June 06, 2009
With the Midsummer holiday—celebrating the shortest night of the year—approaching later this month, the post-folklore group Iļģi has released its latest album.
Titled Īsākās nakts dziesmas, the album is the 12th by the group, which marked its 20th anniversary in 2006. The album is already available in digital format at platforma.lv and in compact disc format next week in Latvian stores.
The album has 11 tracks, which according to recording company Platforma have a “goal to speak to, interest and entrance even those people, who until now have not seen the true meaning and wonder of Midsummer.”
Tracks include:
- Visu gadu Jānīts nāca
- Visu gadu Jānīts jāja
- Jāņu mātes pagalmā
- Sit, Jānīti, vara bungas
- Saule brida miglājosi
- Labvakari, rudzu lauks
- Te staigāj’ši Jāņa bērni
- Jāņu dancis
- Visi ziedi izziedēja
- Tā sacīja, tā bij’ tiesa
- Līgojami, līgojami
Iļģi includes Ilga Reizniece, Māris Muktupāvels, Gatis Gaujenieks, Egons Kronbergs and Mārtiņš Linde.
The band has two CD release concerts set June 7 in the Club Essential in Rīga. The concerts will be available for viewing live through Platforma’s Web site. The band also has a Midsummer-themed concert set June 13 in Rīga’s Vērmaņdārzs, after which Reizniece will lead lessons about how to celebrate Jāņi.
Īsākās nakts dziesmas is being released with support from the State Culture Capital Foundation of Latvia, the Latvian Foundation and the American Latvian Assocation’s Culture Fund.
For a look into recording of the new album at Gaujenieks’ GEM Studija, see this video on YouTube. For more on the band, visit the Iļģi Web site at ilgi.lv.
Andris Straumanis is editor of Latvians Online.
