Symphony establishes the connections with Lyatoshinsky's keen interest in stylistic hybridity expressed through the use of the classical form, motivic development, atonality and primitivism of folk song.

Lyatoshinsky was actively seeking and arranging performances of his Symphonies. His Fourth Symphony (in B minor) was performed shortly after the composer had written it (in October 1963 he was still finishing the orchestration for this work and in February of the same year it was performed in the Moscow Conservatoire.). One more performance was planned for the Congress of the Composers of the Ukraine, in March 1963 and another one in February 1966, this time for the Congress of the composers of Russia. In his letter to A. Dmitriev, he admits that the Fourth Symphony contains ‘autobiographical features’ and is ‘very precious’ to him. ‘The ring of the bells that you hear’, he writes, ‘reflects the passing of time, memories of the past centuries; centuries, covered... with the dust of eternity and the ring of the bells.’

After the death of Stalin, Lyatohinsky was at least was free to speak his own symphonic mind, making free use of motivic development, dissonances and atonal language. In his next and last Fifth (Slavonic) Symphony (in C major), the composer included the Russian folk song as the main theme and a song from [[:Category:Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] as a secondary theme. Lyatoshinsky carried on using folk material in his music, widening his repertoire of folk themes and making references to republics of the Soviet Union, such as Russia, and Slavic countries such as Poland, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Slovakia.

During the 1960s, Lyatoshinsky was accepted as a member of the Composers’ Union of the USSR. Amongst other privileges he enjoyed there were ‘cultural’ trips abroad, where he met other fellow composers and discussed his works. Such tours, completed with cultural programmes of performances and composers’ meetings were assuming a function (particularly during the Cold War period) as advertisements for and ambassadors of both national pride and communism to the non-communist world. Some of these outings were recorded in Lyatoshinsky's letters. He writes about visiting England for two weeks as a return favour after two British composers (he does not specify who they were) stayed in Moscow six months earlier.

Lyatoshinsky's cultural trips continued, with visits to Austria and Switzerland; his wife accompanied him. This was an opportunity time for the composer to promote his works and establish himself as an international composer. Unknown to him there was limited time to achieve this ambition. After completing the various choir works and his Festive Overture for the Symphonic orchestra in 1968 he died suddenly, leaving behind his plans for composing his Sixth Symphony.

Lyatoshinsky was the recipient of many awards and medals for his achievements. In 1938 and 1955 he was granted the ‘A sign of Honour’ prize; in 1946 the ‘For Heroic Achievement’ and ‘Labour Red Flag’ prizes. In the 50th of year of the Soviet Rule he received the ‘Lenin’ medal. Posthumously, Lyatoshinsky obtained a distinction as People's Artist of the Ukrainian USSR in 1968 and was honoured as a great Ukrainian Composer in 1971, receiving the Shevchenko National Prize after his death.

Lyatoshinsky wrote a variety of works, including five symphonies, symphonic poems, and several shorter orchestral and vocal works, two operas, chamber music, and a number of works for solo piano. His earliest compositions were greatly influenced by the expressionism of Scriabin and Rachmaninov (Symphony No.1). His musical style later developed in a direction favored by Shostakovich, which caused significant problems with Soviet critics of the time, and as a result Lyatoshynsky was accused (together with [[Sergei Prokofiev|Prokofiev]] and Shostakovich) of formalism and creation of degenerative art. Many of his compositions were rarely or never performed during his lifetime. The 1993, a recording of his symphonies by the American conductor Theodore Kuchar and the Ukrainian State Symphony Orchestra (on the Naxos/Marco Polo label) brought his music to worldwide audiences.

== Honours and awards ==
'''Stalin Prizes:'''
* second class (1946) - Quintet for Ukrainian
* first class (1952) - for the music for the film "Taras Shevchenko" (1951)
'''Other prizes''':
* Shevchenko National Prize (1971) (posthumous) - for the opera "The Golden Hoop" (1930)
* People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR (1968)
* Honoured Artist of the USSR (1945)
* Order of Lenin

== Works ==
'''Stage'''
* The Golden Ring, opera in 4 acts opus 23 (1929) (revised in 1970)
* Shchors, opera about Nikolay Shchors in 5 acts after I. Kocherha and M. Rylsky opus 29 (1937)
* The Commander, opera (1970)

'''Orchestral'''
* Symphony No. 1 A major opus 2 (1918–1919)
* Symphony No. 2 B minor opus 26 (1935–1936) Revised in 1940.
* Symphony No. 3 B minor opus 50 (1951)
* Symphony No. 4 B♭ minor opus 63 (1963)[1]
* Symphony No. 5 C major "Slavonic" opus 67 (1965–1966)
* Fantastic March opus 3 (1920)
* Overture on four Ukrainian Folk themes opus 20 (1927)
* Suite from the Opera "The Golden Tire" opus 23 (1928)
* Lyric Poem (1947)
* Song of the reunification of Russia opus 49 (1949–1950)
* Waltz (1951)
* Suite from the Film music "Taras Shevchenko" opus 51 (1952)
* Slavonic Concerto for piano and orchestra opus 54 (1953)
* Suite from the Play "Romeo and Juliet" opus 56 (1955)
* "On the Banks of Vistula", symphonic poem opus 59 (1958)
* Orchestration of String Quartet No. 2 A major opus 4 (No. 2 Intermezzo) for orchestra (1960)
* Polish Suite opus 60 (1961)
* Slavonic Overture opus 61 (1961)
* Lyric Poem "To the Memory of Gliere" opus 66 (1964)
* Slavonic Suite opus 68 (1966)
* Festive Overture opus 70 (1967)
* "Grazyna", ballade after A. Mickiewicz opus 58 (1955)

'''Vocal/choral orchestral'''
* Festive Cantata "To the 60th Anniversary of Stalin" after Rilskov for mixed chorus and orchestra (1938)
* "Inheritance", cantata after Shevtchenko (1939)

'''Chamber/instrumental'''
* String Quartet No. 1 D minor opus 1 (1915)
* String Quartet No. 2 A major opus 4 (1922)
* String Quartet No. 3 opus 21 (1928)
* String Quartet No. 4 opus 43 (1943)
* String Quartet No. 5 (1944–1951)
* Piano Trio No. 1 opus 7 (1922) (revised in 1925)
* Sonata for violin and piano opus 19 (1926, published by Muzgiz (State Publishing House) and Universal Edition in 1928)[2]
* Three Pieces after Folksong-Themes for violin and piano opus 25 (1932)
* Piano Trio No. 2 opus 41 (1942)
* Piano Quintet "Ukrainian Quintet" opus 42 (1942)
* Suite on Ukrainian Folksong-Themes for string quartet opus 45 (1944)
* Suite for wind quartet opus 46 (1944)
* Two Mazurkas on Polonian Themes for cello and piano (1953)
* Nocturne and Scherzino for viola and piano (1963)

'''Piano'''
* Elegy-Prelude (1920)
* Piano Sonata No. 1 opus 13 (1924)
* Seven Pieces "Reflections" opus 16 (1925)
* Piano Sonata No. 2 "Sonata Ballade" opus 18 (1925)
* Ballad opus 22 (1928–1929)
* Ballad opus 24 (1929)
* Suite (1941)
* Three Preludes opus 38 (1942)
* Two Preludes opus 38b (1942)
* Shevchenko-Suite (1942) Not finished.
* Five Preludes opus 44 (1943)
* Concerto Etude-Rondo (1962–1965)
* Concert-Etude (1962–1967)

'''Vocal'''
* "Moonshadow", song after Verlaine, I.Severyanin, Balmont and Wilde opus 9 (1923)
* Two Poems after Shelley opus 10 (1923)
* Two Songs after Maeterlinck and Balmont opus 12 (1923)
* Four Poems after Shelley opus 14 (1924)
* Poems for baritone and piano opus 15 (1924)

'''Choral'''
* The Sun Rises at the Horizon, song after Shevtshenko for chorus
* Water, Flow into the Blue Lake!, song after Shevtshenko for chorus
* Seasons after Pushkin for chorus
* Po negy kradetsya luna after Pushkin for chorus
* Kto, volny, vas ostanovil after Pushkin for chorus

'''Incidental and film music'''
* Music to the Play "Optimistic Tragedy" (1932)
* Music to the Film "Taras Shevtshenko" (1950)
* Music to the Play "Romeo and Julia" (1954)
* Music to the Film "The Hooked Pig's Snout" (1956)
* Music to the Film "Ivan Franko" (1956)

'''Band'''
* Solemn march of the #99 rifle division - the famous winner of the First All-Ukrainian Musical Olympiad (1931)
* March No. 2 for wind orchestra (1932)
* March No. 3 for wind orchestra (1936)

'''Transcriptions'''
* Orchestration of Lysenko's opera Taras Bulba (Co-operation with L. Revutsky)
* Orchestration of Gliere's Violin Concerto (Co-operation with K. G. Mostras)

== References ==
# [https://archive.is/20120712092834/http://lccn.loc.gov/96701750 "Library of Congress Record Link to Recording of 4th and 5th Symphonies"]. [http://lccn.loc.gov/96701750 Archived from the original] on 2012-07-12. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
# publication date from Hofmeisters Monatsberichte. See http://anno.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/anno-buch?apm=0&aid=1000001&bd=0001928&teil=0203&seite=00000271&zoom=5
# Birukov, Sergei. Jubilee of Boris Lyatoshinsky. Melodia, 1/10, (1995), 9 10.
# Belza, Igor. Boris Lyatoshinsky: zacluszhenniy deyatel ucckustva v Ukraunskoi Sovetskoi Sozialisticheskoi Respublike. Boris Lyatoshinsky: honoured statesman of Arts of Ukrainian Soviet Social Republic. Misteztvo, 1947.
# Grecenko, L. and Matusevich, N., ed. Boris Lyatoshinsky: Vospominaniya, Pisma, Materialu. Chast I. Boris Lyatoshinsky: Recollections, Letters, Materials. Part I: Recollections. Kuiv, Muzichna Ukraina Press, 1985.
# Lyatoshinsky, Boris. Vospominaniya. Pisma. Materiali. Memories. Letters. Materials. Part I. Musichna Ukraina, 1985.
# Lyatoshinsky, Boris. Vospominaniya. Pisma. Materiali. Memories. Letters. Materials. Part II. Musichna Ukraina, 1986.
# Boris Lyatoshinsky: Tvorcheskie Portreti Sovetskih Compositorov. Boris Lyatoshinsky: Creative Portraits of Soviet Composers. Kuiv: Musichna Ukraina, 1981.
# Zaporozshez, Nikolai. Boris Lyatoshinsky- Sovetskiy Kompositor. Boris Lyatoshinsky the Soviet Composer. Abon Press, 1960.

== External links ==
# [http://www.naxos.com/composerinfo/Boris_Mikolayovich_Lyatoshynsky/21096.htm "Boris Lyatoshynsky"]. Naxos Records. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20090305072954/http://home.wanadoo.nl/ovar/liatos.htm "Liatoshinsky"]. Onno van Rijen's Soviet Composers Site. March 4, 2006. Archived from the original on March 5, 2009. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
# University of Nottingham, music department, dissertation by N. Stevens 'Lyatoshinsky: The journey of the defiant composer in Stalin's controlled Russia'

<youtube> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdUUO_AKNO8 </youtube>

[[Category: Ukrainian Profiles]] [[Category: Soviet Profiles]]

Cukor Bila Smert

2021-10-20T16:30:05Z

Diogooutra: Created page with "Cukor Bila Smert. Photo sourced from Discogs Cukor Bila Smert (Sugar White Death) [1] was an :Category: Ukraine|..."

[[File:A-1411993-1541456382-3790.jpeg.jpg|thumb|Cukor Bila Smert. Photo sourced from Discogs]]
Cukor Bila Smert (Sugar White Death) [1] was an [[:Category: Ukraine|Ukrainian]] music band from the city of Kiev, active between the late 1980s and the early 1990s.

== Biography ==
The band was led by Svitlana Okhrimenko (later Svitlana Nyanyo). After graduating from music school with a degree in piano, she began composing music. At first she played with cellist Tamila Mazur, later forming the band after being joined by guitarist Eugene Taran and pianist Alexander Kokhanovsky [2]. They differed significantly from the music of that time by featuring high female vocals, gibberish lyrics, and an instrumental-gothic performance style previously unheard in the Ukraine.

In 1988 they recorded the album "Rhododendrons Coral Asps". In 1989, the compilation "New Nezhenki" was created. That same year they recorded the album "Lyley and amaryllysы" [3].

At that time, alternative bands were not able to make professional recordings in the Ukraine and so, like other well-known Ukrainian bands such as [[Frog in an Airship]], [[Kazma Kazma|Kazma-Kazma]], [[The Ukrainians]], [[Viy]], [[Foa-Hoka]], [[Ivanov Down]], they recorded and released on the Polish label Koka Records [4][5]. This label eventually helped keep still music of these groups [6]. This label available two albums the band "stiff Music" (1991) and "The Village" (1993) [3].

According to Igor Tsymbrovsky, who himself recorded on Koka Records, the band has most of its fans in Poland, where there are more listeners of such music than in Ukraine [7]. In particular, representatives of the Polish experimental scene [[Księżyc]] have repeatedly stated that they were inspired by the work of Svetlana Okhrimenko. [8]

After the end of the band, Svitlana Okhrimenko started her solo project [9]. She continued to work with the Polish label Koka Records. Alexander Kokhanovsky began a new project, "Mr. Kifared" with guitarist T. Frost [2]. Tamila Mazur[12] took part in the creation of albums by fellow Ukrainian band [[Sheik Hi-Fi]] [2], as did Eugene Taran [2] before moving to Germany.

=== Notes ===
# [https://getsongbpm.com/album/selo/DxvNx Альбом Stamp]
# [http://rwcdax.here.ru/ohrimenk.htm Interview with Svetlana Okhrimenko] (in Russian)
# Roman Pishchalov. Kyiv Independent 1978-1994 // "Outsider" (Kikhv). - №7 (2007). - Page. 40-41.
# [https://www.discogs.com/label/68393-Koka-Records-2 Koka Records at www.discogs.com]
# [http://rockhouse.com.ua/koka-ne-vsegda-novyij-rok-n-roll-1997-1 COCA - NOT ALWAYS], New Rock and Roll, 1997 # 1 Archived April 8, 2016 in Wayback Machine . (Ukr.) (Russian)
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20151015213411/http://likefm.org/artist/%D0%A1%D0%B2%D1%96%D1%82%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B0%20%D0%9D%D1%8F%D0%BD%D1%8C%D0%BE Svetlana Nanny on likefm.org]. Archive of the original on October 15, 2015. Cited May 1, 2016.
# [http://varianty.lviv.ua/26313-ihor-tsymbrovskyi-lviv-misto-kaveriv Interview with Igor Tsymbrovsky] at http://varianty.lviv.ua/
# How the Ukrainian underground captured Poland. The history of the label "Koka" . amnesia.in.ua . Cited 2019-01-23 .
# [http://rock-oko.com/knizhki/legendi-ximernogo-krayu/rok-ukransko-vdach2/kiv1.html Legends of a bizarre land]. Kiev
# [http://rock.kiev.ua/klub/banita_b.php Banita Baida] at http://rock.kiev.ua/klub/banita_b.php
# Roman Pishchalov. Kyiv Independent 1978-1994 // "Outsider" (Kikhv). - №7 (2007). - Page. 40-41.
# [http://cheremshyna.org.ua/music/kolezkiasesor.htm Colleague Assessor] at cheremshyna.org.ua

<youtube> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OefQ-Pr-YH8 </youtube>
''Text adapted from the Ukrainian Wikipedia''
[[Category: Ukrainian Profiles]] [[Category: Soviet Profiles]]

Paul Arma

2021-10-20T16:29:11Z

Diogooutra: Created page with "Paul Arma. Photo sourced from Discogs Paul Arma (Hungarian: Arma Pál, aka Amrusz Pál; born Weisshaus Imre; 22 November 1905..."

[[File:A-474065-1397221947-9098.jpeg.jpg|thumb|Paul Arma. Photo sourced from Discogs]]
Paul Arma (Hungarian: Arma Pál, aka Amrusz Pál; born Weisshaus Imre; 22 November 1905 in Budapest – 28 November 1987 in Paris) was a [[:Category: Hungary|Hungarian]]-French pianist, composer, and ethnomusicologist.

Arma studied under Béla Bartók from 1920 to 1924 at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music. Afterwards, he toured Europe and America giving concerts and piano recitals. Béla Bartók influenced Arma in his love for folk songs and collecting them.[1] He left Hungary in 1930, and worked as a conductor of orchestras and choirs in Berlin and Lepizig until 1933, before being arrested by the SS in Leipzig for spying against the Germans and for his connections with the intellectual and artistic avant-garde. Though deemed not enough of a threat to be imprisoned, Arma was subject to a mock execution by the SS prior to being released. He subsequently fled to Paris, where he worked until 1939 as a pianist for Radio-Paris and wrote songs supporting the Republican Spanish for the International Brigades such as ‘Madrid’ and ‘No pasaran’ ("They shall not pass"). [2]

From 1954 to 1984, he directed his research towards electroacoustic and tape music, writing thirteen works, including "Improvisation" and "Variations", premiered in Brussels (1956), the "Concerto for magnetic tape", commissioned by the ORTF and premiered at UNESCO, in Paris (1961); "Suite for magnetic tape" premiered in Denmark and Germany (1961); "Seven spatial variations" created in Germany, (1962); "Two convergences for magnetic tape" created at the Royal Albert Hall, London (1976), with saxophonist Alain Bouhey. He also created 81 sculptures out of wood and metal on the theme of music, called Musiques sculptées (sculpted music).

His music is generally characterised by modernist tendencies, although his varied output includes folk song arrangements, film music, popular and patriotic songs, in addition to solo, chamber, orchestral and electronic music.

== Selected works ==
* Chants du Silence for voice and piano (1942–44)
* Concerto for string quartet and orchestra (1947)
* Violin Sonata (1949)
* 31 Instantanés for woodwinds, percussion, celesta, xylophone and piano (1951)
* Cantate de la Terre (1952)
* Improvisation, Précédée et Suivie de ses Variations for orchestra and tape (1954)
* Sept Variations Spatiophoniques for tape (1960)
* Chant du Marsouin for solo cello (1961)
* Polydiaphonie for orchestra (1962)
* Structures variées for orchestra (1964)
* Prismes sonores for orchestra (1966)
* Six Transparences for oboe and string orchestra (1968)
* Résonances for orchestra (1971)
* Deux Résonances for percussion and piano (1972)
* Onze Convergences for string orchestra (1974)
* Six Évolutions for 4 flutes (1975)
* Six Convergences for orchestra (1978)
* Silences and Emergences for string quartet (1979)
* À la Mémoire de Béla Bartók for string orchestra and percussion (1980)
* Deux Regards for violin and piano (1982)
* Deux Images for cello and piano (1982)

== References ==
# Vera Lampert. "Arma, Paul." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 11 October 2014, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/01260.
# http://holocaustmusic.ort.org/resistance-and-exile/french-resistance/paul-arma/

== External links ==
* [http://www.mek.iif.hu/porta/szint/egyeb/lexikon/eletrajz/html/ABC00003/00447.htm Arma Pál biography (in Hungarian)]

<youtube> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAEwU1H4hRI </youtube>

''Text partially adapted from Wikipedia''

[[Category: Hungarian Profiles]]

Peter Janík

2021-10-20T16:28:54Z

Diogooutra:

[[File:Backstuber+Janík.jpg|thumb|right|Ján Backstuber and Peter Janík. Photo courtesy of Experimental Studio Bratislava]]
Peter Janík is a [[:Category: Slovakia|Slovak]] recording engineer and technician on early experimental electronic music recordings. He was one of the resident sound engineers at the Experimental Studio of Czechoslovak Radio, where he worked with composers such as [[Jozef Malovec]].

==External links==
* [https://www.discogs.com/artist/982637-Peter-Jan%C3%ADk Discogs profile]

==Related Content==
* [[Experimental Studio Bratislava: An interview with Juraj Ďuriš]]

[[Category: Slovak Profiles]]

Peter Janík

2021-10-20T16:28:25Z

Diogooutra: Created page with "Ján Backstuber and Peter Janík. Photo courtesy of Experimental Studio Bratislava Peter Janík is a Slovak..."

Victor Máté

2021-10-20T16:27:08Z

Diogooutra:

[[File:Victor Máté (1981) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Victor Máté in the summer of 1981. Photo sourced from the Hungarian Wikipedia]]
Victor Máté (b. Budapest, February 26th 1945) is an Erkel Ferenc Prize-winning [[:Category: Hungary|Hungarian]] musician, composer and actor. President of the Artisjus Copyright Association since 2012. [1][2]

==Biography==
=== Studies ===
Between 1959-63 he attended the Béla Bartók Vocational School of Music, where [[Rezső Sugár]] was his composition teacher. After graduating from the vocational high school, he continued his studies at the Liszt Ferenc College of Music under Ferenc Farkas was a professor. Between 1968 and 1970, he studied modern avant-garde and electronic music in Warsaw. His teachers were [[Grażyna Bacewicz]] and [[Włodzimierz Kotoński]].

===Musical activities===
He has been a composer since 1970 and became a member of the Non-Stop ensemble in 1971.

In 1972, he became a solo artist and made radio recordings, as well as writing rock musicals, stage music and film music. The band brought together to support his music existed until 1976. From 1980 to 1981 he was the light music editor of MTV, from 1982 to 1986 and from 1994 to 2007 he was the music director of the Radio's editorial office.

He wrote music for several children’s pieces at the Nevesincs Theater.

He retired in 2007 as the head of the Pop Music Production Editorial Office.

