Due to the current climatic conditions, the album with the very attractive name “Ziemas vakars” was released by the uncommented creative tandem Raimonds Macats and Aivars Hermanis, who have been linked by a long musical friendship for more than 30 years. They have made music together in various projects and groups, made countless sound recordings, and also collaborated, producing both their own music and the work of their brothers, etc., etc.
The latest joint work of the musicians – the instrumental album “Winter evening” was created during the somewhat forgotten covid downtime (or idleness). The musicians recorded it each in their home studios, without even meeting, but synchronizing the recorded instrument parts with the “play back” method and transferring the files to each other over the Internet. The master of percussion instruments Artis Orubs also joined the recording, who also recorded the parts in his home studio in a similar way, sending them to his colleagues.
The album contains four instrumental compositions by Aivars Hermanis, two instrumental compositions by Raimonds Macatas, as well as one instrumental version each of the songs by Raimonds Paulus (“Winter Evening”) and Zigmars Liepiņš (“Cherry Rain”), arranged by both masters. It should be noted that the album was also released in a CD version – this is a forewarning for those who don’t know what to give music lovers for the fast-approaching end-of-the-year holidays.
Interest in the album was created by the application of the publishers and musicians themselves: “CD “Winter evening” – a good companion for motorists and an unobtrusive background in the evening by the fireplace and a glass of wine.” It somehow doesn’t go together at all, that’s why I encouraged you to start listening and I have to say that the album won’t really suit either one or the other – the compositions included in the masterpiece are not so lyrical, contemplative and dreamy that you can listen to them by the fireplace with a glass of wine in your hand, but nor are they so jesters as to encourage them to listen while driving. Rather, one could imagine playing the songs of “Winter Evening” on a beautiful, sunny winter morning, when you don’t have to go anywhere and you can calmly look out the window at what the winter has done. For motorists – perhaps on holiday mornings leisurely digging their cars out of the cabins… But everyone will have different, their own associations, so a single definition of feelings is not possible here.
Both masters played to their heart’s content on this disc – a pleasure to listen to! Aivars Hermanis’ brilliant guitar playing skills have not gone anywhere, neither has Macata’s keyboard mastery, but together they complement each other perfectly. Among the songs included in the album, the first thing that catches my ears is “Cherry rain” – although this song has been heard in countless versions, each subsequent one only revives the interest in this work of Zigmars Liepiņš. It’s good that at the end of the year, when we will be (and already are) drowned in the madness of Christmas songs, an album with beautiful winter melodies, without any attachment to this holiday, has been released.
2023-12-03 19:49:19
#REVIEW #Aivars #Hermanis #Raimonds #Macats #Winter #Evening
