With the new work of Uģis Prauliņš the project «» Strings will be opened. Voices. Electroacoustics “/ Article / LSM.lv

Friday, Oct. 16, at 19.00 A new, international project “Strings” will start in the White Hall of the Riga Latvian Society House. Voices. Electroacoustics “, in which in the coming years it is planned to popularize the latest music of Baltic composers in Latvia, Poland and Scandinavia. The project will involve two collectively unique groups – the vocal group” Birds “and the Polish electric quartet” NeoQuartet “. The new works of the Baltic composers created at the Latvian Society will be presented at contemporary music festivals in Europe, the Latvian Society informed.

” Runners. Voices. Electroacoustics “will be a large-scale electroacoustic music project for voices, electric string instruments, video and live electronics. The author of the project is the NeoArte Synthesizer of Arts Festival of Gdańsk” Director, NeoQuartet Electric String Instrument Group musician Pavel Kapica (Pawel Cap), who, evaluating the accumulated experience of the vocal group “Putni” in playing new music and the quality of its professional performance, has seen an unusual platform in which the unique sound of both groups can resonate in a new angle.

”NeoQuartet” and in cooperation with “Putnu” from 2020 to 2022 it is planned to stage and play the latest works of the authors of the Baltic region countries – Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Swedish, Estonian. As part of the project, composers from the Baltic region are invited to compose new works for this line-up, which will be presented at several contemporary music festivals in Europe.

In the autumn of 2021, premieres of new works are already planned in Gdańsk, Kraków and Warsaw. Further cooperation between the two groups is related to the expanded presentation of the program in the Scandinavian countries, simultaneously popularizing the latest Latvian and Baltic music and also the performance of Riga’s professional musicians.

The first meeting of the two groups will take place in a concert on Friday, October 16, at 19.00 in the White Hall of the Riga Latvian Society House. The concert will take place simultaneously in digital format and live performance. Due to security restrictions, Polish musicians will participate in the concert remotely, addressing the audience and making music through video recording, while the vocal group Birds and composer Uģis Prauliņš will perform in person.

Uģa Prauliņa will experience the world premiere of the concert “Hip hop variations”, which uses folklore material in the spirit of excellent Latvian songs, which is coordinated and interactively connected with the very important rhythmic basis of this composition – string quartet rhythm functions, which are applied in detail in the traditions and influence of contemporary music, especially hip-hop. In addition to Uģis Prauliņš’s new work, the concert will also feature Stanislav Judin’s improvisations on double bass and electronics, Polish composer Alexander KosyovAleksander Kosciow) 10th String Quartet, NeoQuartet original work for electric instruments Gotan Loop, Trance Mission, and Peter Vasks ‘“The Fruit of Silence” for string quartet, “Moonlight” written by Ieva Alenčika’s ensemble “Luar” and other works, fully revealing the possibilities of electronics available in the “AroQuartet” arsenal and the excellent sound of Birds’ voices.

Vocal group “Birds” founded in 1993. It consists of eight singers who have mastered their singing in Latvian professional choirs and vocal groups (State Academic Choir “Latvia”, Latvian Radio Choir, Chamber Choir “Ave Sol”, Riga Vocal Group, “Marana”, etc.) , as well as performing as soloists and conductors in various musical projects. The group “Putni” has collaborated with almost all composers in Latvia, the group has more than 120 world premieres. The ensemble’s concerts have been highly praised in Latvia, Europe, Australia, Japan and the United States for their beautiful sound and unusual, original concert programs. The group has won prizes, including the Grand Prix in seven international competitions.

”NeoQuartet” is one of Europe ‘s most active ensembles of new music performers. Musically virtuoso and technically skilled musicians are especially specialized in playing contemporary music. The driving force of the quartet is experimental and creative spirit, professionalism, interest in technologies. Both in its classical form (acoustic string quartet) and with the electronic instrument project launched in 2012, the quartet has performed countless concerts at major festivals and concert halls in Europe, China, South Korea, Japan and the USA (concert in the famous Carnegie Hall). Since 2017, “NeoQuartet” has been performing with electric string instruments, synthesizers and “looper” techniques. The quartet’s electronic format is called the Neo Electric Quartet, and it is a unique ensemble in the world – the only electric string quartet that plays contemporary academic music. The band has released eight CDs and received the highest Polish professional music awards. You can read more about the ensemble here. Insight into the group’s electro-audio-visual program here.

Tickets at “Biļešu Paradīze” ticket offices, website, on the day of the concert at the Riga Latvian Society.

The concert takes place with the support of the State Cultural Capital Foundation, the Riga City Council Department of Education, Culture and Sports, and the Polish Ministry of Culture.

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