== Awards, recognitions ==
* Petals Award (1970)
* Ferenc Erkel Prize (1985)
* Szabolcs Fényes Award (1999)
* Artisjus Lifetime Achievement Award (2005)
* Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (2005)

== Notes ==
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20120209111655/http://www.kultura.hu/main.php?folderID=911# Victor Máté replaces János Bródy at the head of Artisjus.] kultura.hu, February 5, 2012 [2012. archived from the original dated February 9 ]. (Accessed February 5, 2012)
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20150104200026/http://www.infoter.eu/cikk/victor_mate_az_artisjus_uj_elnoke Archived copy]. [2015. archived from the original on 4 January ]. (Accessed: January 4, 2015)
# Portrait film of Hungarian Television presented on March 7, 2008 and repeated on February 27, 2011.
# [http://www.hungarotonmusic.com/spoken-word/oz-a-nagy-p4997.html New 2004 edition of the fairy tale "Oz the Great Wizard"]. hungarotonmusic.com, December 26, 2013 (Accessed December 26, 2013)

== Resources ==
* Hermann Péter, Maloschik Róbert. Hungarian and international who is who. Biography publisher. 963-7943-27-7 (1994)
* [http://www.whoiswho-verlag.ch/versionnew/ungarn/verlag/63.php?txt_Language=HU&real_str_PersID=HU11002393&uniqueID=b81a0ade-051e-47f1-971a-ee8fa1ee1686 Biography on the Who is Who Hungary page]

== External Links ==
* [http://www.szinhaziadattar.hu/ Theater Database] (Hungarian)
* [https://port.hu/pls/pe/person.person?i_pers_id=14084 Victor Máté at PORT.hu] (Hungarian)
* [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0896133/ Victor Máté] at the Internet Movie Database page (in English)

<youtube> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1Io3a8Bn58</youtube>

''Text adapted from the Hungarian Wikipedia''
[[Category: Hungarian Profiles]]

Victor Máté

2021-10-20T16:26:19Z

Diogooutra: Created page with "Victor Máté in the summer of 1981. Photo sourced from the Hungarian Wikipedia Victor Máté (b. Budapest, February 26th 194..."

[[File:Victor Máté (1981) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Victor Máté in the summer of 1981. Photo sourced from the Hungarian Wikipedia]]
Victor Máté (b. Budapest, February 26th 1945) is an Erkel Ferenc Prize-winning [[:Category: Hungary|Hungarian]] musician, composer and actor. President of the Artisjus Copyright Association since 2012. [1][2]

==Biography==
== Studies ==
Between 1959-63 he attended the Béla Bartók Vocational School of Music, where Rezső Sugár was his composition teacher. After graduating from the vocational high school, he continued his studies at the Liszt Ferenc College of Music under Ferenc Farkas was a professor. Between 1968 and 1970, he studied modern avant-garde and electronic music in Warsaw. His teachers were [[Grażyna Bacewicz]] and [[Włodzimierz Kotoński]].

==Musical activities==
He has been a composer since 1970 and became a member of the Non-Stop ensemble in 1971.

In 1972, he became a solo artist and made radio recordings, as well as writing rock musicals, stage music and film music. The band brought together to support his music existed until 1976. From 1980 to 1981 he was the light music editor of MTV, from 1982 to 1986 and from 1994 to 2007 he was the music director of the Radio's editorial office.

He wrote music for several children’s pieces at the Nevesincs Theater.

He retired in 2007 as the head of the Pop Music Production Editorial Office.

== Awards, recognitions ==
* Petals Award (1970)
* Ferenc Erkel Prize (1985)
* Szabolcs Fényes Award (1999)
* Artisjus Lifetime Achievement Award (2005)
* Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (2005)

== Notes ==
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20120209111655/http://www.kultura.hu/main.php?folderID=911# Victor Máté replaces János Bródy at the head of Artisjus.] kultura.hu, February 5, 2012 [2012. archived from the original dated February 9 ]. (Accessed February 5, 2012)
# [https://web.archive.org/web/20150104200026/http://www.infoter.eu/cikk/victor_mate_az_artisjus_uj_elnoke Archived copy]. [2015. archived from the original on 4 January ]. (Accessed: January 4, 2015)
# Portrait film of Hungarian Television presented on March 7, 2008 and repeated on February 27, 2011.
# [http://www.hungarotonmusic.com/spoken-word/oz-a-nagy-p4997.html New 2004 edition of the fairy tale "Oz the Great Wizard"]. hungarotonmusic.com, December 26, 2013 (Accessed December 26, 2013)

== Resources ==
* Hermann Péter, Maloschik Róbert. Hungarian and international who is who. Biography publisher. 963-7943-27-7 (1994)
* [http://www.whoiswho-verlag.ch/versionnew/ungarn/verlag/63.php?txt_Language=HU&real_str_PersID=HU11002393&uniqueID=b81a0ade-051e-47f1-971a-ee8fa1ee1686 Biography on the Who is Who Hungary page]

== External Links ==
* [http://www.szinhaziadattar.hu/ Theater Database] (Hungarian)
* [https://port.hu/pls/pe/person.person?i_pers_id=14084 Victor Máté at PORT.hu] (Hungarian)
* [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0896133/ Victor Máté] at the Internet Movie Database page (in English)

<youtube> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1Io3a8Bn58</youtube>

''Text adapted from the Hungarian Wikipedia''
[[Category: Hungarian Profiles]]

Artūras Barysas

2021-10-19T12:07:22Z

Diogooutra:

[[File:A-1955509-1356126640-5452.jpeg.jpg|thumb|Artūras "Baras" Barysas. Photo sourced from discogs]]
Artūras Barysas, born 10.05.1954 (Panevežys, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic), died 27.01.2005 aged 50 (Vilnius, Republic of Lithuania), was a [[:Category:Lithuania|Lithuanian]] artist.

==Biography==
Under the nickname “Baras”, he was known as a member of Soviet Lithuanian underground counter culture. In the course of his life, he ventured into various artistic fields and was known as a singer with the band Ir Visa Tai Kas Yra Gražu, Yra Gražu, a filmmaker and actor in the movies he directed, as well as a photographer. He was also a passionate collector of books and music records. His artistic legacy is so important that he is acknowledged as the father of the modern Lithuanian avant-garde.

Artūras spent his early life in the city of his birth, Panevežys, before moving to the Lithuanian capital city of Vilnius, with his family as a teenager. He graduated from School No. 22 (now known as Vilniaus Antakalnio gimnazija), where he met a lot of artistic friends, who he enjoyed hanging out with. In 8th grade in 1969, he became part of the filmmaking crowd at the Pioneers’ Palace (Palace of Young Technicians), where his artistic career began.

In 1970, he produced his first film, Alchemy, with help from his school friends and became a member of the Lithuanian Film Amateur Society. After finishing school in Vilnius, he attempted to gain admission to the Moscow Institute of Cinematography, but was rejected because of his acute short-sightedness.

In adulthood he was granted a pension, because of his health disability, and subsisted from state benefits, besides which he sold rare books and Western records to maintain his income. He was an active participant in the Soviet underground culture and lived a bohemian lifestyle. In his later years, he suffered from alcoholism. In 2005 he died in his sleep aged 50.

== Main life facts ==
* '''1954:''' born Artūras Launakojis. Once he moved to live in Vilnius, his mother remarried and he acquired the surname of Barysas.
* '''1974-1978:''' he worked as a methodologist for the Lithuanian Film Amateur Society.
* '''1979:''' the film Her Love (Jos meile) resulted in Barysas being banned from showing his films for a year.
* '''1970-1984:''' he made 40 films of various lengths.
* '''1988:''' together with the artist A. Šlipavičius, he founded the post-avant-garde-punk group And All That Is Beautiful, Is Beautiful (Ir Visa Tai Kas Yra Gražu, Yra Gražu).
* '''1989:''' he played a major role in director Vidmantas Gaigalas’s film Vienturtis.
* '''1993:''' release of the debut album of the group Ir Visa Tai Kas Yra Gražu, Yra Gražu in Lithuania.
* '''1995:''' written in 1995, and eventually published in 2006, Leaning World (Pasviręs pasaulis), a novel by R. Kundrot and A. Liva. The main character is the Magician, a prophet of Arturas Barysas.
* '''2000:''' he made his last film Perception (Suvokimas).
* '''2002:''' a retrospective of Barysas’ films was held at The Horse Hospital, an experimental arts centre in London. The studio album Lavonai was released by the band Ir Visa Tai Kas Yra Gražu, Yra Gražu.
* '''2005:''' on January 27, he died in Vilnius. Buried in the City of Panevežys (at Pašilaičiai Cemetery).
* '''2006:''' at the Lithuanian Alternative Music Awards "A.LT 2005", he is awarded a posthumous prize "For his Contribution to the Stage".
* '''2005-2009:''' four documentaries about Arturas Barysas were made by directors A. Yegorov, D. Mažulis, R. Morkūnas and G. Žickytė.

== Filmography ==
* '''2003:''' I Dream and Am (Sapnuoju ir esu)
* '''2000:''' Perception (Suvokimas; A. Barysas, Artūras ir Rimas Šlipavičiai, Andrius Radziukynas; 15 min.)
* '''1984:''' Men (Vyrai; A. Barysas, A. Pročkys; lost)
* '''1984:''' Car Incident (Autoavarija; A. Barysas, A. Pročkys; lost)
* '''1983:''' Features to a Portrait of an Artist (Štrichai aktoriaus portretui; A. Barysas, A. Pročkys, V. Blažys; 5 min.)
* '''1982:''' Obvious and Yet Incredible (Akivaizdu, bet neįtikėtina; A. Barysas, A. Pročkys; 6 min.)
* '''1982:''' Two in the Forest (Dviese miške; A. Barysas, G. Zinkevičius, E. Lapinskas; 7 min.)
* '''1982:''' Intellectual Afternoon (Intelektuali popietė; A. Barysas, A. Pročkys; 2 min.)
* '''1982:''' About those Two from There (Apie tuos du iš ten; A. Barysas, Ž. Jelinskas, A. Pročkys; 13 min.)
* '''1981:''' Essay (Esė; A. Barysas, J. Štrengė; 5 min.)
* '''1981:''' Reason (Prasmė; A. Barysas, J. Čergelis, A. Pročkys; 4 min.)
* '''1981:''' Applause Lingers a Moment (Aplodismentai trunka akimirką; A. Barysas, A. Pročkys; 8 min.)
* '''1980:''' He's Wanted (Jo ieško; A. Barysas, A. Slavinskas, J. Čergelis, A. Pročkys, A. Vaitkus, A. Kulikauskas, G. Zinkevičius; 38 min.)
* '''1980:''' We (Mes; A. Barysas, A. Pročkys, A. Slavinskas, E. Lapinskas; 8 min.)
* '''1979:''' Documentary Film (Dokumentalnij film; A. Barysas, J. Čergelis; 3 min.)
* '''1979:''' Better than Paradise, Worse than Hell (Geriau už rojų, blogiau už pragarą; A. Barysas, A. Slavinskas, J. Čergelis; 3 min.)
* '''1979:''' Her Love (Jos meilė; A. Barysas, A. Slavinskas, J. Čergelis, A. Rečiūnas; 25 min.)
* '''1979:''' A Day of Centuries (Diena iš šimtmečių; A. Barysas, A. Rečiūnas; 10 min; neišlikęs)
* '''1978:''' Snow (Sniegas; A. Barysas, A. Vaitkus, J. Čergelis, A. Slavinskas; 3 min.)
* '''1978:''' A Joke about a Meter (Anekdotas apie metrą; A. Barysas, A. Vaitkus; 2 min.)
* '''1978:''' To Speak Only Truth (Sakyti tik tiesą; A. Barysas, D. Buklis; 3 min.)
* '''1978:''' B and Ch (B ir Č; A. Barysas, J. Čergelis; 12 min.)
* '''1978:''' Fifteenth Time (Penkioliktą kartą; lost)
* '''1977:''' This Sweet Word (Tas saldus žodis; A. Barysas, D. Velička; 1 min.)
* '''1977:''' Rimas, Renata, Romas (A. Barysas, A. Vaitkus; 4 min.)
* '''1975:''' Those Who Don't Know Should Ask Those Who Know (Tie, kurie nežinote, paklauskite kitų; A. Barysas, S. Mackonis, J. Čergelis, A. Slavinskas; 5 min.)
* '''1975:''' Stay on our Slope (Pasibūkit mūsų kloniuos; lost)
* '''1974:''' I Vote for Love (Balsuoju už meilę; A. Barysas, J. Čergelis; 5 min.)
* '''1974:''' A Thin One (Laina; A. Barysas, J. Čergelis; 6 min.)
* '''1974:''' Green Meadow (Žalias laukas; A. Barysas, J. Čergelis; 1 min.)
* '''1972:''' Two Times Two (Du kart du; A. Barysas, D. Buklys, R. Vikšraitis; 4 min.)
* '''1972:''' Victims of Fashion (Madų aukos; A. Barysas, D. Buklys; 6 min.)
* '''1972:''' A Golden Fish (Auksinė žuvelė; lost)
* '''1972:''' Citius, altius, fortius (lost)
* '''1972:''' The Earth, Planet of Humans (Žemė – žmonių planeta; lost)
* '''1971:''' Salt and Apples (Druska ir obuoliai; A. Barysas, D. Buklys, S. Šimkus; 3 min.)
* '''1971:''' Falling (Kritimas; A. Barysas, D. Buklys, S. Šimkus; 3 min.)
* '''1971:''' I Hit the Target (Kliudžiau; lost)
* '''1970:''' To Live (Gyventi; A. Barysas, D. Buklys, S. Šimkus; lost)
* '''1970:''' Alchemy (Alchemija; A. Barysas, Donatas Buklys, Sigitas Šimkus; 3 min.)

== External Links ==
* https://laikas.tv3.lt/lt/info/10989/pasimatymas-su-baru-po-jo-mirties-interviu-foto/
* https://www.ekspertai.eu/pasaulis-pagal-bara/
* https://www.bernardinai.lt/2014-05-13-aturas-barysas-baras-kaip-as-kuriau-kina/
* https://www.bernardinai.lt/2011-01-27-vygintas-medeisa-baras-mano-dvasinis-guru/

[[Category: Lithuanian Profiles]]

File:A-1955509-1356126640-5452.jpeg.jpg

2021-10-19T12:07:19Z

Diogooutra:

Artūras "Baras" Barysas. Photo sourced from discogs

Artūras Barysas

2021-10-19T12:05:32Z

Diogooutra: Created page with "THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION Artūras Barysas, born 10.05.1954 (Panevežys, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic), died 27.01.2005 aged 50 (Vilnius, Republic of Lithuania)..."

THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Artūras Barysas, born 10.05.1954 (Panevežys, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic), died 27.01.2005 aged 50 (Vilnius, Republic of Lithuania), was a [[:Category:Lithuania|Lithuanian]] artist.

==Biography==
Under the nickname “Baras”, he was known as a member of Soviet Lithuanian underground counter culture. In the course of his life, he ventured into various artistic fields and was known as a singer with the band Ir Visa Tai Kas Yra Gražu, Yra Gražu, a filmmaker and actor in the movies he directed, as well as a photographer. He was also a passionate collector of books and music records. His artistic legacy is so important that he is acknowledged as the father of the modern Lithuanian avant-garde.

Artūras spent his early life in the city of his birth, Panevežys, before moving to the Lithuanian capital city of Vilnius, with his family as a teenager. He graduated from School No. 22 (now known as Vilniaus Antakalnio gimnazija), where he met a lot of artistic friends, who he enjoyed hanging out with. In 8th grade in 1969, he became part of the filmmaking crowd at the Pioneers’ Palace (Palace of Young Technicians), where his artistic career began.

In 1970, he produced his first film, Alchemy, with help from his school friends and became a member of the Lithuanian Film Amateur Society. After finishing school in Vilnius, he attempted to gain admission to the Moscow Institute of Cinematography, but was rejected because of his acute short-sightedness.

In adulthood he was granted a pension, because of his health disability, and subsisted from state benefits, besides which he sold rare books and Western records to maintain his income. He was an active participant in the Soviet underground culture and lived a bohemian lifestyle. In his later years, he suffered from alcoholism. In 2005 he died in his sleep aged 50.

== Main life facts ==
* '''1954:''' born Artūras Launakojis. Once he moved to live in Vilnius, his mother remarried and he acquired the surname of Barysas.
* '''1974-1978:''' he worked as a methodologist for the Lithuanian Film Amateur Society.
* '''1979:''' the film Her Love (Jos meile) resulted in Barysas being banned from showing his films for a year.
* '''1970-1984:''' he made 40 films of various lengths.
* '''1988:''' together with the artist A. Šlipavičius, he founded the post-avant-garde-punk group And All That Is Beautiful, Is Beautiful (Ir Visa Tai Kas Yra Gražu, Yra Gražu).
* '''1989:''' he played a major role in director Vidmantas Gaigalas’s film Vienturtis.
* '''1993:''' release of the debut album of the group Ir Visa Tai Kas Yra Gražu, Yra Gražu in Lithuania.
* '''1995:''' written in 1995, and eventually published in 2006, Leaning World (Pasviręs pasaulis), a novel by R. Kundrot and A. Liva. The main character is the Magician, a prophet of Arturas Barysas.
* '''2000:''' he made his last film Perception (Suvokimas).
* '''2002:''' a retrospective of Barysas’ films was held at The Horse Hospital, an experimental arts centre in London. The studio album Lavonai was released by the band Ir Visa Tai Kas Yra Gražu, Yra Gražu.
* '''2005:''' on January 27, he died in Vilnius. Buried in the City of Panevežys (at Pašilaičiai Cemetery).
* '''2006:''' at the Lithuanian Alternative Music Awards "A.LT 2005", he is awarded a posthumous prize "For his Contribution to the Stage".
* '''2005-2009:''' four documentaries about Arturas Barysas were made by directors A. Yegorov, D. Mažulis, R. Morkūnas and G. Žickytė.

== Filmography ==
* '''2003:''' I Dream and Am (Sapnuoju ir esu)
* '''2000:''' Perception (Suvokimas; A. Barysas, Artūras ir Rimas Šlipavičiai, Andrius Radziukynas; 15 min.)
* '''1984:''' Men (Vyrai; A. Barysas, A. Pročkys; lost)
* '''1984:''' Car Incident (Autoavarija; A. Barysas, A. Pročkys; lost)
* '''1983:''' Features to a Portrait of an Artist (Štrichai aktoriaus portretui; A. Barysas, A. Pročkys, V. Blažys; 5 min.)
* '''1982:''' Obvious and Yet Incredible (Akivaizdu, bet neįtikėtina; A. Barysas, A. Pročkys; 6 min.)
* '''1982:''' Two in the Forest (Dviese miške; A. Barysas, G. Zinkevičius, E. Lapinskas; 7 min.)
* '''1982:''' Intellectual Afternoon (Intelektuali popietė; A. Barysas, A. Pročkys; 2 min.)
* '''1982:''' About those Two from There (Apie tuos du iš ten; A. Barysas, Ž. Jelinskas, A. Pročkys; 13 min.)
* '''1981:''' Essay (Esė; A. Barysas, J. Štrengė; 5 min.)
* '''1981:''' Reason (Prasmė; A. Barysas, J. Čergelis, A. Pročkys; 4 min.)
* '''1981:''' Applause Lingers a Moment (Aplodismentai trunka akimirką; A. Barysas, A. Pročkys; 8 min.)
* '''1980:''' He's Wanted (Jo ieško; A. Barysas, A. Slavinskas, J. Čergelis, A. Pročkys, A. Vaitkus, A. Kulikauskas, G. Zinkevičius; 38 min.)
* '''1980:''' We (Mes; A. Barysas, A. Pročkys, A. Slavinskas, E. Lapinskas; 8 min.)
* '''1979:''' Documentary Film (Dokumentalnij film; A. Barysas, J. Čergelis; 3 min.)
* '''1979:''' Better than Paradise, Worse than Hell (Geriau už rojų, blogiau už pragarą; A. Barysas, A. Slavinskas, J. Čergelis; 3 min.)
* '''1979:''' Her Love (Jos meilė; A. Barysas, A. Slavinskas, J. Čergelis, A. Rečiūnas; 25 min.)
* '''1979:''' A Day of Centuries (Diena iš šimtmečių; A. Barysas, A. Rečiūnas; 10 min; neišlikęs)
* '''1978:''' Snow (Sniegas; A. Barysas, A. Vaitkus, J. Čergelis, A. Slavinskas; 3 min.)
* '''1978:''' A Joke about a Meter (Anekdotas apie metrą; A. Barysas, A. Vaitkus; 2 min.)
* '''1978:''' To Speak Only Truth (Sakyti tik tiesą; A. Barysas, D. Buklis; 3 min.)
* '''1978:''' B and Ch (B ir Č; A. Barysas, J. Čergelis; 12 min.)
* '''1978:''' Fifteenth Time (Penkioliktą kartą; lost)
* '''1977:''' This Sweet Word (Tas saldus žodis; A. Barysas, D. Velička; 1 min.)
* '''1977:''' Rimas, Renata, Romas (A. Barysas, A. Vaitkus; 4 min.)
* '''1975:''' Those Who Don't Know Should Ask Those Who Know (Tie, kurie nežinote, paklauskite kitų; A. Barysas, S. Mackonis, J. Čergelis, A. Slavinskas; 5 min.)
* '''1975:''' Stay on our Slope (Pasibūkit mūsų kloniuos; lost)
* '''1974:''' I Vote for Love (Balsuoju už meilę; A. Barysas, J. Čergelis; 5 min.)
* '''1974:''' A Thin One (Laina; A. Barysas, J. Čergelis; 6 min.)
* '''1974:''' Green Meadow (Žalias laukas; A. Barysas, J. Čergelis; 1 min.)
* '''1972:''' Two Times Two (Du kart du; A. Barysas, D. Buklys, R. Vikšraitis; 4 min.)
* '''1972:''' Victims of Fashion (Madų aukos; A. Barysas, D. Buklys; 6 min.)
* '''1972:''' A Golden Fish (Auksinė žuvelė; lost)
* '''1972:''' Citius, altius, fortius (lost)
* '''1972:''' The Earth, Planet of Humans (Žemė – žmonių planeta; lost)
* '''1971:''' Salt and Apples (Druska ir obuoliai; A. Barysas, D. Buklys, S. Šimkus; 3 min.)
* '''1971:''' Falling (Kritimas; A. Barysas, D. Buklys, S. Šimkus; 3 min.)
* '''1971:''' I Hit the Target (Kliudžiau; lost)
* '''1970:''' To Live (Gyventi; A. Barysas, D. Buklys, S. Šimkus; lost)
* '''1970:''' Alchemy (Alchemija; A. Barysas, Donatas Buklys, Sigitas Šimkus; 3 min.)

