This summer, for the fifth year in a row, the international ethno music festival will take place in Valmiermuiža Park – it is expected on June 17 and 18 with an extensive program on two stages and the world premiere of the new Midsummer program of the energetic bagpipe and drum group Auļi.
On the evening of the first day of the festival, Latvian and Estonian poetry, language, music will take place on the stage of “Klēts” – a musical poetry conference with Estonian poets Kristīna Ehina and Contra, as well as Silver Sepp, which can turn anything into musical instruments, and poet Guntars Godiņš . “Rahu The Fool” heard at the festival last year will also perform. Everyone will be able to attend Friday’s program for free.
On the second day of the festival, Madagascar’s world music flagship Kilema is scheduled to perform, bringing sun and fun; for the first time in Latvia, the originally innovative trio “Sutari” from Poland will perform, using both traditional instruments and graters, knife sharpeners and whispers when making music; Albīns Paulus from Austria will surprise with bagpipes, organs, homemade whistles and iodeling, but the musical culmination of the evening will be the world premiere – the new Midsummer program of the bagpipe and drum group “Auļi”, which is created in collaboration with close and distant guest artists. The local virtuoso “Arcandela” will play in Balfolk, while the dark folk and country band “Juuk” will take care of the mood of a slightly nostalgic green ball. Contemporary folk music will be played by domestic post-folk groups “TKP” (Julgī Stalte, Ēriks Zeps), “Laiksne” and “Ududu”.
“Every year the festival has its own motive: if last year it was iron and its role in people’s lives, this time it is an interaction – meeting different people and different cultures, different eras, people with nature, materials intertwined and entangled,” says the Cultural Management Center. Lauska ”manager Daina Zalal. “By twisting individual fibers, a strong, inextricably strong thread can be obtained. In the workshops we will study various natural fibers, from which we can twist ropes and braid, weave wreaths and hats. In the musical program, we will invite musicians to interact with each other, as well as with the audience. ”
One of the most anticipated moments of the festival every year is the burning of a sculpture of a fiery fire – this time the theme of twisting is being prepared by the already well-known Spanish artist Jordi NN, but it will be sung by Estonian sound artist Silver Sepp. At the end of the festival, a novelty is expected – ethno-disco, where under the direction of Dīva Reiznieks and Kaspars Zaviļeiskis, traditional music will intertwine with modern rhythms.
Sabīne Vandāna, the head of the Valmiermuiža Cultural Association: We want Latvia to have an annual, international ethno music festival that is able to bring together artists and guests from all over the world. We hope that we will put ourselves on the broad map of folk music, and Valmiermuiža will be a meeting place for every connoisseur of traditions and music lover. ”
–
