Martuževa’s songs with her own words and those of other Latvian poets are also planned to be published in a book this year, Egliens told Latvian Radio 3 “Klasika” in the program “Autograph after recording”.
“Poems. A form of spiritual breathing, without which time would not have survived. Poems broke up and rushed out, not caring about the right or wrong way, they had to reach the reader, help to form a new way of thinking, bring a new time closer.”
Poet Bronislava Martuževa wrote it in her memoirs.
Bronislava Martuževa.
Photo: Zane Lāce-Baltalksne / Latvian Radio
The centenary of the poet Bronislava Martuževa (1924–2012) was celebrated on April 8, 2024. She is a legend of an entire era, whose poetry is inseparable from her personality – it is permeated by the power of faith, the pure vision of a Christian person’s life and true love for the fatherland.
In commemoration of the centenary of the poetess, the singer Jānis Strazdiņš and the guitarist, arranger Kaspars Zemītis recorded Bronislava’s songs in the background of Latvijas Radio, while the inspiration for the creative collaboration was the actor Mārtiņš Egliens.
A person who does not have lukewarm colors
Eglien revealed that he got to know Bronislava thanks to the work of his mother, Anna Eglien, a museologist and Martužev’s biographer.
“The basic story is that, as part of her work, my mother started visiting Bronislava a lot and often and started collecting materials. It turned out that they became extremely, extremely friendly, and it was no longer work, it was already a relationship. Therefore , since I was there and my wife was also there, it turned out that we went to Bronislava ourselves,” said Egliens.
As the relationship became closer, Eglieni used to take Bronislava to Riga to see doctors or to do other things, and that’s how he got to know her as a person, not only as a poet.
“Then this is one fantastic, phenomenal person who, so to speak, does not have lukewarm colors – he is either hot or cold.
If she really likes something, she can laugh… She was insanely witty, she laughed with such a laugh that stuck to everyone. At the same time, if she didn’t like something very much, it was like the roof of the house rumbled, and if she got angry, she really did,” Eglien recalled.
Mārtiņš Egliens.
Photo: Anna Veismane / Latvian Radio
He got to know Bronislava about 20 years ago, then he also got to know her poetry and works, and it was a great discovery for him when he learned that Martuževa is not only a poet, but also a composer. Although knowing how musical Bronislava’s family and herself have been, this is no surprise.
“The interesting thing is that Bronislava composed it in her head while doing housework during the day, but she presented it to her family… I don’t know why, maybe it’s hard to say – I wrote the song now – she presented it as grabbed somewhere around the world, and everyone liked them very much. Everyone learned them without even knowing that they were Broņa’s songs. Then those songs began to travel outside the house as well,” said Egliens.
Huge optimism and strength
In Bronislava’s songs, both the tragic events that the poet went through and her enormous strength are clearly felt – where others would have broken down and wailed and cried, Bronislava always found the strength to smile, Egliens expressed.
“For example, she herself said that when she was sent to Siberia… She said: everyone else was driven there to hard work and such, but I was already lucky, because I had already won the lucky lot – well, tuberculosis, and I slept peacefully in the hospital, white sheets and all.
Obviously, it was terribly difficult, but she taught me to look at those things with great optimism and great, great strength,” Eglien said.
Egliens recorded Bronislava’s – or, as the actor says, Broņas – songs based on his mother’s voice recordings in sheet music, and the songs with her own words and those of other Latvian poets are planned to be published in a book this year.
Four of them have been recorded in new arrangements by Kaspars Zemīš for the Latvian Radio archive: “Sing me, girl, the most beautiful song” (poetry by Broņislava Martuževa), “Forgive me” (poetry by Leonid Breikš), “The star fell” (poetry by Veronika Strēlerte) and ” Beranger motive” (poetry of Bronislava Martuzheva).
Jānis Strazdiņš and Kaspars Zemītis.
Photo: Aleksandrs Okonovs and Kārlis Zemītis
Jānis Strazdiņš and Kaspars Zemītis.
Photo: Aleksandrs Okonovs and Kārlis Zemītis
Jānis Strazdiņš and Kaspars Zemītis.
Photo: Aleksandrs Okonovs and Kārlis Zemītis
“I could even tell the exact years for these songs, but I think that there are about three of them, except for the “Beranger’s motif”, were written between 1942 and 1947. The “Beranger’s motif” is the year 1980. I have all these four I really like the songs interpreted by Zemīš and Strazdiņš and they seem wonderful. Some other facet is opened there, which was not noticeable until then. They, as excellent artists, simply do it,” said Egliens.
The musicians themselves – Jānis Strazdiņš and Kaspars Zemītis – expressed their joy and satisfaction at the creation of a new voice and guitar duet.
“In Martuževa’s songs, I hear not only poets and composers, but also philosophers, really such a wise woman in life, who is not afraid to put her deep, but at the same time very simple and familiar feelings into words and talk about them. It is somehow very appealing,” said Zemītis .
Eglien agreed, noting that Bronislava as a person was very direct, very sharp and spoke without unnecessary compromises. For this reason, she was also able to speak very aptly and sharply in her poetry.
“I think that’s what we’re desperately missing right now. We’re missing it insanely. Not such a sharp quarrel or some kind of insult, but a true, sharp opinion on very important things both in the context of the world and our country. I think that Bronislava would be very, very necessary at this time,” Egliens admitted.
2024-04-13 08:41:22
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