== External Links ==
* https://laikas.tv3.lt/lt/info/10989/pasimatymas-su-baru-po-jo-mirties-interviu-foto/
* https://www.ekspertai.eu/pasaulis-pagal-bara/
* https://www.bernardinai.lt/2014-05-13-aturas-barysas-baras-kaip-as-kuriau-kina/
* https://www.bernardinai.lt/2011-01-27-vygintas-medeisa-baras-mano-dvasinis-guru/

[[Category: Lithuanian Profiles]]

Contemporary Music, Sound Art and Media in Lithuania: From a Historical Perspective to the Present

2021-10-19T11:44:42Z

Diogooutra:

Contemporary Music, Sound Art and Media in Lithuania: From a Historical Perspective to the Present - An essay by Tautvydas Bajarkevicius for [[Sound Exchange]].
== »Terza Prattica« ==

By delving into the relationship between music and media, experimental music and sound art, we find ourselves in a broad field of phenomena and contexts, which characterise these themes and genres. In the Eastern European context, it is quite common to distinguish between the academic understanding of experimental music and practices which have nothing in common with formal, conventional musical literacy, and which are based on entirely different premises. However, a large number of those creating electronic and electroacoustic music are, along with sound artists, quite knowledgeable in at least a few of the different global contexts which influence their contemporary work, and which co-exist without necessarily being directly related to one another. On a local scale, the connections between and among these historical musical contexts are frayed and tenuous, and the differing aesthetic and institutional identities have created gulfs between them. Sometimes, contextual connections appear only in hindsight, i. e. by examining the history of music or, to phrase it more colourfully, by conducting an archaeological excavation of its ideas and practices. This is one of the primary strategies of this paper.

Musicologist Veronika Janatjeva’s study entitled »Terza Prattica, Its Manifestations and Imitations in Lithuanian Music« [i] provides the most comprehensive overview of the history of music, covering academic electronic music, electroacoustic and music with other non-traditional musical instruments, along with music created and performed using technology from the 20th and 21st centuries. This paper is the result of the indirect cooperation of two authors. Using the study by Veronika Janatjeva mentioned above, which provides us with a historical map of the ideas and practices of academic music using media and technology (most often electronic technology), I have decided to concentrate on what I believe are the primary aspects in terms of this discourse, and supplement the analysis with own my point of view. At the same time, I would like to broaden its scope by applying my own theoretical and practical experience by posing questions concerning artistic identity, and by discussing the phenomena of the sound art and informal experimental music scene, along with some issues of an institutional nature.

When translated literally from Latin, »terza prattica« means »the third practice«. In music it describes the practice of electronic music and everything that is connected with it, including the specific character of sounds and their qualities, forms of expression, methods of composing and performing, and its function in society. [ii] The broader meaning of the term could be described using the concept of terza prattica developed by German-born composer and musicologist Konrad Boehmer. According to Janatjeva, »Konrad Boehmer’s describes a totally new musical paradigm (though it was only discussed in the context of Western music culture) with the term terza prattica, the theoretical, aesthetic and finally practical premises of which formed already at the beginning of the last century or even earlier, like the Utopian visions of the future of music.«[iii] With innovations in technology and their ever-easier integration in the creation of music, specific creative ideas and research into matters of style are replacing the lofty, visionary-like language and manifesto-like intentions of musical works, and are shaping the identities of composers and artists. Futuristic intonations are becoming an everyday reality, changing the discourse of art theory and practice, as well as identifying real trends. The search for links between the historical perspective and current context is one of the main goals of this paper.

== The Origins of Discourse in Lithuanian Electronic Music Practice and Theory ==

[[File:Vytautas bacevicius.jpg|thumb|right|Vytautas Bacevičius (1905-1970) Photo: Lithuanian Archives of Literature and Art]]
After the Jauna muzika (Young Music) electronic music festival in 2005, Janatjeva stated the following: »In 1961 when Yuri Gagarin ascended to the cosmos, electronic music was born in Lithuania. The first composer who wrote an electronic [music] composition of sinus tones created using a synthesizer was [[Vytautas Bičiūnas]]. Less than 20 heard this work, and only a few remember it. Thus formally we can state that electronic music has existed for about 40 years already in Lithuania.«[iv]

This work was called »Kosmosas« (Cosmos). »It is not difficult to guess that it was inspired by the first flight to cosmic space. The composition repeats the decade-old German electronic music model: it was a montage of tape recorder tapes, and the source for the sound was sinusoidal tone generators.« [v] It is said that Bičiūnas, who is a musicologist and sound director [vi], did not hold these creative attempts in particularly high regard, thus they did not survive (along with other works, if there were any).

What is both interesting and consistent is that the beginning of electronic music in Lithuania is linked with the Utopian dreams of the modernization of the first half of the 20th century, including sweeping visions of technological progress, eternal industrial evolution and the conquest of the cosmos, which were without a doubt viable, and which influenced the work of Lithuanian composers during the interwar years, as well as during later periods when electronic music had yet to appear. »Among the rare musical reflections of the moods of the industrial century were [[Vytautas Bacevičius]]’ ›Kosminė poema‹ (Cosmic Poem, 1928) for an enormous symphony orchestra (for 180 musicians!), ›Elektrinė poema‹ (Electric Poem, 1932), and the ballet ›Šokių sūkuryje‹ (In the Throes of Dance, 1932), along with his Simfonija Nr. 2 ›Alla guerra‹ (Symphony Nr. 2 ›Alla guerra‹) – which depicted the tragic reality of war, a departure from the Romantic ideals of war propagated by the ›The Four Winds‹ [vii] movement – plus Julius Gaidelis’ symphonic poem ›Aliarmas‹ (Alarm, 1945).« [viii]

The category of the cosmos was also important for Vytautas Bacevičius, the first Lithuanian composer we could consider to be an electronic music theorist. He was particularly important in marking the historical beginning of the articulation of ideas about a discourse concerning electronic music. Bacevičius was impressed by the field of electronic music, which revealed »unearthly beauty«, innocence, even a purity that was described in scientific terms (the »pure frequencies« are those that don’t exist in nature: they are »purified« of overtones, giving character and individuality to each natural timbre). An aesthetic promise was made, to contemplate the transcendental spaces of spirituality, and to reflect the universe in the prefiguration of the inner cosmos, using music. Vytautas Bacevičius, who had faithfully promoted avant-garde ideas, became influenced by Constructivism and Expressionism, and in the 1950s and 1960s began to advance closer to what was called in biographies his »cosmic period« (one could mention works such as »Cosmic Symphony«, »Graphics« for a symphony orchestra, »Cosmic Poem« for piano, and »Cosmic Rays« for the organ), during which the ideas that had been important to him intertwined with his meditations on electronic music: »True cosmic music elements must be sought in one’s own inner universe. By going this way, one can rise to the highest Abstract, where the loftiest Wisdom, Logic, Perfection, Truth, Beauty, Virtue, Freedom of Spirit and the highest Creative Force with its endless sources and, finally, omnipotent Will reign.«[ix]

Bacevičius finished his 1963 analytical article »Concrete Music, Electronic Music and Music of the Future« [x] with this Romantic manifesto, which we can consider the first theoretical articulation of electronic and electroacoustic music in Lithuanian music. This text is especially valuable as it summarizes the discussion that was occurring at the time between individuals from both schools, raising the question of live performance on stage and the »liveliness« of the process of electronic or electroacoustic composition, as well as providing certain visionary predictions for the future of music. Most of these insights (except, perhaps, for a too clearly-defined differentiation between pure electronic music and electroacoustic music) are relevant and interesting in various aspects in today’s context.

The primary difference between the preconditions for concrete music and electronic music in Bacevičius’ assessments were based on motifs of »spirituality«. In his opinion, the creators of concrete music were only interested in the physical characteristics of sounds, i.e. »they portray and imitate any and all sounds of a physical and natural nature« [xi]. Bacevičius idealises the ability to make electronic music and the goal of using pure tones. He also examines the rules of this school which cause them to rise against the makers of concrete music: »Composers of electronic music, by being representatives of absolute music, are not interested in the acoustic problems of sound, because they care about spiritual expression, mood, sublimity, etc. Those representing electronic music lead a constant war against the makers of concrete music, whom they consider to be beneath them«. [xii]

Vytautas Bacevičius was in exile from the beginning of World War II. This circumstance most likely did not greatly influence his ideas and work in the historical processes of Lithuanian music. The different contexts and circumstances of his work may, up to a point, have impacted the different trajectories taken by this exile composer and the development of Lithuanian music, limited direct contact, and determined the peripheral status of Vytautas Bacevičius in music history during the Soviet period.

== Music and Technology: Towards Ideas and Instruments ==
[[File:Mindaugas urbaitis c arunas baltenas(1).jpg|thumb|right|Mindaugas Urbaitis. Photo: Arūnas Baltėnas]]

Along with the problematic issues of aesthetic orientation that were connected with technological progress and avant-garde ideas in Soviet Lithuania, there is the relevant question of access to technology and its quality and possibilities in the 1960s and 1970s, during a time that marked what could be called the »youth« of music based on the use of new technologies. There is an interesting link between the first creators of this music and national radio stations and television channels. According to Janatjeva, Bičiūnas »worked as a sound director at Lithuanian Radio starting in 1945, became the first sound director for Lithuanian Television and Radio in 1956, and worked at the Vilnius-based recording studio Melodija from 1961. It was precisely this that gave him the rare chance to experiment with the only accessible tools for making electronic music – the studio magnetophones and sound generators which were used to test the equipment. The case of [[Jurgis Juozapaitis]] was similar: he was a composer who worked as a sound director for Lithuanian Television and Radio starting in 1969.« [xiii]

With musicology and cultural studies being mostly focused on serious music and phenomena related to intellectual culture, connections between media and music in the context of popular culture are of particular interest for studies of an interdisciplinary nature on audiovisual art, cultural history and visual anthropology, which are otherwise left out on the periphery. At the same time, the professional interest of composers of serious academic music, and the search for new forms and methods of aesthetic expression connected with technology, draw them toward creative experiments. One of the innovators in this field was Jurgis Juozapaitis, who wrote the chamber symphony »Jūratė ir Kastytis« in 1974, which was the first Lithuanian concert piece to employ a pre-recorded tape. In 1979 he used a magnetic tape editing technique and composed an electroacoustic work entitled »UFO«, while in the 1980s he bought a computer and wrote »Kolapsaras« (Collapse) in 1985, which, according to V. Janatjeva, was the first work created and executed by a computer in Lithuania.

It was not only the composition of musical works that provided technological challenges, but also the performance of these works. This aspect is particularly important for the common paradigm of stage performance, where a new dimension is added by the direction of space and acoustics on stage, and by different approaches to stage direction. The first works of a longer length which used a tape, electrified traditional instruments (violoncello) or live electronic music were made in the 1970s. [[Mindaugas Urbaitis]] should be mentioned as a pioneer in this field, using an early version of the tape recorder in his work »Invencijos« (Inventions) for oboe in 1976. His 1979 composition »Meilės daina ir išsiskyrimas« (Song of Love and Separation) for solo soprano and delay system employed an interactive interplay of sound and electronic music during a live stage performance. Urbaitis’ interest in new technological tools for composing music reflects his identity as a composer, as well as his stylistic independence from what is known as the »machinist generation«, which we will look at later.

The link between technological and compositional aspects and problematic issues is revealed by the creative experiments of composer [[Osvaldas Balakauskas]] in the 1970s and 1980s. [[Osvaldas Balakauskas]] was fascinated by the possibilities of the electric violoncello. One of his notable works is »Ludus modorum« for electronic violoncello and chamber orchestra. A considerable part of this modern piece is for tape and small ensembles as well as for solo performances. The tape usually featured sections, modified in one way or another, which had been recorded beforehand by the performers who were playing on stage. [xiv] This kind of technique provided a number of compositional advantages. According to [[Vytautas Landsbergis]]: »Sound recording and reproduction equipment, allowing one to play the tape back or at different speeds, helps to enrich the sound with new colours, upside-down sounds that can’t be produced with regular methods, unheard-of virtuoso possibilities that instruments don’t have. [...] The texture is enriched, embellished, accessible where needed, a strong symphonic sound, the impression of a complex orchestral score. However, the composer wins in terms of the chamber-like character – his symphonies with tape are portable, and can be offered to somewhat broader strata of listeners without an enormous orchestra or special premises.« [xv] However, especially when keeping that period in mind, it was the technological aspects that were the most difficult to predict, and the realization of ideas linked with them became problematic. According to the composer, »the electronic audio equipment basis is not at the level it needs to be (or sometimes there simply isn’t any [level]). Due to this, not all the aforementioned possibilities give the expected result, and often it fails entirely«. [xvi]

This situation, paradoxically, greatly influenced what was known as the »machinist generation«, who were very productive in the mid-1980s, manifesting their creative identity in alternative and experimental ways and forcing their way into the Lithuanian academic music environment with a distinct taste for contexts that had, up until that point, been rather foreign to the current dominant aesthetic tastes.

== Innovative Strategies for Creative Work and Manifestations of Identity ==

[[File:Dadacongress79 sarunas nakas(1).jpg|thumb|right|DADA-Congress (1979, Lithuania). Photo: Šarūnas Nakas]]

This generation includes the work of composers [[Šarūnas Nakas]], [[Rytis Mažulis]], [[Tomas Juzeliūnas]], [[Nomeda Valančiūtė]] and [[Gintaras Sodeika]]. In one way or another they clearly displayed or partially reflected »machinism« – the cult of technology, mathematical precision, pure logic and related ideas – in music, and included a Modernist flair or neo-Dadaist irony. The concept of »machinism«, which from the very beginning seems to have been used more by critics than articulated consciously by the composers themselves, served as an aesthetic programme and paradigm for creative identity. This concept as such was not limited by a concrete aspect – the form these ideas took was in a sense secondary – that is, they could assume various forms. However, it was precisely the power and expression of this idea which revealed the very beauty, courage and rebellious energy of »machinism,« and created the aura of creative breakthrough surrounding this group of composers.

Works that have merited the still-relevant »machinist generation« label for these composers include Šarūnas Nakas‘ »Merz-machine« for 33 electronic and acoustic instruments, »Vox-machine« (1985) for 25 electronically modified voices and Mažulis' »Čiauškanti mašina« (Twittering Machine, 1986) for four pianists. V. Janatjeva describes Nakas‘ compositions in the following way: »Concentrated compositions swelling with energy (and sometimes with open aggression), composed of maximally autonomous lines or layers, pulsating with mechanically repeating segments of dense patterns and assaulting the listener with sharp ›urbanist‹ sound produced with electroacoustic instruments...« [xvii]

[[File:Sarunas nakas 1984.jpg|thumb|RIGHT|Šarūnas Nakas, 1984]]

The composers themselves have expressed different opinions about being grouped together on one shelf in the annals of music history. Gintaras Sodeika says that »it is a particular generation that forms a specific cultural and aesthetic background«. [xviii] Šarūnas Nakas’ position is not as clear-cut: »I look at generations cautiously. Those who are born in the same year don’t necessarily have similarities. Often there is a generation label, description or sign that is created to make it easier to label them.« Despite this reserved comparison by Šarūnas Nakas of the machinists with a generation or stylistic movement, there are certain characteristics that define the work of the aforementioned composers: the strategies they use to create their identities and their ties with the traditions of the 1980s clearly set them apart from the overall panorama of Lithuanian academic music.
[[File:Sarunas nakas merz-machine score.jpg|thumb|right|Šarūnas Nakas »Merz-machine«, score page]]

In some cases, the issue of identity is particularly striking. Worthy of mention are two much later works: Rytis Mažulis' »Grynojo proto klavyras« [xix] (1992–1994) for two pianists and tape, which was a reference to Immanuel Kant’s work »Critique of Pure Reason«, and the work »Gyvybės vandens klavyras« [xx] for two pianos and tape (1983) by Algirdas Martinaitis, who was from the Lithuanian school of Neo-Romantic music. Rytis Mažulis' minimalist piece reflects the basic principles of machinist composition, a mathematically precise organisation of the structure that seems to multiply the motif that is chosen as the point of departure for the work, reminding the listener of the intertwined garlands of melodies in Martinaitis’ composition: here, however, they do not intertwine into picturesque Romantic compositional threads with an Eastern sound, as in Martinaitis' work, but rather obey a strict and mechanical compositional logic. This work, though it was made in the 1990s, reflects rather well the situation of the identity of the machinist generation – in one way or another, their creative manifestations became a counterbalance to the dominant Neo-Romantic style. In the case of Rytis Mažulis, they became minimalist compositions organized along canonical progression. Šarūnas Nakas employed the use of Dadaist, futuristic, jazz and other compositional ornaments, while on the discourse level he employed socially active and chameleon-like mythologies concerning artistic identity. [xxi]

Mindaugas Urbaitis expanded innovative strategies for composing by employingtechnology, while at a later date Gintaras Sodeika, concentrating on the (post-)minimalist musical tradition, consistently progressed towards writing works possessing elements of performances, happenings and actions, which surpassed the borders of musical composition. At the end of the 1980s Sodeika was regularly working together with creators of contemporary fine art and with members of performance groups (such as the group Žalias lapas).

The end of the 1980s was a particularly stormy period, full of creative experiments. The theatrical concerts of the Free Sound Sessions featured works by composers from different generations which were inspired by the Fluxus movement, and which oscillated between fanciful and absurd decorations and were inspired by a spirit that had been freed from all canons. For example, Vidmantas Bartulis’ composition »Mein Lieber Freund Beethoven« used radio receivers, recordings of Beethoven’s music, and petard explosions.

The middle of the 1980s also featured the appearance of the Jaunimo kamerinės muzikos dienos (Youth Chamber Music Days, which became the Druskomanija Festival), which was an open forum in which young composers could experiment, and which even had its own musicology publication, Jauna Muzika (Young Music), which examined the problems facing contemporary music. While the machinists did not only define their identity with technological terms or limit themselves to an arsenal of concrete tools for expression, they were among the most active in raising the question of the need for electronic studios (which paradoxically has remained relevant in the 21st century, due to the lack of education in media culture) in order to go beyond the trends of Lithuanian academic music which were dominant at the time. According to Vita Gruodytė, »Digital music today has achieved the level of laser surgery and all kinds of other informatized Western spheres of life, which is why the lagging behind of Lithuanian composers is determined not by whether or not they possess the technology, but by the lack of contemplation of or thinking about technology. It is just not clear – is it because of a distrust of technology, the non-existence of innovative spirit, or the lack of funds? Perhaps the first reason, and the second, and the third?« [xxii]

== Interdisciplinary Artistic Practices. Multi-Layered Contexts ==
[[File:Vladimir tarasov nocturne for paper.jpg|thumb|right|[[Vladimir Tarasov]] »Nocturne for Paper«, Installation 1998]]

After the 2005 Jauna Muzika electronic music festival, machinist composer Rytis Mažulis admitted that the performance of Japanese noise musician »Merzbow« left an enormous impression on him. In the world of experimental music, Merzbow has been one of the most influential figures since the 1970s. However, we are clearly talking about two phenomena from separate fields, academic music and the experimental music scene.

Most sound artists or contemporary experimental musicians without an academic musical education are influenced by a particularly broad context of musical practices. Thanks to the pioneers of these practices, which included Max Neuhaus, Christina Kubisch, Alvin Lucier and others, the term »sound art« was coined to describe them. In some cases, however, the contemporary generation of sound artists, especially creators of experimental music, were influenced more by musical currents and various (sub-)cultural phenomena that emerged from and were formed by the counter-culture, such as noise music, rock music, industrial music, psychedelic culture, krautrock, punk rock and a number of other phenomena.

