http://www.ilgi.lv/en_index.php Iļģi - Latvian post-folk band. en-us Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:22:42 +0200 Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:22:42 +0200 stereovaccine info@ilgi.lv info@ilgi.lv http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=27 Iļģi will be performing at the "Lielā Ģilde" or the "Great Guild Hall" on April 5th at 6 PM. The program will consist of songs spanning the group's 29 year history.  A splendid evening is guaranteed for all!  Ticket info can be found on the Bilešu Paradīzes website:http://www.bilesuparadize.lv/events/grupas_ilgi_koncerts  Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:34:44 +0200 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=27 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=26 The first, a tranquil concert, will begin precisely at the time of the Winter Solstice on December 21st at 7:47 p.m. in the Leļļu mākslas muzejs (The Doll Art Museum) in Spīķeri, Maskavas Street 12, Rīga.  The folklore group "Laiksne" also will perform.    The second is the annual Iļģi Christmas concert.  Families are encouraged to attend.  As in past years, it will take place in the Big Hall at the Rīga Technical University (RTU), Kalķu Street 1, on December 22nd at 7:00 p.m.  Zane Šmite will participate again.  Winter craft workshops and games (rotaļas) are planned for the little ones, and to round out the evening, traditional dances for the grown-ups.   Totari! Iļģi Tue, 15 Dec 2009 23:29:16 +0200 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=26 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=24 Iļģi's new album Songs of the Shortest Night (Īsākās nakts dziesmas) has received favorable reviews in the world music press. World Music Central called Iļģi "stylish and energetic" and its sound "smart and savvy." "Iļģi is part and parcel of a fresh wave of contemporary folk that offers a fresh and fanciful slant to traditional music.  Polishing and reinterpreting the folk songs of Latvia's pagan solstice festival Jāņi, Iļģi's Songs of the Shortest Night is pure celebration." Rootsworld found Iļģi a "little crunchier on this release than in the past, with grinding fiddles, wailing pipes, more assertive drumming, and thrashier guitars. This is not to say that they've lost the ethereal side that made earlier releases so appealing; they've just upped the ante a bit on many tracks."  "The night may be short, but memories of this party will go on long after sunrise."  Read the reviews here: http://worldmusiccentral.org/article.php/ilgi_songs_shortest_night http://www.rootsworld.com/reviews/ilgi09.shtml#at  Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:54:21 +0200 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=24 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=23 Iļģi just finished making its first music video featuring "Saule brida miglājos" from the new album.  It was filmed in May and June in the woods near Jūrmala, Latvia, and in Scotland. Anna Druka, a young Latvian artist living in Great Britain, directed the video.  She also created the artwork for Iļģi's 2006 album "Ne uz vienu dienu."  Anna's prior experience in the music field includes a "Soft Toy Emergency" video and collaborating on the stage set for Franz Ferdinand's most recent concert tour. "It was unnecessary to talk me into doing this 'work' - I have always wanted to work with Iļģi.  I definitely was not disappointed - the entire process turned into a great project, even though I missed several nights' sleep", commented Anna at the end of filming. Although Iļģi has been filmed in concert and for television countless times during its 28 year history, this is the first time the right circumstances fell into place for creating a stand alone music video.  "It was worth the wait.  We are satisfied with the result.  Hopefully the viewers will like it too.  A big thanks to Anna and everyone else who helped create this video", said Iļģi leader Ilga Reizniece.  Link to Youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smDXLZjEsZs  Fri, 19 Jun 2009 23:42:45 +0300 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=23 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=22 Our thanks to everyone who braved the rain last Saturday to join us in Vērmanis Park at our "Songs of the Shortest Night" CD release concert.  Thanks also to the event organizers, to the dancers, and for the flowers.  We hope for clear skies this week as we continue to anticipate Jāņi with song:at "Nekādu problēmu" in Dom Square on June 17th at 8:00 p.m.,at the Zāļu market in Dom Square on June 19th at 4:00 p.m.,at the Rīga Plaza Līgo market on June 20th at 1:00 p.m., as well as with Ilga at "Jāņi lessons" events (see www.diena.lv/jani). See you there!  Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:25:55 +0300 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=22 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=21 Iļģi's new album is a contemporary interpretation of ancient Jāņi songs that will speak to and enthuse even those who have yet to realize the true meaning and magic of the summer solstice."Songs of the Shortest Night" is an album rich in moods and varied in sound.  It evokes emotions related to the Latvian Midsummer celebration, Jāņi.  Modern in rhythm and feel, some songs are invigorating while others serenely pause in the moment.  The album will be premiered on Sunday June 7th at 2:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. at Essential Club in Rīga.  Both concerts will be broadcast live on the internet at http://www.platformamusic.lv/   (Sunday June 7th, 7:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time; 4:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. Pacific.) The CD release concert will be on June 13th at 1 p.m. in Rīga on the Vērmanis Park stage. Generous support for making the album was received from the Latvian Ministry of Culture (KKF), the Latvian Foundation, and the American Latvian Association Cultural Foundation.  Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:47:31 +0300 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=21 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=20 The long awaited Liepāja concert nears, when Iļģi will play as 400 local children sing.  The concert will take place on the legendary outdoor stage "Pūt vējiņi" on May 30th at 5 p.m.  It can be anticipated the Latvian folk songs arranged by Iļģi will be performed with great power and enthusiasm.After the concert - dancing with the Rīga Dance Club.  Thu, 28 May 2009 12:25:02 +0300 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=20 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=19 In spite of these difficult times, Iļģi is making its longtime intent a reality by recording an album of Jāņi songs.  We have been in the studio since April 20th.  You can get a glimpse of the first hours of the first day here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnQ7q5bzuW4Jāņi is the Latvian observance of the summer solstice, known elsewhere in Europe as Midsummer or St. John's Day.  It is celebrated on June 23rd and 24th.  The wealth of Jāņi songs is the greatest treasure of Latvian traditional music.  We have inherited over 1000 melodies, all meant for one night a year.  Unfortunately, most Latvians get by with one or two melodies, if they sing and celebrate Jāņi at all.Our album will be a contemporary interpretation of ancient Jāņi songs we hope will speak to and enthuse even those, who until now have not realized the summer solstice's true meaning and magic.  Wed, 13 May 2009 09:14:41 +0300 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=19 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=18 After Gatis returned from Australia, where he participated in the Latvian Cultural Days in Sydney, we began to prepare for an interesting, and for us an unusual event - a music project with children's choirs from Liepāja, a city on the shore of the Baltic Sea. We arranged folk songs, recorded them in the studio, and sent the music and recordings to choir directors for rehearsal. The result will be heard on May 30th in Liepāja when we join the choirs on the open air concert stage, "Pūt vējiņi."Hopefully before then we will finish recording our new album after working on it all spring.   Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:04:53 +0300 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=18 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=17 The most recent CD "Ej tu dejot!" (Take a dance!) produced by the worldmusic group "Iļģi" differs from all their previous CDs. The 10 CDs recordedby "Iļģi" each have a unique quality and mark a certain stage in the group'shistory of 25 years. However "Ej tu dejot!" is special. It is neither a studio recording nor arecord of a live performance. Last summer the CD was envisaged and rehearsedat a country retreat - a farmstead far from the lure and hassle of themetropolis. Upon the return to Riga the resulting live session was recordedat the studio of the Latvian Radio. In terms of the content of the album the main difference is that the CD "Ejtu dejot!" contains only instrumental dance music - there are no vocals. Allthe tracks are traditional dance melodies arranged in a not-so-traditionalmanner. The mood of the recordings varies from wild rock connotation toquiet soulful serenity.It is not unusual for "Iļģi" to play dance music. Their long time endeavourhas resulted in two DCs with Latvian dance music "Latviešu danči" (LatvianDances) produced by Māris Muktupāvels with the record label "Upe" in 1999.Māris Muktupāvels and Ilga Reizniece recorded most of the dances in thesealbums. These CDs were and still are used by a lot of people in Latvia aswell as abroad to learn Latvian dances.The next CD "Danco Dievis" (God Dances"), produced in 2000, containedrecordings of different groups and musicians.Even though the musicians from "Iļģi" were essential for the production ofthe previous albums of dance music neither of the CDs mentions the group inthe credits.It has almost become a tradition for the "Iļģi" concerts to end with a jollysession of folk dancing. It helps to have people in the audience who knowthe steps but if it is not the case Ilga happily leads the dances herself.The new album contains Latvian dances as well as dances from other countrieswhich historically have integrated the Latvian dance music - Lithuanian,Estonian (Subota- Saturday) and Ukrainian ("Barabolja") and the Pankūkas(Pancake dance).Pankūkas (Pancake dance) is special. This time "Iļģi" mix the "batter" in 11different ways. Each reflects an influence from a different country butplease, don not expect it to be a scientific study! They were recorded justfor the kick of it, for pure joy of making music. The names of the tracksare pancakes in the different languages the influences were borrowed from.These recordings were never planned they just happened spontaneously.Some of the other dances have a humorous touch as well therefore this couldbe considered the most joyful album "Iļģi" produced so far.Thanks to the president of the Riga Folkdance Club Valdis Putniņš thedescriptions of the dances are on the "Iļģi" websitehttp://ilgi.lv/lv_danci.php (in Latvian), there are some more at the RigaFolkdance Club website http://www.folkdance.lv/?cat=201 (in Latvian). Alsoeverybody who happens to be in Riga is invited to join the Riga FolkdanceClub gatherings. Usually they take place every Tuesday in the Great Hall ofthe Riga Technical University (Rīgas Tehniskās Universitātes Lielā zāle).For additional information please visit the Riga Folkdance Club web pagehttp://www.folkdance.lv/?cat=198&topcat=198. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:41:52 +0300 http://ilgi.lv/en_arhivs.php?id=17