The local movement associated with sound art has been uniquely anti-establishment from the very beginning up to the mid-1990s, and, looking at it from the perspective of »serious culture«, it is situated on the fringes. It is hard to find a single nucleus for the expression of sound art on the map of artistic movements in Soviet Lithuania which would provide an adequate point of comparison with what was happening elsewhere in the world. It is, however, worth mentioning a few parallel examples which can be indirectly linked with experimental music or sound art. In the field of discourse we have a letter sent in 1963 by Jurgis Mačiūnas (one of the most famous Lithuanian artists in exile, internationally known as George Maciunas) to musicologist Vytautas Landsbergis (who later became the most influential figure of the Sąjūdis Reform Movement and the first head of a restored Lithuanian state). In this letter, Jurgis Mačiūnas wrote about avant-garde music, Fluxus art, mentioned John Cage’s scores, and also enquired about the possibility of returning to Lithuania to give concerts. What is interesting is that the letter highlighted the left-wing, pro-socialist character of Fluxus ideas and the political proximity of the movement to a socialist order, the kind that Jurgis Mačiūnas was imagining from his position in exile. [xxiii]

However, the visit by Fluxus members to Lithuania did not take place, and contacts allowing an exchange of information across the Atlantic about avant-garde art, including music, were only of a personal nature, and did not have any substantial influence on local art processes. In terms of expressions of informal culture in later years, one should mention the aura that hovered around the concerts of the GTČ free jazz trio with Ganelin, Tarasov, and Chekasin (otherwise known as Ganelin Trio). The trio’s improvisational style was unique in the Soviet Union. In addition, the concerts and performances that took place in the Neringa Cafe or in artists' studios brought a number of artists and intellectuals together in one group, and it existed as a kind of island of informal, lively underground culture, the energy of which spread into artists’ studios, where Lithuanian artists developed ties with Moscow Conceptualists, and the newest information on international art was discussed (or at least as much news as was available).

We can find the first elements of performance art in the work of the GTČ trio at the end of the 1970s (»Catalogue: Live in East Germany« LP/Leo 1979). For example, the concert known as »Home Music Making In Nine Rooms« which took place in the Vilnius Philharmonic in 1979, mixed elements of musical improvisation and theatre with aspects of performance and happening derived from the visual arts. [xxiv] It was these attempts to exceed the limits of music which led to the first installations by [[Vladimir Tarasov]] at the end of the 1980s, which can be considered the beginning of sound art in Lithuania.

A somewhat different environment, which could truly be called a hotbed of the counter-culture, was the unique avant-rock phenomenon »Ir Visa Tai Kas Yra Gražu Yra Gražu« (And Everything That is Beautiful is Beautiful, often abbreviated as I.V.T.K.Y.G.Y.G.), which surrounded itself with an intense informal movement and the bohemians of Vilnius. The group’s central figure was [[Artūras Barysas]], who was known as an experimental film maker and music collector who had rather mysteriously managed to acquire an almost unimaginable music collection, given the Soviet context. Artūras Barysas became the prototype of Magas, who was a character in a series of novels by Robertas Kundrotas and Algimantas Lyva. In 1990 Robertas Kundrotas and Linas Vyliaudas founded Tango, the first magazine to cover the international history of experimental, electronic, and improvisational music alongside current developments. The magazine was not published regularly, but it was relatively consistent, as a total of nine issues came out until 2001, giving an analytical and varied overview of themes such as avant-garde music, experimental music, avant-garde rock, free jazz and minimalism, along with other topics. [xxv]

Most of the artistic practices of the last two decades connected to experimental electronic music which identify themselves with the international scene have emerged from the environment of informal culture. A number of artists in this cultural sphere have gradually received local and international recognition as founders of practices of an interdisciplinary character bringing together sound art, contemporary music and visual arts.

The musical project »naj« was established by Kaunas residents Rolandas Cikanavičius, Algimantas Milius and Darius Čiuta in the 1990s, and distinguished itself with its radical aesthetic, balancing between industrial music and noise music. A similar aesthetic was noticeable in the radical sound experiments of guitarist Juozas Milašius. However, starting in the middle of the decade, with the chance to use the first widely accessible digital technology, »naj« member Darius Čiuta began his own explorations in search of his own form of aesthetic expression, and began to research various options for a conceptual approach to sound, starting with collages of sonic cut-ups or musical quotations, an interest (which was radical at the time) in soft, barely audible sound structures that were drawn out over long stretches of time to expose their malleable timbre and spaciousness, and ending with various interdisciplinary projects. As a professional architect, Darius Čiuta often sees sound in the context of a specific situation, event or spatial diffusion, and articulates both its plastic and semantic characteristics. For example, the project »Baltic Flour Mills« [xxvi] (a collaboration between Darius Čuita and Artūras Raila) considers the context of a post-war building in the Gateshead neighbourhood of Newcastle shortly before it is renovated and re-inaugurated as a contemporary arts centre. Darius Čuita employed field recordings to record the industrial ambience of the ghostly building.

Also deserving of mention is Gintas Kraptavičius, known by his stage name Gintas K [xxvii], an example of someone with a consistent and successful career on the informal scene who has recently garnered considerable attention on the international experimental music and sound art scene. Gintas K already began his musical career at the end of the 1980s with Modus, one of the first industrial music groups in Lithuania. In the mid-1990s, G. Kraptavičius turned toward conceptual artistic actions reminiscent of Fluxus. The most interesting work of this time is probably the performance entitled »Invitation for Tea«: the sound of water being boiled was amplified by contact microphones, from the lowest sound elements at the beginning of this generative composition to the multi-layered mass of noise at the end as the water boils. At the end of the performance, audience members were invited for a cup of tea made from the water used in the piece.

A few years later, already known as Gintas K, Kraptavičius joined the international network of sound artists based on partially virtual collaborations, participating in a number of festivals, creative workshops, projects and artistic collaborations. In 2007 his work received special recognition at Berlin’s prestigious Transmediale digital art festival. [xxviii] Antanas Jasenka and young composer and visual artist Arturas Bumšteinas should also be mentioned, as artists who have found themselves in a peculiar »in-between« situation. Both composers, despite their traditional academic education, orient their work toward experimental music and interdisciplinary art as well as other rather unconventional artistic practices. Starting in the mid-1990s, Jasenka began expanding his own aesthetic of electroacoustic composition, manipulating cuttings of cassette tapes, individual sound fragments and sound collages. Employing digital technology, Jasenka focussed on developing a style that could be described using constructivist, technological, neo-futuristic metaphors of the relationship between man and machine, based on collages of digitally generated tones, intense dynamics, and a dense tonal palette. This style is clearly seen in Jasenka’s works »Deusexmachina« (2001), »Elektroninės sutartinės« (Electronic Polophonic Songs, 2003), »Sonic Machine« (2005), »Boarding Pass« (2005), and »point.exe« (2006), among others.

The initiation of radical collective improvisations using digital technology was one of the early creative approaches of Arturas Bumšteinas. The projects »No Video – No Noise«, »Audio Shrift«, »massON«, »Chaos?«, »Life After the Earthquake«, »Experimental Sound Mixer«, and »mixthemixthemix« brought together participants in the informal music scene, and put into practice the idea of collective mixing, the final result of which was an almost uncontrollable mass of sound. Conceptual ideas expressed in sound and images were explored at first in the artistic duet of A. Bumšteinas and Laura Garbštienė, G-Lab, and later in Bumšteinas’ solo projects. Recently, the palette of A. Bumšteinas’ aesthetic expression has been very broad, from objects for gallery spaces to the creation of performance situations and documentary shows, from chamber works for acoustic instruments to concerts by the laptop quartet Twentytwentyone (which he founded).

The above-mentioned composers have been singled out not only for the importance of their work in the context of the experimental music scene of sound art, but also because of their artistic identity, creative models and specific strategies which refuse to be categorized using standard classifications. This could also be said of a large group of other artists, their projects and initiatives, the listing of which alone would require a separate text, not to mention a more complete overview.

== A Few Institutional Aspects ==

Like any other cultural phenomenon, the fate of technologically-based musical works, the conditions for their creation and the vitality of a favourable environment largely depends on institutional models, educational processes, cultural management and policies. In the first decade of this century, we can already observe a positive shift, and say for a fact that opportunities are appearing for the more active expansion of electronic music. However, although electronic music has already achieved a certain kind of folklore status, and interest in it as well as the spectrum of related creative practices has taken on all forms possible, the institutional articulation of these processes is still in the earliest stages.

In twenty years of independence, the only institutional initiative in Lithuania to have consistently worked in the field of visual art, media art and media culture and to have initiated diverse artistic projects is the independent institutional creation Jutempus, established by artists Gediminas and Nomeda Urbonas. In the mid-1990s a few projects initiated by Jutempus garnered broad recognition on the contemporary art scene in Lithuania, beginning with an international collaboration with a group of British artists called Ground Control, and ending with the television show tvvv.plotas. Gediminas and Nomeda Urbonas used Jutempus to articulate themes of art and technology and also electronic music on a wider scale, and actively implemented practices linked to electronic music in later projects like Ruta Remake or Re-Approaching New Media (RAM), which served as a network for the Baltic countries, and a cycle of creative workshops which took place in 2004 for new media art initiatives. Other practices linked to media art and the context of media culture were, and still are, relatively sporadic.

In contemporary music, those forms of media art belonging to the spectrum of »serious« or intellectual culture are best represented by the Jauna muzika festival, which since 2002 has focused exclusively on academic and non-academic electronic music, electroacoustic music, sound art, and connections between music and technology. It is a regularly staged annual festival, attracting international sound art and contemporary music stars, Lithuanian artists and a broad audience that enjoys this music. Stars that have performed on the Jauna Muzika stage, including Merzbow, Ryoji Ikeda, Carsten Nicolai, Frank Bretschneider, Thomas Köner, CM von Hausswolff, Farmers Manual, eRikm, Richard Chartier, and Pita bear witness to the unique nature of the festival not only in the context of Lithuania, but the whole of Eastern Europe.

There are a number of music and media art festivals and projects that have devoted considerable attention to electronic music over the last ten years. One could mention the festivals Enter and Virus (held in Šiauliai), which are devoted to media art, the festival Centras (in Kaunas) that ran until 2006 and is once again being staged, Garso zona (Sound Zone, in Kaunas and Vilnius), the more academically-oriented festival Iš Arti (Up Close, in Kaunas), Permainų muzika (Music of Change, in Klaipėda), and the young composers' festival Druskomanija (in Druskininkai). Interesting and energetic interdisciplinary initiatives like the audio-visual poetry festival Tarp (Between) and Naujosios operos akcija (New Opera Action), which experiments with contemporary forms of opera, have become ongoing projects.

Nevertheless, there are still deficiencies amidst this host of positive phenomena. The institutional infrastructure is not well-disposed toward modern interpretations of art practices in the field of sound art and electronic music, as they does not support a stable and consistent environment in which expert skills can be professionally developed. There are no regular residency programmes for the fields of visual art or contemporary music (or at least there is a lack of them), electronic and electroacoustic art, as well as studies devoted to radio art, which would be open to sound art professionals (ultimately, the very concept »sound art professional« currently sounds rather unrealistic in Lithuania), nor are there a sufficiently well-developed creative industries and other industrial branches based on audiovisual media to support professional skills in this field. There is a lack of cooperation between the exact sciences and the creative sector, which could otherwise effectively expand scientific research and artistic practices based on the relationship between music and technology. Finally, a vocabulary for adequate interdisciplinary art research discourse and perspectives for interpreting this kind of musical work is beginning to appear in local musicological discourse, albeit slowly.

It is only in the last decade that the educational infrastructure linked with this field has begun to improve, and has slowly become a more regular and consistent part of an academic programme. A department for sound and video art technology has been established at the Faculty of Humanities in Kaunas, and Šiaulių University is expanding their audio-visual studies. In addition, there are courses in audio-visual art and sound art in the Department of Photography and Media at the Vilnius Academy of Fine Arts. Kaunas’ Vytautas Magnus University is developing programmes focused on media arts, while Vilnius Gediminas Technical University already offers the possibility of technology and art studies (as well as music) of various types and levels. The Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre is delving deeper into contemporary music and sound on both a theoretical and practical level: however, it is difficult to discern elements of a more consistent and conscientious programme that would allow one to more actively shape discourse on the relationship of music and media in an environment including the new generation of composers and performers. This is why the interdisciplinary educational initiatives organized by composers from the new generation are particularly vital and justified, such as the network of creative music laboratories in 2009 called »Procesas«, a cycle in six parts devoted to music recordings, acoustic music, contemporary forms of opera, musical visualisation, electronic music and discourse on 21st century music.

To briefly sum up, it can be said that the long history of electronic music, electroacoustic music and other technology-based music in Lithuania reveals a potentially rich map of musical ideas that, up until now, have been rarely articulated. This historical heritage is an eloquent comment on today’s situation. Our age, called by many the Golden Age of electronic music, opens up inexhaustible and attainable artistic perspectives. Thus a historical and cultural experience linked with this kind of art, which has suffered a traumatic feeling of deficiency, emptiness of context, fear of innovation, and a feeling of isolation that has been exacerbated by a narrow definition of the discipline, now seems like a horizon that has never been so wide with possibilities, and never so rich with productive and creative visions.

Translation: Jayde Will

== References ==

[1] V. Janatjeva, »Terza Prattica, Its Expressions and Imitations in Lithuanian Music. Some Historical, Technological, Compositional and Aesthetic Aspects«, LMTA M.A. thesis, Vilnius 2006.

The author is grateful to Veronika Janatjeva, whose text »Terza Prattica« was an indispensable source in the process of writing this article.

[2] V. Janatjeva, Vilnius 2006. p. 3.

[3] Ibid.

[4] »Embrionas, vaisius ar naujagimis?« (Embryo, Fetus or Newborn?), Muzikos barai, 2005 May-June, p. 33. A conversation initiated by musicologist Asta Pakarklyte about the Jauna muzika electronic music festival.

[5] V. Janatjeva, Vilnius 2006, p. 33.

[6] V. Bičiūnas is the author of »The Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics« (Vilniaus mokslas, 1988) and »Recordings of Music« (Kaunas, Šviesa, 1988).

[7] »The Four Winds« was a literary movement of Futurists during the interwar period in Lithuania.

[8] V. Janatjeva, Vilnius 2006.

[9] Vytautas Bacevičius, »Concrete Music, Electronic Music and Music of the Future« / Vytautas Bacevičius. The Score of Life. Compiled by Ona Narbutiene. Petro ofsetas, Vilnius 2005, p. 281.

[10] Vytautas Bacevičius, Vilnius 2005. The article originally appeared in the Lithuanian exile periodical Draugas (Friend, 1963).

[11] Vytautas Bacevičius, Vilnius 2005, p. 279.

[12] Ibid.

[13] V. Janatjeva, Vilnius 2006, p. 35.

[14] The works »Orgija. Katarsis« (Orgy. Catharsis, 1979), »Heterofonija« (Heterophony, 1979), »Raštai« (Writing, 1981), »Muzikos« (Musics, 1982 version), »Ludus modorum« (1982 version), »Do Nata« (1982), »Gaida« (Melody, 1983) were created according to this principle.

[15] Vytautas Landsbergis, »O. Balakausko ›Raštai‹ ir ›Muzikos‹« (O. Balakauskas‘ Writings and Music), Literatura ir menas, June 26, 1982 (quoted from: V. Janatjeva, Vilnius 2006, p. 37).

[16] Iminas Kučinskas, Violončele ir nūdiena (Violoncello and the Present Day), Muzika 9-10, Vilnius: Muzika, 1992, p. 28 (quoted from: V. Janatjeva, Vilnius 2006, p. 37).

[17] V. Janatjeva, Vilnius 2006, p. 41.

[18] http://www.culture.lt/lmenas/?leid_id=2985&kas=straipsnis&st_id=3998 , 8/2012. (no longer available)

[19] Piano For Pure Reason.

[20] Piano of the Life-Giving Water.

[21] To learn more, read Rūtos Gotautienė’s article »Autorystės strategijos ir naujas muzikos main reimas / Paymetos teritorijos« (Authorship strategies and a new regime for change in music). Tyto alba, Vilnius 2005, pp. 168–191.

[22] Vita Gruodytė. Nauja muzika, senos tradicijos / Pažymėtos teritorijos. (New Music, Old Traditions / Marked Territories), Tyto alba, Vilnius 2005, p. 157.

[23] Jurgio Mačiūno laiškas Vytautui Landsbergiui / Tylusis modernizmas Lietuvoje 1962–1982 (Jurgis Mačiūnas’ Letter to Vytautas Landsbergis / Silent Modernism in Lithuania 1962–1982. Compiled by Elona Lubytė. Tyto Alba, Vilnius 1997, pp. 89–90.

[24] More about the work of GT can be found in an interview with Saulius Fukas and Vladimiras Tarasovas in »Vladimiras Tarasovas: tarp garso ir vaizdo« (We Created Our Own Language / Vladimiras Tarasovas: Between Sound and Image), compiled by Tautvydas Bajarkevicius. Baltos lankos, Vilnius 2008, pp. 10–27. The influence of the work of the GT trio on the art world is revealed by Elona Lubytė’s conversation with Vladimiras Tarasovas in »Vladimiras Tarasovas. Diazo muzikantas. Pokalbis Valentino Antanaviciaus dirbtuvėje / Tylusis modernizmas Lietuvoje« 1962–1982« (Vladimiras Tarasovas, Jazz Musician. A Conversation in Valentinas Antanavicius’ Workshop / Silent Modernism in Lithuania 1962–1982), compiled by Elona Lubytė. Tyto Alba, Vilnius 1997, pp. 89–90.

[25] A majority of the texts published in the magazine can be found at http://www.testsound.lt/tango/Tango/Tango.html (no longer available)

[26] Artūras Raila and Darius Čiutas project Baltic Flour Mills is part of the complex project Ground Control, which was included in Vilnius‘ Jutempus Gallery, the Contemporary Art Centre of Vilnius and galleries in London and Newcastle.

[27] Gintas K’s website (no longer available)

[28] G. Kraptavičius became a member of the Lithuanian Composers Union in 2011.

[[Category: Lithuanian Content]] [[Category: Sound Exchange]] [[Category: Essays]]

Pērkons

2021-10-19T11:13:28Z

Diogooutra:

[[File:Perkons 2.jpg|thumb|Pērkons live]]
Pērkons (English: Thunder) is a [[:Category:Latvia|Latvian]] rock band formed in 1981. Over the course of its history, the band’s members have included: [[Ieva Akurātere]] (vocals), [[Juris Kulakovs]] (composer, keyboard), [[Juris Sējāns]] (bass, vocals), [[Leons Sējāns]] (lead guitar), [[Raimonds Bartaševičs]] (vocals) and [[Ikars Runģis]] (drums).

==Biography==
The band came together in the early 80s and still performs at various concerts and festivals. Its output spans an eclectic range of genres ranging from instrumental and classical music to rock ’n’ roll and hard rock. Most of their songs are a combination of all these genres, which is what makes Pērkons sound so unique. Back in the day, their songs were akin to folk songs for youth. They collaborated with famous young poets of the day like Māris Melgavs and Klāvs Elsbergs, and later with many others, together creating meaningful and powerful songs with multifold layers of meaning. Through their songs they address topics nobody else in popular music dared to speak about. As a result, many times they found themselves in trouble with the state authorities. Their most popular songs include "Slidotava", "Pie baltas lapas", "Gandrīz tautasdziesma", "Mana dienišķā dziesma", "Balāde par gulbi", "Labu vakar" and "Mēs pārtiekam viens no otra" (topped the Mikrofons music chart in 1989).

In 1983 they were banned and forced to find another way to play their music. They continued to play as an ensemble representing the Soviet collective farm Padomju Latvija (located in Spuņciems). They made no mention of the name Pērkons. Together with the renowned composer [[Imants Kalniņš]] they created the rock opera "Ei, jūs tur!" (songwriter Viks, inspired by the novel by William Saroyan). The leading roles were played by singers Ieva Akurātere and Raimonds Bartašēvičs. Backing vocals supported by the Daile choir and conductor Gido Kokars. A second part of this huge musical piece named "Kā jūra, kā zeme, kā debess" (a poem by Māris Čaklais) was written by Imants Kalniņš, Juris Kulakovs and Juris Sējāns. These masterpieces were recorded officially and published in 1995. After their ban, their collaboration with composer Imants Kalniņš was vital in that it provided them with a stage to perform on. They would perform some of his songs (Kas dzīvo tanī pusē, Vēlai stundai) along with their own (Pie baltas lapas, Tu). Meanwhile they recorded two illegal albums, Mākslas darbi and Ar zibeni pa dibenu which were copied and distributed illegally.
During the summer of 1985, the band performed at a concert in the town of Ogre on July 6. Their performance provoked a scandal. After the powerful concert on the open-air stage, the primarily teenage crowd made its way to the train station and headed back to Riga. Caught up in the ecstasy of the moment, the teenagers were so delirious with joy and pent up adrenalin that they proceeded to demolish two train compartments. In their search for a scapegoat to blame for this breakdown in law and order and blatant show of disrespect for the Soviet system, the powers-that-be settled on the band, which was immediately banned from performing anywhere. The following year, the well-known Latvian documentary movie filmmaker Juris Podnieks released his controversial documentary Vai viegli būt jaunam? (Is It Easy to Be Young?, 1986) about the perestroika era including this concert and the subsequent demolition of the train. In the aftermath of these events, lead singer Ieva Akurātere joined another band, K. Remonts, while Juris Kulakovs studied composition at the Latvian State Conservatory. Together with singer Edgars Liepiņš they created a concert programme and became well-known artists in their own right.

In 1987 Pērkons re-emerged to perform at a song festival in Liepāja – Liepājas Dzintars 87 in the guise of an ensemble representing the fishermen's collective farm Selga from Tukums District. They won the main prize and at the end of the year their song Gandrīz tautasdziesma finished third in the Mikrofons chart. To their fans’ delight, they were once again allowed to perform on stage and even appear on TV and radio. In 1988 lead singer Ieva Akurātere became one of the freedom movement’s leading female activists with her folklore songs. "Reiz zaļoja jaunība" finished third in the Mikrofons chart in 1988 and her song "Manai Tautai" became the unofficial anthem for the freedom movement. The band’s rebellious songs "Mana dienišķā dziesma" and "Zaļā dziesma" also made it into the top ten.
In 1989, the band finally managed to record a legal album named Ballīte. Pērkons was invited to tour the USA. There they visited Latvian communities and their concerts were a great success. In 1990 they recorded "Latviska virtuve" (cassette), which they sold on tours abroad.

[[File:Zibens pa dibenu.jpg|thumb|Cover of Zibens pa dibenu by Pērkons]]
At the start of 1991, the band participated in the Barricades resistance protests and mostly played in the Old Town of Riga. The following year, in 1992, they participated in the project Bagātību Sala together with the Latvian National Theatre. Slowly though, life and work obstacles got in the way and the band became less active. In 1993 and 1994 their output was restricted to a few new songs and some compositions for the TV show Horoskopi, Horoskopi. Ieva Akurātere became the lead singer in the band Simulācija and played roles in various music projects. Juris Kulakovs composed music for movies.

In 2006 Pērkons celebrated its 25th anniversary at Dzintaru koncertzāle. In 2009 they reformed for a big concert celebrating 51st birthdays of band members Ieva Akurātere and Juris Kulakovs. In 2011 the band took part in the Rīgai 810 celebrations together with a choir from all over Latvia. In 2013 Pērkons embarked on a tour of Latvia entitled "Sapumpurots zars". The following year, in 2014, the band was honoured with a prize for its lifelong contribution to Latvian music at the Latvian Music Annual Awards Ceremony. The same year numerous music bands and musicians joined forces to pay tribute to the band, recording the Pērkons Tribute album. In 2018, Pērkons released the album "7os no rīta", recorded in collaboration with Reinis Sējāns, Egils Melbārdis, and Rihards Saule, featuring new songs and songs never released for. Meanwhile, Ieva Akurātere and Juris Sējāns celebrated their 60th birthdays with a new tour of Latvia named after the song "Gandrīz tautasdziesma".

The 2020 creative and informative historical exhibition and movie were made, organised, and produced by artist Cory McLeod at the Wende Museum of the Cold War about Pērkons. The theme of the exhibition was a resistance movement in politics, society and culture. Pērkons attracted rebellious youth all over the Soviet Union and contributed to a cultural awakening.

On June 1 2021, the band released a new album online. Written by Imants Kalniņš, performed by Pērkons, the rock opera "Ei, jūs tur!" The new album contains restored versions of songs originally recorded at Imants Kalniņš apartment in 1984. The new album is available online [https://album.link/dxx8twvfr3k00 here] and was released in honour of Imants Kalniņš’ 80th birthday.

[[File:Perkons.jpg|thumb|Pērkons]]
== Members ==
* Juris Kulakovs (keybord, compositions)
* Ieva Akurātere (lead vocals)
* Juris Sējāns (bass, vocals)
* Leons Sējāns (lead guitar)
* Raimons Bartasevičs (vocals)
* Ikars Runģis (drums)

'''Past members'''
* Nauris Puntulis – voice (1982 - 92)
* Dainis Strazdiņš – drums (1981 - 88)

== Music videos ==
* Troksnis (1983)
* Latvian Television show (songs Pie baltas lapas, Tu, Vēlai stundai, Kas dzīvo tanī pusē) (1985)
* Gandrīz tautasdziesma (1987)
* Kā pasakā (1987)
* Zibens gaismo tavas acis (1989)
* Kamēr es tevi mīlēju (1990)
* Un aizlido tērpa putni (1991)

== Discography ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Albums !! Recorded !! Published
|-
| "Mākslas darbi" (1981) || 1983 || 1994 “Dziesmu izlase #1” (2 cassettes, CD)
|-
| "Zibens pa dibenu" (1982) || 1983 || 1994 “Dziesmu izlase #1” (2 cassettes, CD)
|-
| "Ei, jūs tur!" (1984) || 1984 ||
* 1995 cassette "Ordālijas"
* 2007 CD "Kā jūra, kā zeme, kā debess" ("Antava")
* 2021 CD "Ei, jūs tur!" ("Pērkons" / HELI media)
|-
| "Kā jūra, kā zeme, kā debess" (1984) || 1984 ||
* 1995 cassette "Ordālijas"
* 2007 CD "Kā jūra, kā zeme, kā debess" ("Antava")
* 2021 CD "Ei, jūs tur!" ("Pērkons" / HELI media)
|-
| "Klusā daba ar perspektīvu" (1985) || 1988 — 1989 ||
* 1989 cassette "Pērkons" '85 - '87 ("Plate Records", ASV)
* 1996 "Dziesmu izlase #2" (cassette, CD)
|-
| "Labu vakar!" (1987) || 1988 — 1989 ||
* 1989 cassette "Pērkons" '85 - '87 ("Plate Records", ASV)
* 1996 "Dziesmu izlase #2" (cassette, CD)
|-
| "Ballīte" (1990) || 1989 ||
* 1990 LP ("Melodija")
* 2002 cassette un CD "Dziesmu izlase #3"
|-
| "Latviska virtuve" (1991) || 1990 — 1991 ||
* 1991 cassette
* 2002 cassette un CD "Dziesmu izlase #3"
|-
| "Balle!" (1995) || 1990 || 1995 cassette ("Gailītis-G")
|}

=== Compilations ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Released on
|-
| 1994 || "Dziesmu izlase #1: 1981—1982" || 2 cassettes, CD
|-
| 1995 || "Ordālijas: 1984" || cassette
|-
| 1996 || "Dziesmu izlase #2: 1985—1987" || cassette, CD
|-
| 2002 || "Dziesmu izlase #3: 1990—1991" || cassette, CD
|-
| 2018 || "7-os no rīta". Collected recordings’ 7th album (1983-2018) || CD
|}

<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqj7raNt2l4</youtube>
== External links ==
* https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%93rkons_(rokgrupa)
* https://www.facebook.com/PerkonsOfficial/
* https://www.calvertjournal.com/features/show/12695/latvia-soviet-rock-rebels-perkons-band
* https://www.discogs.com/artist/1551519-P%C4%93rkons?sort=year%2Casc&limit=50&page=1

[[Category: Latvian Profiles]]

Pērkons

2021-10-19T11:12:55Z

Diogooutra:

[[File:Perkons 2.jpg|thumb|Pērkons live]]
Pērkons (English: Thunder) is a [[:Category:Latvia|Latvian]] rock band formed in 1981. Over the course of its history, the band’s members have included: [[Ieva Akurātere]] (vocals), [[Juris Kulakovs]] (composer, keyboard), [[Juris Sējāns]] (bass, vocals), [[Leons Sējāns]] (lead guitar), [[Raimonds Bartaševičs]] (vocals) and [[Ikars Runģis]] (drums). The band came together in the early 80s and still performs at various concerts and festivals. Its output spans an eclectic range of genres ranging from instrumental and classical music to rock ’n’ roll and hard rock. Most of their songs are a combination of all these genres, which is what makes Pērkons sound so unique. Back in the day, their songs were akin to folk songs for youth. They collaborated with famous young poets of the day like Māris Melgavs and Klāvs Elsbergs, and later with many others, together creating meaningful and powerful songs with multifold layers of meaning. Through their songs they address topics nobody else in popular music dared to speak about. As a result, many times they found themselves in trouble with the state authorities. Their most popular songs include "Slidotava", "Pie baltas lapas", "Gandrīz tautasdziesma", "Mana dienišķā dziesma", "Balāde par gulbi", "Labu vakar" and "Mēs pārtiekam viens no otra" (topped the Mikrofons music chart in 1989).

In 1983 they were banned and forced to find another way to play their music. They continued to play as an ensemble representing the Soviet collective farm Padomju Latvija (located in Spuņciems). They made no mention of the name Pērkons. Together with the renowned composer [[Imants Kalniņš]] they created the rock opera "Ei, jūs tur!" (songwriter Viks, inspired by the novel by William Saroyan). The leading roles were played by singers Ieva Akurātere and Raimonds Bartašēvičs. Backing vocals supported by the Daile choir and conductor Gido Kokars. A second part of this huge musical piece named "Kā jūra, kā zeme, kā debess" (a poem by Māris Čaklais) was written by Imants Kalniņš, Juris Kulakovs and Juris Sējāns. These masterpieces were recorded officially and published in 1995. After their ban, their collaboration with composer Imants Kalniņš was vital in that it provided them with a stage to perform on. They would perform some of his songs (Kas dzīvo tanī pusē, Vēlai stundai) along with their own (Pie baltas lapas, Tu). Meanwhile they recorded two illegal albums, Mākslas darbi and Ar zibeni pa dibenu which were copied and distributed illegally.
During the summer of 1985, the band performed at a concert in the town of Ogre on July 6. Their performance provoked a scandal. After the powerful concert on the open-air stage, the primarily teenage crowd made its way to the train station and headed back to Riga. Caught up in the ecstasy of the moment, the teenagers were so delirious with joy and pent up adrenalin that they proceeded to demolish two train compartments. In their search for a scapegoat to blame for this breakdown in law and order and blatant show of disrespect for the Soviet system, the powers-that-be settled on the band, which was immediately banned from performing anywhere. The following year, the well-known Latvian documentary movie filmmaker Juris Podnieks released his controversial documentary Vai viegli būt jaunam? (Is It Easy to Be Young?, 1986) about the perestroika era including this concert and the subsequent demolition of the train. In the aftermath of these events, lead singer Ieva Akurātere joined another band, K. Remonts, while Juris Kulakovs studied composition at the Latvian State Conservatory. Together with singer Edgars Liepiņš they created a concert programme and became well-known artists in their own right.

In 1987 Pērkons re-emerged to perform at a song festival in Liepāja – Liepājas Dzintars 87 in the guise of an ensemble representing the fishermen's collective farm Selga from Tukums District. They won the main prize and at the end of the year their song Gandrīz tautasdziesma finished third in the Mikrofons chart. To their fans’ delight, they were once again allowed to perform on stage and even appear on TV and radio. In 1988 lead singer Ieva Akurātere became one of the freedom movement’s leading female activists with her folklore songs. "Reiz zaļoja jaunība" finished third in the Mikrofons chart in 1988 and her song "Manai Tautai" became the unofficial anthem for the freedom movement. The band’s rebellious songs "Mana dienišķā dziesma" and "Zaļā dziesma" also made it into the top ten.
In 1989, the band finally managed to record a legal album named Ballīte. Pērkons was invited to tour the USA. There they visited Latvian communities and their concerts were a great success. In 1990 they recorded "Latviska virtuve" (cassette), which they sold on tours abroad.

[[File:Zibens pa dibenu.jpg|thumb|Cover of Zibens pa dibenu by Pērkons]]
At the start of 1991, the band participated in the Barricades resistance protests and mostly played in the Old Town of Riga. The following year, in 1992, they participated in the project Bagātību Sala together with the Latvian National Theatre. Slowly though, life and work obstacles got in the way and the band became less active. In 1993 and 1994 their output was restricted to a few new songs and some compositions for the TV show Horoskopi, Horoskopi. Ieva Akurātere became the lead singer in the band Simulācija and played roles in various music projects. Juris Kulakovs composed music for movies.

In 2006 Pērkons celebrated its 25th anniversary at Dzintaru koncertzāle. In 2009 they reformed for a big concert celebrating 51st birthdays of band members Ieva Akurātere and Juris Kulakovs. In 2011 the band took part in the Rīgai 810 celebrations together with a choir from all over Latvia. In 2013 Pērkons embarked on a tour of Latvia entitled "Sapumpurots zars". The following year, in 2014, the band was honoured with a prize for its lifelong contribution to Latvian music at the Latvian Music Annual Awards Ceremony. The same year numerous music bands and musicians joined forces to pay tribute to the band, recording the Pērkons Tribute album. In 2018, Pērkons released the album "7os no rīta", recorded in collaboration with Reinis Sējāns, Egils Melbārdis, and Rihards Saule, featuring new songs and songs never released for. Meanwhile, Ieva Akurātere and Juris Sējāns celebrated their 60th birthdays with a new tour of Latvia named after the song "Gandrīz tautasdziesma".

The 2020 creative and informative historical exhibition and movie were made, organised, and produced by artist Cory McLeod at the Wende Museum of the Cold War about Pērkons. The theme of the exhibition was a resistance movement in politics, society and culture. Pērkons attracted rebellious youth all over the Soviet Union and contributed to a cultural awakening.

On June 1 2021, the band released a new album online. Written by Imants Kalniņš, performed by Pērkons, the rock opera "Ei, jūs tur!" The new album contains restored versions of songs originally recorded at Imants Kalniņš apartment in 1984. The new album is available online [https://album.link/dxx8twvfr3k00 here] and was released in honour of Imants Kalniņš’ 80th birthday.

[[File:Perkons.jpg|thumb|Pērkons]]
== Members ==
* Juris Kulakovs (keybord, compositions)
* Ieva Akurātere (lead vocals)
* Juris Sējāns (bass, vocals)
* Leons Sējāns (lead guitar)
* Raimons Bartasevičs (vocals)
* Ikars Runģis (drums)

'''Past members'''
* Nauris Puntulis – voice (1982 - 92)
* Dainis Strazdiņš – drums (1981 - 88)

== Music videos ==
* Troksnis (1983)
* Latvian Television show (songs Pie baltas lapas, Tu, Vēlai stundai, Kas dzīvo tanī pusē) (1985)
* Gandrīz tautasdziesma (1987)
* Kā pasakā (1987)
* Zibens gaismo tavas acis (1989)
* Kamēr es tevi mīlēju (1990)
* Un aizlido tērpa putni (1991)

== Discography ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Albums !! Recorded !! Published
|-
| "Mākslas darbi" (1981) || 1983 || 1994 “Dziesmu izlase #1” (2 cassettes, CD)
|-
| "Zibens pa dibenu" (1982) || 1983 || 1994 “Dziesmu izlase #1” (2 cassettes, CD)
|-
| "Ei, jūs tur!" (1984) || 1984 ||
* 1995 cassette "Ordālijas"
* 2007 CD "Kā jūra, kā zeme, kā debess" ("Antava")
* 2021 CD "Ei, jūs tur!" ("Pērkons" / HELI media)
|-
| "Kā jūra, kā zeme, kā debess" (1984) || 1984 ||
* 1995 cassette "Ordālijas"
* 2007 CD "Kā jūra, kā zeme, kā debess" ("Antava")
* 2021 CD "Ei, jūs tur!" ("Pērkons" / HELI media)
|-
| "Klusā daba ar perspektīvu" (1985) || 1988 — 1989 ||
* 1989 cassette "Pērkons" '85 - '87 ("Plate Records", ASV)
* 1996 "Dziesmu izlase #2" (cassette, CD)
|-
| "Labu vakar!" (1987) || 1988 — 1989 ||
* 1989 cassette "Pērkons" '85 - '87 ("Plate Records", ASV)
* 1996 "Dziesmu izlase #2" (cassette, CD)
|-
| "Ballīte" (1990) || 1989 ||
* 1990 LP ("Melodija")
* 2002 cassette un CD "Dziesmu izlase #3"
|-
| "Latviska virtuve" (1991) || 1990 — 1991 ||
* 1991 cassette
* 2002 cassette un CD "Dziesmu izlase #3"
|-
| "Balle!" (1995) || 1990 || 1995 cassette ("Gailītis-G")
|}

=== Compilations ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Released on
|-
| 1994 || "Dziesmu izlase #1: 1981—1982" || 2 cassettes, CD
|-
| 1995 || "Ordālijas: 1984" || cassette
|-
| 1996 || "Dziesmu izlase #2: 1985—1987" || cassette, CD
|-
| 2002 || "Dziesmu izlase #3: 1990—1991" || cassette, CD
|-
| 2018 || "7-os no rīta". Collected recordings’ 7th album (1983-2018) || CD
|}

<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqj7raNt2l4</youtube>
== External links ==
* https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%93rkons_(rokgrupa)
* https://www.facebook.com/PerkonsOfficial/
* https://www.calvertjournal.com/features/show/12695/latvia-soviet-rock-rebels-perkons-band
* https://www.discogs.com/artist/1551519-P%C4%93rkons?sort=year%2Casc&limit=50&page=1

[[Category: Latvian Profiles]]

File:Perkons 2.jpg

2021-10-19T11:11:40Z

Diogooutra:

Pērkons

File:Zibens pa dibenu.jpg

2021-10-19T11:11:21Z

Diogooutra:

Cover of Zibens pa dibenu by Pērkons

File:Perkons.jpg

2021-10-19T11:10:45Z

Diogooutra:

Pērkons

2021-10-19T11:09:07Z

Diogooutra: Created page with "Pērkons (English: Thunder) is a Latvian rock band formed in 1981. Over the course of its history, the band’s members have included: Ieva Akurātere..."

Pērkons (English: Thunder) is a [[:Category:Latvia|Latvian]] rock band formed in 1981. Over the course of its history, the band’s members have included: [[Ieva Akurātere]] (vocals), [[Juris Kulakovs]] (composer, keyboard), [[Juris Sējāns]] (bass, vocals), [[Leons Sējāns]] (lead guitar), [[Raimonds Bartaševičs]] (vocals) and [[Ikars Runģis]] (drums). The band came together in the early 80s and still performs at various concerts and festivals. Its output spans an eclectic range of genres ranging from instrumental and classical music to rock ’n’ roll and hard rock. Most of their songs are a combination of all these genres, which is what makes Pērkons sound so unique. Back in the day, their songs were akin to folk songs for youth. They collaborated with famous young poets of the day like Māris Melgavs and Klāvs Elsbergs, and later with many others, together creating meaningful and powerful songs with multifold layers of meaning. Through their songs they address topics nobody else in popular music dared to speak about. As a result, many times they found themselves in trouble with the state authorities. Their most popular songs include "Slidotava", "Pie baltas lapas", "Gandrīz tautasdziesma", "Mana dienišķā dziesma", "Balāde par gulbi", "Labu vakar" and "Mēs pārtiekam viens no otra" (topped the Mikrofons music chart in 1989).

In 1983 they were banned and forced to find another way to play their music. They continued to play as an ensemble representing the Soviet collective farm Padomju Latvija (located in Spuņciems). They made no mention of the name Pērkons. Together with the renowned composer [[Imants Kalniņš]] they created the rock opera "Ei, jūs tur!" (songwriter Viks, inspired by the novel by William Saroyan). The leading roles were played by singers Ieva Akurātere and Raimonds Bartašēvičs. Backing vocals supported by the Daile choir and conductor Gido Kokars. A second part of this huge musical piece named "Kā jūra, kā zeme, kā debess" (a poem by Māris Čaklais) was written by Imants Kalniņš, Juris Kulakovs and Juris Sējāns. These masterpieces were recorded officially and published in 1995. After their ban, their collaboration with composer Imants Kalniņš was vital in that it provided them with a stage to perform on. They would perform some of his songs (Kas dzīvo tanī pusē, Vēlai stundai) along with their own (Pie baltas lapas, Tu). Meanwhile they recorded two illegal albums, Mākslas darbi and Ar zibeni pa dibenu which were copied and distributed illegally.
During the summer of 1985, the band performed at a concert in the town of Ogre on July 6. Their performance provoked a scandal. After the powerful concert on the open-air stage, the primarily teenage crowd made its way to the train station and headed back to Riga. Caught up in the ecstasy of the moment, the teenagers were so delirious with joy and pent up adrenalin that they proceeded to demolish two train compartments. In their search for a scapegoat to blame for this breakdown in law and order and blatant show of disrespect for the Soviet system, the powers-that-be settled on the band, which was immediately banned from performing anywhere. The following year, the well-known Latvian documentary movie filmmaker Juris Podnieks released his controversial documentary Vai viegli būt jaunam? (Is It Easy to Be Young?, 1986) about the perestroika era including this concert and the subsequent demolition of the train. In the aftermath of these events, lead singer Ieva Akurātere joined another band, K. Remonts, while Juris Kulakovs studied composition at the Latvian State Conservatory. Together with singer Edgars Liepiņš they created a concert programme and became well-known artists in their own right.

In 1987 Pērkons re-emerged to perform at a song festival in Liepāja – Liepājas Dzintars 87 in the guise of an ensemble representing the fishermen's collective farm Selga from Tukums District. They won the main prize and at the end of the year their song Gandrīz tautasdziesma finished third in the Mikrofons chart. To their fans’ delight, they were once again allowed to perform on stage and even appear on TV and radio. In 1988 lead singer Ieva Akurātere became one of the freedom movement’s leading female activists with her folklore songs. "Reiz zaļoja jaunība" finished third in the Mikrofons chart in 1988 and her song "Manai Tautai" became the unofficial anthem for the freedom movement. The band’s rebellious songs "Mana dienišķā dziesma" and "Zaļā dziesma" also made it into the top ten.
In 1989, the band finally managed to record a legal album named Ballīte. Pērkons was invited to tour the USA. There they visited Latvian communities and their concerts were a great success. In 1990 they recorded "Latviska virtuve" (cassette), which they sold on tours abroad.

At the start of 1991, the band participated in the Barricades resistance protests and mostly played in the Old Town of Riga. The following year, in 1992, they participated in the project Bagātību Sala together with the Latvian National Theatre. Slowly though, life and work obstacles got in the way and the band became less active. In 1993 and 1994 their output was restricted to a few new songs and some compositions for the TV show Horoskopi, Horoskopi. Ieva Akurātere became the lead singer in the band Simulācija and played roles in various music projects. Juris Kulakovs composed music for movies.

In 2006 Pērkons celebrated its 25th anniversary at Dzintaru koncertzāle. In 2009 they reformed for a big concert celebrating 51st birthdays of band members Ieva Akurātere and Juris Kulakovs. In 2011 the band took part in the Rīgai 810 celebrations together with a choir from all over Latvia. In 2013 Pērkons embarked on a tour of Latvia entitled "Sapumpurots zars". The following year, in 2014, the band was honoured with a prize for its lifelong contribution to Latvian music at the Latvian Music Annual Awards Ceremony. The same year numerous music bands and musicians joined forces to pay tribute to the band, recording the Pērkons Tribute album. In 2018, Pērkons released the album "7os no rīta", recorded in collaboration with Reinis Sējāns, Egils Melbārdis, and Rihards Saule, featuring new songs and songs never released for. Meanwhile, Ieva Akurātere and Juris Sējāns celebrated their 60th birthdays with a new tour of Latvia named after the song "Gandrīz tautasdziesma".

The 2020 creative and informative historical exhibition and movie were made, organised, and produced by artist Cory McLeod at the Wende Museum of the Cold War about Pērkons. The theme of the exhibition was a resistance movement in politics, society and culture. Pērkons attracted rebellious youth all over the Soviet Union and contributed to a cultural awakening.

On June 1 2021, the band released a new album online. Written by Imants Kalniņš, performed by Pērkons, the rock opera "Ei, jūs tur!" The new album contains restored versions of songs originally recorded at Imants Kalniņš apartment in 1984. The new album is available online [https://album.link/dxx8twvfr3k00 here] and was released in honour of Imants Kalniņš’ 80th birthday.

== Members ==
* Juris Kulakovs (keybord, compositions)
* Ieva Akurātere (lead vocals)
* Juris Sējāns (bass, vocals)
* Leons Sējāns (lead guitar)
* Raimons Bartasevičs (vocals)
* Ikars Runģis (drums)

'''Past members'''
* Nauris Puntulis – voice (1982 - 92)
* Dainis Strazdiņš – drums (1981 - 88)

== Music videos ==
* Troksnis (1983)
* Latvian Television show (songs Pie baltas lapas, Tu, Vēlai stundai, Kas dzīvo tanī pusē) (1985)
* Gandrīz tautasdziesma (1987)
* Kā pasakā (1987)
* Zibens gaismo tavas acis (1989)
* Kamēr es tevi mīlēju (1990)
* Un aizlido tērpa putni (1991)

== Discography ==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Albums !! Recorded !! Published
|-
| "Mākslas darbi" (1981) || 1983 || 1994 “Dziesmu izlase #1” (2 cassettes, CD)
|-
| "Zibens pa dibenu" (1982) || 1983 || 1994 “Dziesmu izlase #1” (2 cassettes, CD)
|-
| "Ei, jūs tur!" (1984) || 1984 ||
* 1995 cassette "Ordālijas"
* 2007 CD "Kā jūra, kā zeme, kā debess" ("Antava")
* 2021 CD "Ei, jūs tur!" ("Pērkons" / HELI media)
|-
| "Kā jūra, kā zeme, kā debess" (1984) || 1984 ||
* 1995 cassette "Ordālijas"
* 2007 CD "Kā jūra, kā zeme, kā debess" ("Antava")
* 2021 CD "Ei, jūs tur!" ("Pērkons" / HELI media)
|-
| "Klusā daba ar perspektīvu" (1985) || 1988 — 1989 ||
* 1989 cassette "Pērkons" '85 - '87 ("Plate Records", ASV)
* 1996 "Dziesmu izlase #2" (cassette, CD)
|-
| "Labu vakar!" (1987) || 1988 — 1989 ||
* 1989 cassette "Pērkons" '85 - '87 ("Plate Records", ASV)
* 1996 "Dziesmu izlase #2" (cassette, CD)
|-
| "Ballīte" (1990) || 1989 ||
* 1990 LP ("Melodija")
* 2002 cassette un CD "Dziesmu izlase #3"
|-
| "Latviska virtuve" (1991) || 1990 — 1991 ||
* 1991 cassette
* 2002 cassette un CD "Dziesmu izlase #3"
|-
| "Balle!" (1995) || 1990 || 1995 cassette ("Gailītis-G")
|}

=== Compilations ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Released on
|-
| 1994 || "Dziesmu izlase #1: 1981—1982" || 2 cassettes, CD
|-
| 1995 || "Ordālijas: 1984" || cassette
|-
| 1996 || "Dziesmu izlase #2: 1985—1987" || cassette, CD
|-
| 2002 || "Dziesmu izlase #3: 1990—1991" || cassette, CD
|-
| 2018 || "7-os no rīta". Collected recordings’ 7th album (1983-2018) || CD
|}

== External links ==
* https://lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%93rkons_(rokgrupa)
* https://www.facebook.com/PerkonsOfficial/
* https://www.calvertjournal.com/features/show/12695/latvia-soviet-rock-rebels-perkons-band
* https://www.discogs.com/artist/1551519-P%C4%93rkons?sort=year%2Casc&limit=50&page=1

[[Category: Latvian Profiles]]

Imants Kalniņš

2021-10-19T10:27:50Z

Diogooutra:

[[File:Saeima - 9.Saeimas deputāts Imants Kalniņš.jpg|thumb|Imants Kalniņš. Photo sourced from Wikipedia]]
Imants Kalniņš (born 26 May 1941 in Riga, Latvian SSR) is a [[:Category: Latvia|Latvian]] composer, musician and politician. Having studied classical, as well as choral music, he has written six symphonies, several operas (including the first rock opera in the [[:Category: Soviet Union|USSR]], "Ei, jūs tur!" (Hey, you there!)), oratorios, cantatas, choir songs, and many pieces of movie and theater music. However, he is generally best known for his rock songs and is to be considered the first composer of intellectual rock music in Latvia.

During the 1960s, Kalniņš led the Liepāja rock band [[2xBBM]], which found success due to its its heartfelt songs and hippy-like lifestyle. Kalniņš became the symbol of the spirituality, rebellion and worldview of the generation, and it was emphasized by the fact the band was forced to stop playing because of the pressure from official institutions. However, this doesn't stop Kalniņš' music from being heard - it is played by the incredibly popular band [[Menuets]] (Latvian for 'minuet'), which plays songs almost exclusively by Kalniņš.

During the 1970s, Kalniņš returned to writing symphonic music.[1] In 1984, he wrote the rock oratorio "Kā jūra, kā zeme, kā debess" (Like the sea, like the earth, like the sky) with Juris Kulakovs and Juris Sējāns. The oratorio was the first thing played by the band [[Pērkons]] ('Thunder') to the general public. With it Kalniņš returned to rock and roll once more. He wrote many new songs for Pērkons, and these same songs led him to start his own band, Turaidas Roze ('The Rose Of Turaida'). However, the band never gained the recognition and adoration that Menuets and Pērkons did.

During the third awakening of the Latvian people, when Latvia regained independence, Kalniņš took part actively in Tautas Fronte (Popular Front) political organization, which played the most important part in ending Latvia's occupation by the USSR.

The festival most associated with Kalniņš is the Imantdienas ('The Days of Imants'), extremely popular during the Soviet times and therefore banned. The tradition was reintroduced in 1995, and since then has happened every year (with the exception of 1997, when the composer was away on a trip, and 2009 – in a time of economic downturn).

More recently, Imants Kalniņš has worked together with the well-known Latvian musician Ainars Mielavs, and their collaboration has resulted in albums containing primarily music by Kalniņš, such as "Par lietām, kas tā ar' nekad nepāriet" (About things that never truly go away) (1997), "Es redzēju sapnī" (I Saw in a dream) (1998) and "I Love You" (1999; despite the title, the lyrics are mostly in Latvian in this album).

In 2000, music for the 1973 movie "Pūt, vējiņi" (Blow, wind, blow) was re-recorded by the Liepāja Symphony Orchestra as well as many recognized singers.

Kalniņš also composed the song "Pilsētā, kurā piedzimst vējš" ("In the city where the wind is born"), the anthem of Liepāja.

He is also a politician, member of the 8th and 9th Saeima for For Fatherland and Freedom/LNNK.

In April 2015, Kalniņš was reported to have converted Islam by some outlets,[2] but Kalniņš himself has later refuted these claims.[3]

== Private life ==
Kalniņš was married to the actor Helga Dancberga who died in 2019. They had three children, Dana Kalniņa-Zaķe who became the lead for the Latvian Association of Professional Health Care Chaplains, actress Rezija Kalniņa and Krists Kalniņš who is a pastor.[4]

== References ==

# "The ten most important musical works of Latvia's centenary". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
# http://www.la.lv/imants-kalnins-pienemis-islamticibu/
# https://www.lsm.lv/raksts/kultura/kulturtelpa/jebkura-vara--ta-ir-ideologija-saruna-ar-komponistu-imantu-kalninu.a361190/
# "Mūžībā aizgājusi aktrise Helga Dancberga". www.lsm.lv (in Latvian). Retrieved 2020-01-08.

''Text adapted from Wikipedia''
[[Category: Latvian Profiles]]

Bez ladu a skladu interview

2021-09-10T12:09:02Z

Diogooutra:

[[File:Paris stvorec.jpg|thumb|Bez ladu a skladu in Paris, 1992 - photo by Raphaël Rinaldi]]
''The Slovak band [[Bez ladu a skladu]] was established in Trenčín, [[:Category:Slovakia|Slovakia]] in 1985, and became renowned for their rhythmic, cacophonic music and lyrics which were a veiled and playful critique of the communist regime, as well as their iconic look, with the band wearing black suits, thin ties, white socks and sunglasses, inspired by another Trenčín-based underground band, [[Chór vážskych muzikantov]] (CHVM). Over their 12 years of activity, the band performed at numerous underground, semi-official and official events across [[:Category:Czechoslovakia|Czechoslovakia]] (as well as beyond it) alongside underground / alternative bands of the period. Their four studio albums were released after the fall of the regime. The group disbanded in 1997. In this interview, UMSCENE team member Lucia Udvardyova speaks with [[Michal Kaščák]], Bez ladu a skladu's emblematic frontman - who was 13 when the group started - about their musical journey.''

'''You grew up and began your musical journey in Trenčín, a relatively small town in Western Slovakia near the Czech border. Why do you think such a particular music scene emerged there?'''

It’s all due to a couple of people – CHVM (Chór vážskych muzikantov, a Slovak underground band) in this case. They started to perform very interesting concerts. These were not your usual gigs, but more like happenings, where they also invited other bands to perform. CHVM played music differently to what people had been used to in Trenčín. [[Luboš Dzúrik]], the leader of CHVM, started to distribute banned and non-official music mainly from the Czech underground and alternative scene within the country. His illegal “catalogue” also included our band, Bez ladu a skladu. There was a military base in Trenčín, and a lot of families from all over the country moved there because parents – usually the father – had a higher-ranking position in the army. Those kids had a strict upbringing and started to rebel against their parents and authority in general. At the same time, Trenčín was very much a communist city. Later, in the 90s, this translated into Trenčín becoming a bastion of Mečiarism (the rule of the authoritarian PM Vladimír Mečiar), and Smer (the party of the former Slovak PM Robert Fico). The army had already been stationed there during the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy. It was a strong stronghold of the Tiso fascist regime during the Slovak State in the 1930s. Several authoritarian systems left their mark on the history of Trenčín. This authoritarian pressure was countered by a certain part of the city's population. This is how CHVM emerged, and they greatly inspired others, including our band. I'm glad this goes on to this day.

'''CHVM had a distinctive appearance – with black suits, white shirts, ties and sunglasses. It seems their image also had an impact on you.'''

To an extent. I had only seen CHVM once before we started playing concerts. This was in 1981 at the first edition of Gympel Rock, where my oldest brother took me. It was at this event, after having seen CHVM, that I had an epiphany and decided I wanted to do something similar. They seemed otherworldly. I had never heard music like that until then.

'''What sort of venues did they play?'''

There was a cinema called Hviezda (Star), which incorporated a club called Lúč (Ray), where they used to play. They also organized several concerts at cultural houses in the countryside. They were in a similar position to us and all the bands in the communist block – they had to have their music approved by a committee. Lots of their gigs got cancelled, some were approved. They organized these village gigs in order to play more.

[[File:BLAS 0006.jpg|thumb|Bez ladu a skladu. Photo from Michal Kaščák's archives.]]
'''So they were allowed by the government?'''

Yes, more or less so. Sometimes there were events organized by people without having an official stamp of approval. CHVM also had a following in Bratislava.

'''There were bands which operated in the underground, in stark opposition to state sanctioned musicians, and which never crossed over to the other side, so to speak. How did this fluctuation from the official to the unofficial scene look like back then?'''

There was something like a “grey zone” with artists that had official permission, but with a lot of issues with authorities like banned songs, prohibited concerts, regional bans, … This included the alternative scene from Trenčín, Brno, or the punk scene from Bratislava. In Slovakia, we didn't have a strong underground movement and scene like the one around the [[Plastic People of the Universe]], [[DG307]], [[Dvouletá fáma]] etc in [[:Category: Czech Republic|Czechia]]. There had been a scene around [[Marcel Strýko]] (a Slovak artist, philosopher, dissident), but it was musically insular. I only found out about (underground band) [[Nace]] from Košice long after 1989, and it wasn't because we weren’t interested, much the contrary, we were searching for any band that didn't fit in. Nace never had the ambition for anything bigger than gigs at their cottage. But there had been no music underground per se in Slovakia. Us, CHVM and to a large extent, punk bands, tried to pass the evaluation of the state-led committee in order to be able to play. We expected that communism would last forever, so we prepared “innocent” songs for those official “state checks”... I must say that it was the worst experience in my artistic life. We felt humiliated, we got through that only thanks to sarcasm and humour. There were a lot of jokes about the communist regime and official representatives in polyester suits... I admire people like [[Mikoláš Chadima]], a Czech musician and underground activist from Prague, who categorically refused this. There is a very interesting story about The Plastic People of the Universe - after their trial in 1977, they completely resigned on any deal with the state. But in the beginning, for a short while, they were a “professional”, permitted band, and this only started to change during the Normalization. In the late 80s some part of the scene around PPU initially tried to get approved by official committees - the hunger to play was simply too strong.

<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQvbg_qieK4</youtube>

'''How did your musical path evolve from those early days?'''

When we started with the band, we hadn't been aware that we needed to get permission from these government juries. We played the first three gigs freely, then CHVM brought us along. In Bratislava, we played with the Czech band [[E!]] whose manager Lenka Zogatová saw our concert and subsequently invited us to play at Rockfest in Prague (an official music festival that took place between 1986 and 1989). So our 6th gig was already at Rockfest, which was paradoxically organized by the Union of Socialist Youth. This is quite fascinating, because alternative and punk – not underground - bands like [[Ještě jsme se nedohodli]] and [[Hrdinové nové fronty]] also played at Rockfest. A few Czech bands refused to play there – incl. Chadima – but they were in the minority. As I said, everyone thought the regime would last forever, and they were also hoping for a certain relaxation of the regime.

Later, we found out we needed to get approved by these government juries in order to be able to play, and we received the lowest category and didn't try it again. Every band had to have their “official founder - representative”, ours was the City Cultural Centre in Trenčín, where there was a person allocated to us. We were lucky it wasn't some factory or impersonal institution, but a young guy who became our so-called manager. His duties involved sending lyrics to the particular Slovak Communist Party committee, which evaluated them, and sending organizers a list of songs which could and which couldn't be played. Recording was illegal and so was the distribution of these recordings, but nevertheless, it did happen. CHVM's Ľuboš Dzúrik played an important part in this, as he sent out recordings across Slovakia. A lot of concerts were cancelled due to so-called technical reasons. We also had quite a lot of cancelled gigs, or songs, for that matter. Sometimes we'd play those, sometimes we didn't. Especially in the Czech Republic, the organizers told us we could play whatever we wanted (and they would take responsibility).

'''Your tracks such as “Udavač” (Informant), “Píšte všetci modrým perom” (Everyone Write With a Blue Pen) included lots of allusions and allegories that could be interpreted as critical to the regime.'''

“Udavač” is my own ironic text about informants, whom we considered simply awful. Of course, it referred to the secret police. I was inspired by my older brother who said I should write a song about informants. As a band, we wanted to play as freely as possible. “Píšte všetci modrým perom” was obviously an anti-totalitarian text. We had very open discussions with our father who never liked the regime. There was also my oldest brother (the other one was with me in the band) who had been in touch with CHVM's Dzúrik and the vibrant Trenčín music community. He provided us with – via Dzúrik - samizdat literature, as well as underground music on tapes (the Plastic People of the Universe, [[Dybbuk]], [[Ještě jsme se nedohodli]], etc).

[[File:BLAS 0010.jpg|thumb|Michal Kaščák. Photo from Michal Kaščák's archives.]]
'''You were around 15, 16 at this time?'''

When we started, I was 13 years old.

'''In one interview you mentioned you were protected by your age and the fact that you lived in a relatively small town.'''

Yes, this is what I think now in retrospect. How else would it be possible that we were able to play gigs and even managed to land on the (Slovak state-run) Opus label to record an album (which was released in 1990, after change of the regime). I think being from a small town had some sort of protective element to it. My father was a doctor who treated a lot of people and being a sought after internal medicine specialist meant a lot. This is what I think, but of course it doesn't have to be the reason. In terms of age, to persecute 13, 15-year-olds is a bit different to doing it to those in their twenties.

'''Did you encounter any issues as a band?'''

Some of the basic issues were cancelled gigs. We often found out about these cancellations on the spot, after having travelled across the country to get to these gigs. There were also banned songs. We only had one regional ban, in the East Bohemia Region, when we performed at a festival in Lipnice in 1988 straight after Václav Havel's speech. Most of those who performed at this event ended up being banned in this one region for a certain period of time.

'''Did you have any issues at school?'''

Sometimes. The guys would be called to the headmaster's office. But we perceived these issues as something quite ordinary. I remember our headmaster accusing us of being fascist because we had thin black ties, but this was absurd.

'''In Prague, various bands stemming from the nascent postpunk / new wave scene emerged in the early 80s, including [[Dybbuk]], [[Máma Bubo]], [[Garáž]], etc. Were you influenced by any of them?'''

We were mostly influenced by CHVM, those recordings were the only ones we had at home. Later we got our hands on Dybbuk, [[Krásné nové stroje]], Garáž, E!, Ještě jsme se nedohodli. We were surely influenced by the Czech alternative scene. In Slovakia, there was a thriving punk scene in Bratislava, though we were much closer to the Czech scene, the one in Brno, in particular.

'''In 1988, the Čertovo kolo music festival took place in Bratislava. Perhaps a sign of times, and the loosening of the state-controlled power grip, several alternative bands from the whole of Czechoslovakia performed here, including Bez ladu a skladu. How do you recollect this event?'''

Čertovo kolo was a miracle, especially considering that for instance our band faced the most difficulties in Bratislava. We had been thrown out of clubs, we actually couldn't even stay within the club's premises. The unique connection between Agnes Snopko and Paľo Maruščák was what propelled the whole thing - one of them being a student, the other an archaeologist and organizer who operated in a certain grey zone. He managed to bring us together with Jiří Stivín and Jozef Jankovič, who was more or less a banned author and visual artist. Čertovo kolo was a mixture between a student event – the main organizers were students around Maruščák – and Agnes who had good connections to the Czech scene. I'm not sure how they managed to bring [[Půlnoc]] – as descendants of the Plastic People of the Universe - to play. Půlnoc in a sports hall seemed incredible. Interestingly, Joan Baez was invited to play at (Czechoslovak festival of popular music, the largest music festival in Czechoslovakia until 1990) Bratislavská lýra (upon invitation of Agnes Snopko). I'm not sure who stood on the other side, and whether it was ignorance on their part or some sort of effort to loosen up.

'''These were official events.'''

Yes, similarly to Rockfest, and both of the Čertovo kolo festivals. At Slovrock, (Czech rock band) Pražský výběr played in 1987 as far as I remember, and this was one of their first larger gigs after their long-term ban. This was organized by the city. I think the international context is also interesting: in Poland, the scene more or less functioned freely, Hungarians had foreign bands and stadium concerts. All of those who lived either in the south or north of Slovakia or Czechia reminisce how they would listen to Polish or Hungarian radios. We sometimes managed to catch the Austrian ORF broadcaster or Radio Free Europe. The situation in the neighbouring countries – even the communist ones – was significantly better than in Czechoslovakia. The Čertovo kolo festivals happened at a time when everywhere else the situation was even more relaxed in this respect. At the time, I felt the regime in Czechoslovakia was the strictest, and for a long time it seemed that we perhaps would remain the only ones where it wasn't going to change either.

[[File:BLAS 0005.jpg|thumb|Bez ladu a skladu. Photo from Michal Kaščák's archives.]]
'''You played at the famous Jarocin festival (biggest alternative music festival in the Warsaw Pact countries) in Poland as well as in Minsk in the 80s. What was the connection between the East European scenes? Did you have any connection other than to Czech underground affiliates in the neighbouring countries?'''

To an extent, we were connected to the Polish scene largely because we were able to get hold of recordings of [[:Category:Poland|Polish]] punk bands. It wasn't as connected as I would expect though. We didn't catch the Polish radio. And only the pop bands were distributed officially here. Our main music source, CHVM's Ľubo Dzúrik, focused on the Czechoslovak scene and a few names from the US new wave (Talking Heads, King Crimson, etc). I didn't have a good overview about the music scenes in other socialist countries. We were aware of some Russian bands like [[AVIA|AVIA]]. When it comes to Jarocin, it was largely thanks to Paľo Maruščák, who organized all of our Polish gigs.

'''What were your impressions of Jarocin?'''

It was an incredible experience. It seemed unreal in a communist bloc country. There were some bands from the so-called capitalist West. The vibe was amazing. There were lots of punks there, which was fairly unusual to us. When we played in Poland with (Polish punk band) [[Dezerter]], we hadn't sent our lyrics for approval to anyone. It was much more relaxed. But this was our view, who knows how the Polish bands felt about it, but from what I know, they had a much easier existence than us.

'''How did the other alternative / underground bands perceive you? You were some of the youngest on the scene at the time.'''

Much better than we expected. When we went on tour with Dezerter, we were slightly worried as we weren't a punk band. But it worked.

It was one of my most remarkable experiences that the bands and people from the alternative scene never called us “the young boys from Trenčín”; it was always “the band from Trenčín”. We never felt that we had some advantage because of our age. They considered us equal. We felt very close to the Brno scene, mainly thanks to promoter and activist Lenka Zogatová, who was something like a “mother” figure to many alternative bands, including ourselves. We were good friends with [[Dunaj]], Dybbuk, [[Z kopce]], [[Laura a její tygři]], Krasné nové stroje, etc. The scene was very inclusive. We also played at folk and punk events. There was a feeling of togetherness and the scenes supported each other. The only thing that wasn't tolerated was collaboration with the regime.

'''Since you were protected by age, you weren't affected?'''

We had a few experiences with the secret police. Some of the band members were interrogated, we had a lot of bans, all our recordings were done illegally, but we never experienced what the Prague bands did. We were not imprisoned like members of The Plastic people of the Universe, [[Sváťa Karásek]], [[Pavel Zajíček]] or folk musician [[Vlasta Třešňák]], we were not forced to emigrate from the country like [[Vráťa Brabenec]] and many others. Banned lyrics and forbidden shows were something we learned to live with.

'''How did you view the various musical subcultures in Czechoslovakia in the 1980s? There were two big groups – those who were into Depeche Mode and those into metal.'''

There were these two main groups you mentioned, followed by those who were into Bros, Duran Duran and mainstream music, basically. We were fortunately completely outside of it… The other subcultures were bound by a sense of togetherness. As I mentioned, we played both folk and punk events without any issues. Our only conflict was with metal fans in Trenčín. We didn't really understand why. But we've made up since.

[[File:BLAS 0013.jpg|thumb|Bez ladu a skladu. Photo from Michal Kaščák's archives.]]
'''Did you feel like you belonged to any particular subculture?'''

Yes. We called it the “alternative scene” and we had a strong sense of belonging to this Czechoslovak scene, primarily the Czech alternative one. There were a few like-minded bands in Slovakia such as [[Karpatské chrbáty]] and later [[Teória odrazu]], but we felt best with bands like Dunaj, E!, Ještě jsme se nedohodli, Dybbuk.

'''This connection worked despite the geographical distance?'''

Yes, Czechoslovakia wasn't too big. Lenka Zogatová helped us organize gigs in Czechia. Most of our gigs actually took place there.

'''How did you perceive 1989, the end of the Iron Curtain and the Velvet Revolution?'''

It was a miracle. I still consider it one of the most compelling public moments ever. We released an album which we had been recording, followed by another one which was completely different – joyous, buoyant, full of excessive euphoria. After the release of this second album, we started to play abroad in Germany, France, the Netherlands.

'''The New York Times ranked you among bands that contributed to the fall of the Iron Curtain.'''

I liked this description. It sounds like something from a Hollywood movie, the Americans like to exaggerate… We played at an amazing event in New York – the 20th anniversary of 1989 – and NYT wanted to promote this event to their American readers by mentioning all these bands as those that contributed to the change of the regime. We can say that art played an important role in the anti-totalitarian movement in communist countries, but there were also other important elements and people. If someone had asked us in 1988 if we were involved in the fall of the regime, we would answer that we don't hold ourselves so highly.

'''You went on to release a studio album in 1994, what happened after?'''

We finished school. We took the period before and after the release of our third album very seriously. We rehearsed three times a week. We played extensive tours in France, we got quite successful. But all of this required a lot of time. Suddenly, we didn't have enough of it, and we were obsessed with being a real band. We sat down and talked about whether we would really try to make it as a professional band or end it. We couldn't imagine the middle ground. In retrospect, I think this was probably a mistake. We could have done our jobs and played at the same time. We continued playing until 1997 and stopped after.

'''The 90s themselves were interesting with the post-communist transition and turbulent transformation of society.'''

It was a very interesting period, and I am thankful for that. The transformation in 1989 was really a miracle - even if people stopped going to concerts for a while because everyone was following politics. What was a very important step for music, an independent club scene emerged in Czechoslovakia - in Slovakia with a big delay in comparison to Czechia. We were very naive and expected that freedom would bring us only positives. But freedom is for anyone, including nationalists and other groups of “strange” people. I am sorry that Czechoslovakia split in 1993. In the second half of the 1990s we went through Mečiarism (Vladimír Mečiar, autocratic prime minister), it was a 'golden era' for the mafia. In 1998, there was a campaign against Vladimír Mečiar and we played a few gigs at those events. Pohoda Festival (the music festival Michal Kaščák founded and still directs) was part of the whole campaign. We - as society - succeeded, we could have become another Belarus if that wouldn't have happened. Later in the 90s, festivals started to pop up, there were new media outlets, labels, new bands. Some people, mainly from the mainstream, call the 80s the golden era of Czechoslovak music. I think that only cynical people can call the regime with imprisoned musicians a golden era. I'm glad we can experience the free music scene with everything that it means. It is a great adventure.

<gallery>
BLAS 0000.jpg
BLAS 0001.jpg
BLAS 0002.jpg
BLAS 0003.jpg
BLAS 0004.jpg
BLAS 0005.jpg
BLAS 0006.jpg
BLAS 0007.jpg
BLAS 0008.jpg
BLAS 0009.jpg
BLAS 0010.jpg
BLAS 0011.jpg
BLAS 0012.jpg
Paris A4.jpg
</gallery>
''Above: Bez ladu a skladu. Photos courtesy of Michal Kaščák's archives.''

<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UIbfqN_xrs</youtube>
[[Category: Slovak Content]] [[Category: Interviews]]

Bez ladu a skladu interview

2021-09-09T13:35:30Z

Diogooutra:

[[File:Paris stvorec.jpg|thumb|Bez ladu a skladu in Paris, 1992 - photo by Raphaël Rinaldi]]
''The Slovak band [[Bez ladu a skladu]] was established in Trenčín, [[:Category:Slovakia|Slovakia]] in 1985, and became renowned for their rhythmic, cacophonic music and lyrics which were a veiled and playful critique of the communist regime, as well as their iconic look, with the band wearing black suits, thin ties, white socks and sunglasses, inspired by another Trenčín-based underground band, [[Chór vážskych muzikantov]] (CHVM). Over their 12 years of activity, the band performed at numerous underground, semi-official and official events across [[:Category:Czechoslovakia|Czechoslovakia]] (as well as beyond it) alongside underground / alternative bands of the period. Their four studio albums were released after the fall of the regime. The group disbanded in 1997. In this interview, UMSCENE team member Lucia Udvardyova speaks with [[Michal Kaščák]], Bez ladu a skladu's emblematic frontman - who was 13 when the group started - about their musical journey.''

'''You grew up and began your musical journey in Trenčín, a relatively small town in Western Slovakia near the Czech border. Why do you think such a particular music scene emerged there?'''

It’s all due to a couple of people – CHVM (Chór vážskych muzikantov, a Slovak underground band) in this case. They started to perform very interesting concerts. These were not your usual gigs, but more like happenings, where they also invited other bands to perform. CHVM played music differently to what people had been used to in Trenčín. [[Luboš Dzúrik]], the leader of CHVM, started to distribute banned and non-official music mainly from the Czech underground and alternative scene within the country. His illegal “catalogue” also included our band, Bez ladu a skladu. There was a military base in Trenčín, and a lot of families from all over the country moved there, parents – usually the father – who had a higher-ranking position in the army. Those kids had a strict upbringing and started to rebel against their parents and authority in general. At the same time, Trenčín was very much a communist city. Later, in the 90s, this translated into Trenčín becoming a bastion of Mečiarism (the rule of the authoritarian PM Vladimír Mečiar), and Smer (the party of the former Slovak PM Robert Fico). The army had already been stationed there during the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy. It was a strong stronghold of the Tiso fascist regime during the Slovak State in the 1930s. Several authoritarian systems left their mark on the history of Trenčín. This authoritarian pressure was countered by a certain part of the city's population. This is how CHVM emerged, and they greatly inspired others, including our band. I'm glad this goes on to this day.

'''CHVM had a distinctive appearance – with black suits, white shirts, ties and sunglasses. It seems their image also had an impact on you.'''

To an extent. I had only seen CHVM once before we started playing concerts. This was in 1981 at the first edition of Gympel Rock, where my oldest brother took me. It was at this event, after having seen CHVM, that I had an epiphany and decided I wanted to do something similar. They seemed otherworldly. I had never heard music like that until then.

'''What sort of venues did they play?'''

There was a cinema called Hviezda (Star), which incorporated a club called Lúč (Ray), where they used to play. They also organized several concerts at cultural houses in the countryside. They were in a similar position to us and all the bands in the communist block – they had to have their music approved by a committee. Lots of their gigs got cancelled, some were approved. They organized these village gigs in order to play more.

[[File:BLAS 0006.jpg|thumb|Bez ladu a skladu. Photo from Michal Kaščák's archives.]]
'''So they were allowed by the government?'''

Yes, more or less so. Sometimes there were events organized by people without having an official stamp of approval. CHVM also had a following in Bratislava.

'''There were bands which operated in the underground, in stark opposition to state sanctioned musicians, and which never crossed over to the other side, so to speak. How did this fluctuation from the official to the unofficial scene look like back then?'''

There was something like a “grey zone” with artists that had official permission, but with a lot of issues with authorities like banned songs, prohibited concerts, regional bans, … This included the alternative scene from Trenčín, Brno, or the punk scene from Bratislava. In Slovakia, we didn't have a strong underground movement and scene like the one around the [[Plastic People of the Universe]], [[DG307]], [[Dvouletá fáma]] etc in [[:Category: Czech Republic|Czechia]]. There had been a scene around [[Marcel Strýko]] (a Slovak artist, philosopher, dissident), but it was musically insular. I only found out about (underground band) [[Nace]] from Košice long after 1989, and it wasn't because we weren’t interested, much the contrary, we were searching for any band that didn't fit in. Nace never had the ambition for anything bigger than gigs at their cottage. But there had been no music underground per se in Slovakia. Us, CHVM and to a large extent, punk bands, tried to pass the evaluation of the state-led committee in order to be able to play. We expected that communism would last forever, so we prepared “innocent” songs for those official “state checks”... I must say that it was the worst experience in my artistic life. We felt humiliated, we got through that only thanks to sarcasm and humour. There were a lot of jokes about the communist regime and official representatives in polyester suits... I admire people like [[Mikoláš Chadima]], a Czech musician and underground activist from Prague, who categorically refused this. There is a very interesting story about The Plastic People of the Universe - after their trial in 1977, they completely resigned on any deal with the state. But in the beginning, for a short while, they were a “professional”, permitted band, and this only started to change during the Normalization. In the late 80s some part of the scene around PPU initially tried to get approved by official committees - the hunger to play was simply too strong.

<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQvbg_qieK4</youtube>

'''How did your musical path evolve from those early days?'''

When we started with the band, we hadn't been aware that we needed to get permission from these government juries. We played the first three gigs freely, then CHVM brought us along. In Bratislava, we played with the Czech band [[E!]] whose manager Lenka Zogatová saw our concert and subsequently invited us to play at Rockfest in Prague (an official music festival that took place between 1986 and 1989). So our 6th gig was already at Rockfest, which was paradoxically organized by the Union of Socialist Youth. This is quite fascinating, because alternative and punk – not underground - bands like [[Ještě jsme se nedohodli]] and [[Hrdinové nové fronty]] also played at Rockfest. A few Czech bands refused to play there – incl. Chadima – but they were in the minority. As I said, everyone thought the regime would last forever, and they were also hoping for a certain relaxation of the regime.

Later, we found out we needed to get approved by these government juries in order to be able to play, and we received the lowest category and didn't try it again. Every band had to have their “official founder - representative”, ours was the City Cultural Centre in Trenčín, where there was a person allocated to us. We were lucky it wasn't some factory or impersonal institution, but a young guy who became our so-called manager. His duties involved sending lyrics to the particular Slovak Communist Party committee, which evaluated them, and sending organizers a list of songs which could and which couldn't be played. Recording was illegal and so was the distribution of these recordings, but nevertheless, it did happen. CHVM's Ľuboš Dzúrik played an important part in this, as he sent out recordings across Slovakia. A lot of concerts were cancelled due to so-called technical reasons. We also had quite a lot of cancelled gigs, or songs, for that matter. Sometimes we'd play those, sometimes we didn't. Especially in the Czech Republic, the organizers told us we could play whatever we wanted (and they would take responsibility).

'''Your tracks such as “Udavač” (Informant), “Píšte všetci modrým perom” (Everyone Write With a Blue Pen) included lots of allusions and allegories that could be interpreted as critical to the regime.'''

“Udavač” is my own ironic text about informants, whom we considered simply awful. Of course, it referred to the secret police. I was inspired by my older brother who said I should write a song about informants. As a band, we wanted to play as freely as possible. “Píšte všetci modrým perom” was obviously an anti-totalitarian text. We had very open discussions with our father who never liked the regime. There was also my oldest brother (the other one was with me in the band) who had been in touch with CHVM's Dzúrik and the vibrant Trenčín music community. He provided us with – via Dzúrik - samizdat literature, as well as underground music on tapes (the Plastic People of the Universe, [[Dybbuk]], [[Ještě jsme se nedohodli]], etc).

[[File:BLAS 0010.jpg|thumb|Michal Kaščák. Photo from Michal Kaščák's archives.]]
'''You were around 15, 16 at this time?'''

When we started, I was 13 years old.

'''In one interview you mentioned you were protected by your age and the fact that you lived in a relatively small town.'''

Yes, this is what I think now in retrospect. How else would it be possible that we were able to play gigs and even managed to land on the (Slovak state-run) Opus label to record an album (which was released in 1990, after change of the regime). I think being from a small town had some sort of protective element to it. My father was a doctor who treated a lot of people and being a sought after internal medicine specialist meant a lot. This is what I think, but of course it doesn't have to be the reason. In terms of age, to persecute 13, 15-year-olds is a bit different to doing it to those in their twenties.

'''Did you encounter any issues as a band?'''

Some of the basic issues were cancelled gigs. We often found out about these cancellations on the spot, after having travelled across the country to get to these gigs. There were also banned songs. We only had one regional ban, in the East Bohemia Region, when we performed at a festival in Lipnice in 1988 straight after Václav Havel's speech. Most of those who performed at this event ended up being banned in this one region for a certain period of time.

'''Did you have any issues at school?'''

Sometimes. The guys would be called to the headmaster's office. But we perceived these issues as something quite ordinary. I remember our headmaster accusing us of being fascist because we had thin black ties, but this was absurd.

'''In Prague, various bands stemming from the nascent postpunk / new wave scene emerged in the early 80s, including [[Dybbuk]], [[Máma Bubo]], [[Garáž]], etc. Were you influenced by any of them?'''

We were mostly influenced by CHVM, those recordings were the only ones we had at home. Later we got our hands on Dybbuk, [[Krásné nové stroje]], Garáž, E!, Ještě jsme se nedohodli. We were surely influenced by the Czech alternative scene. In Slovakia, there was a thriving punk scene in Bratislava, though we were much closer to the Czech scene, the one in Brno, in particular.

'''In 1988, the Čertovo kolo music festival took place in Bratislava. Perhaps a sign of times, and the loosening of the state-controlled power grip, several alternative bands from the whole of Czechoslovakia performed here, including Bez ladu a skladu. How do you recollect this event?'''

Čertovo kolo was a miracle, especially considering that for instance our band faced the most difficulties in Bratislava. We had been thrown out of clubs, we actually couldn't even stay within the club's premises. The unique connection between Agnes Snopko and Paľo Maruščák was what propelled the whole thing - one of them being a student, the other an archaeologist and organizer who operated in a certain grey zone. He managed to bring us together with Jiří Stivín and Jozef Jankovič, who was more or less a banned author and visual artist. Čertovo kolo was a mixture between a student event – the main organizers were students around Maruščák – and Agnes who had good connections to the Czech scene. I'm not sure how they managed to bring [[Půlnoc]] – as descendants of the Plastic People of the Universe - to play. Půlnoc in a sports hall seemed incredible. Interestingly, Joan Baez was invited to play at (Czechoslovak festival of popular music, the largest music festival in Czechoslovakia until 1990) Bratislavská lýra (upon invitation of Agnes Snopko). I'm not sure who stood on the other side, and whether it was ignorance on their part or some sort of effort to loosen up.

'''These were official events.'''

Yes, similarly to Rockfest, and both of the Čertovo kolo festivals. At Slovrock, (Czech rock band) Pražský výběr played in 1987 as far as I remember, and this was one of their first larger gigs after their long-term ban. This was organized by the city. I think the international context is also interesting: in Poland, the scene more or less functioned freely, Hungarians had foreign bands and stadium concerts. All of those who lived either in the south or north of Slovakia or Czechia reminisce how they would listen to Polish or Hungarian radios. We sometimes managed to catch the Austrian ORF broadcaster or Radio Free Europe. The situation in the neighbouring countries – even the communist ones – was significantly better than in Czechoslovakia. The Čertovo kolo festivals happened at a time when everywhere else the situation was even more relaxed in this respect. At the time, I felt the regime in Czechoslovakia was the strictest, and for a long time it seemed that we perhaps would remain the only ones where it wasn't going to change either.

[[File:BLAS 0005.jpg|thumb|Bez ladu a skladu. Photo from Michal Kaščák's archives.]]
'''You played at the famous Jarocin festival (biggest alternative music festival in the Warsaw Pact countries) in Poland as well as in Minsk in the 80s. What was the connection between the East European scenes? Did you have any connection other than to Czech underground affiliates in the neighbouring countries?'''

To an extent, we were connected to the Polish scene largely because we were able to get hold of recordings of [[:Category:Poland|Polish]] punk bands. It wasn't as connected as I would expect though. We didn't catch the Polish radio. And only the pop bands were distributed officially here. Our main music source, CHVM's Ľubo Dzúrik, focused on the Czechoslovak scene and a few names from the US new wave (Talking Heads, King Crimson, etc). I didn't have a good overview about the music scenes in other socialist countries. We were aware of some Russian bands like [[AVIA|AVIA]]. When it comes to Jarocin, it was largely thanks to Paľo Maruščák, who organized all of our Polish gigs.

'''What were your impressions of Jarocin?'''

It was an incredible experience. It seemed unreal in a communist bloc country. There were some bands from the so-called capitalist West. The vibe was amazing. There were lots of punks there, which was fairly unusual to us. When we played in Poland with (Polish punk band) [[Dezerter]], we hadn't sent our lyrics for approval to anyone. It was much more relaxed. But this was our view, who knows how the Polish bands felt about it, but from what I know, they had a much easier existence than us.

'''How did the other alternative / underground bands perceive you? You were some of the youngest on the scene at the time.'''

Much better than we expected. When we went on tour with Dezerter, we were slightly worried as we weren't a punk band. But it worked.

It was one of my most remarkable experiences that the bands and people from the alternative scene never called us “the young boys from Trenčín”; it was always “the band from Trenčín”. We never felt that we had some advantage because of our age. They considered us equal. We felt very close to the Brno scene, mainly thanks to promoter and activist Lenka Zogatová, who was something like a “mother” figure to many alternative bands, including ourselves. We were good friends with [[Dunaj]], Dybbuk, [[Z kopce]], [[Laura a její tygři]], Krasné nové stroje, etc. The scene was very inclusive. We also played at folk and punk events. There was a feeling of togetherness and the scenes supported each other. The only thing that wasn't tolerated was collaboration with the regime.

'''Since you were protected by age, you weren't affected?'''

We had a few experiences with the secret police. Some of the band members were interrogated, we had a lot of bans, all our recordings were done illegally, but we never experienced what the Prague bands did. We were not imprisoned like members of The Plastic people of the Universe, [[Sváťa Karásek]], [[Pavel Zajíček]] or folk musician [[Vlasta Třešňák]], we were not forced to emigrate from the country like [[Vráťa Brabenec]] and many others. Banned lyrics and forbidden shows were something we got used to live with.

'''How did you view the various musical subcultures in Czechoslovakia in the 1980s? There were two big groups – those who were into Depeche Mode and those into metal.'''

There were these two main groups you mentioned, followed by those who were into Bros, Duran Duran and mainstream music, basically. We were fortunately completely outside of it… The other subcultures were bound by a sense of togetherness. As I mentioned, we played both folk and punk events without any issues. Our only conflict was with metal fans in Trenčín. We didn't really understand why. But we've made up since.

[[File:BLAS 0013.jpg|thumb|Bez ladu a skladu. Photo from Michal Kaščák's archives.]]
'''Did you feel like you belonged to any particular subculture?'''

Yes. We called it the “alternative scene” and we had a strong sense of belonging to this Czechoslovak scene, primarily the Czech alternative one. There were a few like-minded bands in Slovakia such as [[Karpatské chrbáty]] and later [[Teória odrazu]], but we felt best with bands like Dunaj, E!, Ještě jsme se nedohodli, Dybbuk.

'''This connection worked despite the geographical distance?'''

Yes, Czechoslovakia wasn't too big. Lenka Zogatová helped us organize gigs in Czechia. Most of our gigs actually took place there.

'''How did you perceive 1989, the end of the Iron Curtain and the Velvet Revolution?'''

It was a miracle. I still consider it one of the most compelling public moments ever. We released an album which we had been recording, followed by another one which was completely different – joyous, buoyant, full of excessive euphoria. After the release of this second album, we started to play abroad in Germany, France, the Netherlands.

'''The New York Times ranked you among bands that contributed to the fall of the Iron Curtain.'''

I liked this description. It sounds like something from a Hollywood movie, the Americans like to exaggerate… We played at an amazing event in New York – the 20th anniversary of 1989 – and NYT wanted to promote this event to their American readers by mentioning all these bands as those that contributed to the change of the regime. We can say that art played an important role in the anti-totalitarian movement in communist countries, but there were also other important elements and people. If someone had asked us in 1988 if we were involved in the fall of the regime, we would answer that we don't hold ourselves so highly.

'''You went on to release a studio album in 1994, what happened after?'''

We finished school. We took the period before and after the release of our third album very seriously. We rehearsed three times a week. We played extensive tours in France, we got quite successful. But all of this required a lot of time. Suddenly, we didn't have enough of it, and we were obsessed with being a real band. We sat down and talked about whether we would really try to make it as a professional band or end it. We couldn't imagine the middle ground. In retrospect, I think this was probably a mistake. We could have done our jobs and played at the same time. We continued playing until 1997 and stopped after.

'''The 90s themselves were interesting with the post-communist transition and turbulent transformation of society.'''

It was a very interesting period, and I am thankful for that. The transformation in 1989 was really a miracle - even if people stopped going to concerts for a while because everyone was following politics. What was a very important step for music, an independent club scene emerged in Czechoslovakia - in Slovakia with a big delay in comparison to Czechia. We were very naive and expected that freedom would bring us only positives. But freedom is for anyone, including nationalists and other groups of “strange” people. I am sorry that Czechoslovakia split in 1993. In the second half of the 1990s we went through Mečiarism (Vladimír Mečiar, autocratic prime minister), it was a 'golden era' for the mafia. In 1998, there was a campaign against Vladimír Mečiar and we played a few gigs at those events. Pohoda Festival (the music festival Michal Kaščák founded and still directs) was part of the whole campaign. We - as society - succeeded, we could have become another Belarus if that wouldn't have happened. Later in the 90s, festivals started to pop up, there were new media outlets, labels, new bands. Some people, mainly from the mainstream, call the 80s the golden era of Czechoslovak music. I think that only cynical people can call the regime with imprisoned musicians a golden era. I'm glad we can experience the free music scene with everything that it means. It is a great adventure.

<gallery>
BLAS 0000.jpg
BLAS 0001.jpg
BLAS 0002.jpg
BLAS 0003.jpg
BLAS 0004.jpg
BLAS 0005.jpg
BLAS 0006.jpg
BLAS 0007.jpg
BLAS 0008.jpg
BLAS 0009.jpg
BLAS 0010.jpg
BLAS 0011.jpg
BLAS 0012.jpg
Paris A4.jpg
</gallery>
''Above: Bez ladu a skladu. Photos courtesy of Michal Kaščák's archives.''

<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UIbfqN_xrs</youtube>
[[Category: Slovak Content]] [[Category: Interviews]]

Bez ladu a skladu interview

2021-09-09T13:31:41Z

Diogooutra:

THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION

[[File:Paris stvorec.jpg|thumb|Bez ladu a skladu in Paris, 1992 - photo by Raphaël Rinaldi]]
''The Slovak band [[Bez ladu a skladu]] was established in Trenčín, [[:Category:Slovakia|Slovakia]] in 1985, and became renowned for their rhythmic, cacophonic music and lyrics which were a veiled and playful critique of the communist regime, as well as their iconic look, with the band wearing black suits, thin ties, white socks and sunglasses, inspired by another Trenčín-based underground band, [[Chór vážskych muzikantov]] (CHVM). Over their 12 years of activity, the band performed at numerous underground, semi-official and official events across [[:Category:Czechoslovakia|Czechoslovakia]] (as well as beyond it) alongside underground / alternative bands of the period. Their four studio albums were released after the fall of the regime. The group disbanded in 1997. Here, we talk to [[Michal Kaščák]], Bez ladu a skladu's emblematic frontman - who was 13 when the group started - about their musical journey.''

'''You grew up and began your musical journey in Trenčín, a relatively small town in Western Slovakia near the Czech border. Why do you think such a particular music scene emerged there?'''

It’s all due to a couple of people – CHVM (Chór vážskych muzikantov, a Slovak underground band) in this case. They started to perform very interesting concerts. These were not your usual gigs, but more like happenings, where they also invited other bands to perform. CHVM played music differently to what people had been used to in Trenčín. [[Luboš Dzúrik]], the leader of CHVM, started to distribute banned and non-official music mainly from the Czech underground and alternative scene within the country. His illegal “catalogue” also included our band, Bez ladu a skladu. There was a military base in Trenčín, and a lot of families from all over the country moved there, parents – usually the father – who had a higher-ranking position in the army. Those kids had a strict upbringing and started to rebel against their parents and authority in general. At the same time, Trenčín was very much a communist city. Later, in the 90s, this translated into Trenčín becoming a bastion of Mečiarism (the rule of the authoritarian PM Vladimír Mečiar), and Smer (the party of the former Slovak PM Robert Fico). The army had already been stationed there during the Austrian-Hungarian monarchy. It was a strong stronghold of the Tiso fascist regime during the Slovak State in the 1930s. Several authoritarian systems left their mark on the history of Trenčín. This authoritarian pressure was countered by a certain part of the city's population. This is how CHVM emerged, and they greatly inspired others, including our band. I'm glad this goes on to this day.

'''CHVM had a distinctive appearance – with black suits, white shirts, ties and sunglasses. It seems their image also had an impact on you.'''

To an extent. I had only seen CHVM once before we started playing concerts. This was in 1981 at the first edition of Gympel Rock, where my oldest brother took me. It was at this event, after having seen CHVM, that I had an epiphany and decided I wanted to do something similar. They seemed otherworldly. I had never heard music like that until then.

'''What sort of venues did they play?'''

There was a cinema called Hviezda (Star), which incorporated a club called Lúč (Ray), where they used to play. They also organized several concerts at cultural houses in the countryside. They were in a similar position to us and all the bands in the communist block – they had to have their music approved by a committee. Lots of their gigs got cancelled, some were approved. They organized these village gigs in order to play more.

[[File:BLAS 0006.jpg|thumb|Bez ladu a skladu. Photo from Michal Kaščák's archives.]]
'''So they were allowed by the government?'''

Yes, more or less so. Sometimes there were events organized by people without having an official stamp of approval. CHVM also had a following in Bratislava.

'''There were bands which operated in the underground, in stark opposition to state sanctioned musicians, and which never crossed over to the other side, so to speak. How did this fluctuation from the official to the unofficial scene look like back then?'''

There was something like a “grey zone” with artists that had official permission, but with a lot of issues with authorities like banned songs, prohibited concerts, regional bans, … This included the alternative scene from Trenčín, Brno, or the punk scene from Bratislava. In Slovakia, we didn't have a strong underground movement and scene like the one around the [[Plastic People of the Universe]], [[DG307]], [[Dvouletá fáma]] etc in [[:Category: Czech Republic|Czechia]]. There had been a scene around [[Marcel Strýko]] (a Slovak artist, philosopher, dissident), but it was musically insular. I only found out about (underground band) [[Nace]] from Košice long after 1989, and it wasn't because we weren’t interested, much the contrary, we were searching for any band that didn't fit in. Nace never had the ambition for anything bigger than gigs at their cottage. But there had been no music underground per se in Slovakia. Us, CHVM and to a large extent, punk bands, tried to pass the evaluation of the state-led committee in order to be able to play. We expected that communism would last forever, so we prepared “innocent” songs for those official “state checks”... I must say that it was the worst experience in my artistic life. We felt humiliated, we got through that only thanks to sarcasm and humour. There were a lot of jokes about the communist regime and official representatives in polyester suits... I admire people like [[Mikoláš Chadima]], a Czech musician and underground activist from Prague, who categorically refused this. There is a very interesting story about The Plastic People of the Universe - after their trial in 1977, they completely resigned on any deal with the state. But in the beginning, for a short while, they were a “professional”, permitted band, and this only started to change during the Normalization. In the late 80s some part of the scene around PPU initially tried to get approved by official committees - the hunger to play was simply too strong.

<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQvbg_qieK4</youtube>

'''How did your musical path evolve from those early days?'''

When we started with the band, we hadn't been aware that we needed to get permission from these government juries. We played the first three gigs freely, then CHVM brought us along. In Bratislava, we played with the Czech band [[E!]] whose manager Lenka Zogatová saw our concert and subsequently invited us to play at Rockfest in Prague (an official music festival that took place between 1986 and 1989). So our 6th gig was already at Rockfest, which was paradoxically organized by the Union of Socialist Youth. This is quite fascinating, because alternative and punk – not underground - bands like [[Ještě jsme se nedohodli]] and [[Hrdinové nové fronty]] also played at Rockfest. A few Czech bands refused to play there – incl. Chadima – but they were in the minority. As I said, everyone thought the regime would last forever, and they were also hoping for a certain relaxation of the regime.

Later, we found out we needed to get approved by these government juries in order to be able to play, and we received the lowest category and didn't try it again. Every band had to have their “official founder - representative”, ours was the City Cultural Centre in Trenčín, where there was a person allocated to us. We were lucky it wasn't some factory or impersonal institution, but a young guy who became our so-called manager. His duties involved sending lyrics to the particular Slovak Communist Party committee, which evaluated them, and sending organizers a list of songs which could and which couldn't be played. Recording was illegal and so was the distribution of these recordings, but nevertheless, it did happen. CHVM's Ľuboš Dzúrik played an important part in this, as he sent out recordings across Slovakia. A lot of concerts were cancelled due to so-called technical reasons. We also had quite a lot of cancelled gigs, or songs, for that matter. Sometimes we'd play those, sometimes we didn't. Especially in the Czech Republic, the organizers told us we could play whatever we wanted (and they would take responsibility).

'''Your tracks such as “Udavač” (Informant), “Píšte všetci modrým perom” (Everyone Write With a Blue Pen) included lots of allusions and allegories that could be interpreted as critical to the regime.'''

“Udavač” is my own ironic text about informants, whom we considered simply awful. Of course, it referred to the secret police. I was inspired by my older brother who said I should write a song about informants. As a band, we wanted to play as freely as possible. “Píšte všetci modrým perom” was obviously an anti-totalitarian text. We had very open discussions with our father who never liked the regime. There was also my oldest brother (the other one was with me in the band) who had been in touch with CHVM's Dzúrik and the vibrant Trenčín music community. He provided us with – via Dzúrik - samizdat literature, as well as underground music on tapes (the Plastic People of the Universe, [[Dybbuk]], [[Ještě jsme se nedohodli]], etc).

[[File:BLAS 0010.jpg|thumb|Michal Kaščák. Photo from Michal Kaščák's archives.]]
'''You were around 15, 16 at this time?'''

When we started, I was 13 years old.

'''In one interview you mentioned you were protected by your age and the fact that you lived in a relatively small town.'''

Yes, this is what I think now in retrospect. How else would it be possible that we were able to play gigs and even managed to land on the (Slovak state-run) Opus label to record an album (which was released in 1990, after change of the regime). I think being from a small town had some sort of protective element to it. My father was a doctor who treated a lot of people and being a sought after internal medicine specialist meant a lot. This is what I think, but of course it doesn't have to be the reason. In terms of age, to persecute 13, 15-year-olds is a bit different to doing it to those in their twenties.

'''Did you encounter any issues as a band?'''

Some of the basic issues were cancelled gigs. We often found out about these cancellations on the spot, after having travelled across the country to get to these gigs. There were also banned songs. We only had one regional ban, in the East Bohemia Region, when we performed at a festival in Lipnice in 1988 straight after Václav Havel's speech. Most of those who performed at this event ended up being banned in this one region for a certain period of time.

'''Did you have any issues at school?'''

Sometimes. The guys would be called to the headmaster's office. But we perceived these issues as something quite ordinary. I remember our headmaster accusing us of being fascist because we had thin black ties, but this was absurd.

'''In Prague, various bands stemming from the nascent postpunk / new wave scene emerged in the early 80s, including [[Dybbuk]], [[Máma Bubo]], [[Garáž]], etc. Were you influenced by any of them?'''

We were mostly influenced by CHVM, those recordings were the only ones we had at home. Later we got our hands on Dybbuk, [[Krásné nové stroje]], Garáž, E!, Ještě jsme se nedohodli. We were surely influenced by the Czech alternative scene. In Slovakia, there was a thriving punk scene in Bratislava, though we were much closer to the Czech scene, the one in Brno, in particular.

'''In 1988, the Čertovo kolo music festival took place in Bratislava. Perhaps a sign of times, and the loosening of the state-controlled power grip, several alternative bands from the whole of Czechoslovakia performed here, including Bez ladu a skladu. How do you recollect this event?'''

Čertovo kolo was a miracle, especially considering that for instance our band faced the most difficulties in Bratislava. We had been thrown out of clubs, we actually couldn't even stay within the club's premises. The unique connection between Agnes Snopko and Paľo Maruščák was what propelled the whole thing - one of them being a student, the other an archaeologist and organizer who operated in a certain grey zone. He managed to bring us together with Jiří Stivín and Jozef Jankovič, who was more or less a banned author and visual artist. Čertovo kolo was a mixture between a student event – the main organizers were students around Maruščák – and Agnes who had good connections to the Czech scene. I'm not sure how they managed to bring [[Půlnoc]] – as descendants of the Plastic People of the Universe - to play. Půlnoc in a sports hall seemed incredible. Interestingly, Joan Baez was invited to play at (Czechoslovak festival of popular music, the largest music festival in Czechoslovakia until 1990) Bratislavská lýra (upon invitation of Agnes Snopko). I'm not sure who stood on the other side, and whether it was ignorance on their part or some sort of effort to loosen up.

'''These were official events.'''

Yes, similarly to Rockfest, and both of the Čertovo kolo festivals. At Slovrock, (Czech rock band) Pražský výběr played in 1987 as far as I remember, and this was one of their first larger gigs after their long-term ban. This was organized by the city. I think the international context is also interesting: in Poland, the scene more or less functioned freely, Hungarians had foreign bands and stadium concerts. All of those who lived either in the south or north of Slovakia or Czechia reminisce how they would listen to Polish or Hungarian radios. We sometimes managed to catch the Austrian ORF broadcaster or Radio Free Europe. The situation in the neighbouring countries – even the communist ones – was significantly better than in Czechoslovakia. The Čertovo kolo festivals happened at a time when everywhere else the situation was even more relaxed in this respect. At the time, I felt the regime in Czechoslovakia was the strictest, and for a long time it seemed that we perhaps would remain the only ones where it wasn't going to change either.

[[File:BLAS 0005.jpg|thumb|Bez ladu a skladu. Photo from Michal Kaščák's archives.]]
'''You played at the famous Jarocin festival (biggest alternative music festival in the Warsaw Pact countries) in Poland as well as in Minsk in the 80s. What was the connection between the East European scenes? Did you have any connection other than to Czech underground affiliates in the neighbouring countries?'''

To an extent, we were connected to the Polish scene largely because we were able to get hold of recordings of [[:Category:Poland|Polish]] punk bands. It wasn't as connected as I would expect though. We didn't catch the Polish radio. And only the pop bands were distributed officially here. Our main music source, CHVM's Ľubo Dzúrik, focused on the Czechoslovak scene and a few names from the US new wave (Talking Heads, King Crimson, etc). I didn't have a good overview about the music scenes in other socialist countries. We were aware of some Russian bands like [[AVIA|AVIA]]. When it comes to Jarocin, it was largely thanks to Paľo Maruščák, who organized all of our Polish gigs.

'''What were your impressions of Jarocin?'''

It was an incredible experience. It seemed unreal in a communist bloc country. There were some bands from the so-called capitalist West. The vibe was amazing. There were lots of punks there, which was fairly unusual to us. When we played in Poland with (Polish punk band) [[Dezerter]], we hadn't sent our lyrics for approval to anyone. It was much more relaxed. But this was our view, who knows how the Polish bands felt about it, but from what I know, they had a much easier existence than us.

'''How did the other alternative / underground bands perceive you? You were some of the youngest on the scene at the time.'''

Much better than we expected. When we went on tour with Dezerter, we were slightly worried as we weren't a punk band. But it worked.

It was one of my most remarkable experiences that the bands and people from the alternative scene never called us “the young boys from Trenčín”; it was always “the band from Trenčín”. We never felt that we had some advantage because of our age. They considered us equal. We felt very close to the Brno scene, mainly thanks to promoter and activist Lenka Zogatová, who was something like a “mother” figure to many alternative bands, including ourselves. We were good friends with [[Dunaj]], Dybbuk, [[Z kopce]], [[Laura a její tygři]], Krasné nové stroje, etc. The scene was very inclusive. We also played at folk and punk events. There was a feeling of togetherness and the scenes supported each other. The only thing that wasn't tolerated was collaboration with the regime.

'''Since you were protected by age, you weren't affected?'''

We had a few experiences with the secret police. Some of the band members were interrogated, we had a lot of bans, all our recordings were done illegally, but we never experienced what the Prague bands did. We were not imprisoned like members of The Plastic people of the Universe, [[Sváťa Karásek]], [[Pavel Zajíček]] or folk musician [[Vlasta Třešňák]], we were not forced to emigrate from the country like [[Vráťa Brabenec]] and many others. Banned lyrics and forbidden shows were something we got used to live with.

'''How did you view the various musical subcultures in Czechoslovakia in the 1980s? There were two big groups – those who were into Depeche Mode and those into metal.'''

There were these two main groups you mentioned, followed by those who were into Bros, Duran Duran and mainstream music, basically. We were fortunately completely outside of it… The other subcultures were bound by a sense of togetherness. As I mentioned, we played both folk and punk events without any issues. Our only conflict was with metal fans in Trenčín. We didn't really understand why. But we've made up since.

[[File:BLAS 0013.jpg|thumb|Bez ladu a skladu. Photo from Michal Kaščák's archives.]]
'''Did you feel like you belonged to any particular subculture?'''

Yes. We called it the “alternative scene” and we had a strong sense of belonging to this Czechoslovak scene, primarily the Czech alternative one. There were a few like-minded bands in Slovakia such as [[Karpatské chrbáty]] and later [[Teória odrazu]], but we felt best with bands like Dunaj, E!, Ještě jsme se nedohodli, Dybbuk.

'''This connection worked despite the geographical distance?'''

Yes, Czechoslovakia wasn't too big. Lenka Zogatová helped us organize gigs in Czechia. Most of our gigs actually took place there.

'''How did you perceive 1989, the end of the Iron Curtain and the Velvet Revolution?'''

It was a miracle. I still consider it one of the most compelling public moments ever. We released an album which we had been recording, followed by another one which was completely different – joyous, buoyant, full of excessive euphoria. After the release of this second album, we started to play abroad in Germany, France, the Netherlands.

'''The New York Times ranked you among bands that contributed to the fall of the Iron Curtain.'''

I liked this description. It sounds like something from a Hollywood movie, the Americans like to exaggerate… We played at an amazing event in New York – the 20th anniversary of 1989 – and NYT wanted to promote this event to their American readers by mentioning all these bands as those that contributed to the change of the regime. We can say that art played an important role in the anti-totalitarian movement in communist countries, but there were also other important elements and people. If someone had asked us in 1988 if we were involved in the fall of the regime, we would answer that we don't hold ourselves so highly.

'''You went on to release a studio album in 1994, what happened after?'''

We finished school. We took the period before and after the release of our third album very seriously. We rehearsed three times a week. We played extensive tours in France, we got quite successful. But all of this required a lot of time. Suddenly, we didn't have enough of it, and we were obsessed with being a real band. We sat down and talked about whether we would really try to make it as a professional band or end it. We couldn't imagine the middle ground. In retrospect, I think this was probably a mistake. We could have done our jobs and played at the same time. We continued playing until 1997 and stopped after.

'''The 90s themselves were interesting with the post-communist transition and turbulent transformation of society.'''

It was a very interesting period, and I am thankful for that. The transformation in 1989 was really a miracle - even if people stopped going to concerts for a while because everyone was following politics. What was a very important step for music, an independent club scene emerged in Czechoslovakia - in Slovakia with a big delay in comparison to Czechia. We were very naive and expected that freedom would bring us only positives. But freedom is for anyone, including nationalists and other groups of “strange” people. I am sorry that Czechoslovakia split in 1993. In the second half of the 1990s we went through Mečiarism (Vladimír Mečiar, autocratic prime minister), it was a 'golden era' for the mafia. In 1998, there was a campaign against Vladimír Mečiar and we played a few gigs at those events. Pohoda Festival (the music festival Michal Kaščák founded and still directs) was part of the whole campaign. We - as society - succeeded, we could have become another Belarus if that wouldn't have happened. Later in the 90s, festivals started to pop up, there were new media outlets, labels, new bands. Some people, mainly from the mainstream, call the 80s the golden era of Czechoslovak music. I think that only cynical people can call the regime with imprisoned musicians a golden era. I'm glad we can experience the free music scene with everything that it means. It is a great adventure.

<gallery>
BLAS 0000.jpg
BLAS 0001.jpg
BLAS 0002.jpg
BLAS 0003.jpg
BLAS 0004.jpg
BLAS 0005.jpg
BLAS 0006.jpg
BLAS 0007.jpg
BLAS 0008.jpg
BLAS 0009.jpg
BLAS 0010.jpg
BLAS 0011.jpg
BLAS 0012.jpg
Paris A4.jpg
</gallery>
''Above: Bez ladu a skladu. Photos courtesy of Michal Kaščák's archives.''

<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UIbfqN_xrs</youtube>
[[Category: Slovak Content]] [[Category: Interviews]]

File:Paris A4.jpg

2021-09-09T12:57:03Z

Diogooutra: