GRIEŽYNĖ - 2002
September 18 - 22, 2002

Performers   Photos   Recordings 

PARTICIPANTS OF THE FESTIVAL

FOLK MUSIC GROUP SINIMANISEELE - ESTONIA

A group of young girls started singing folk songs and dancing in 1997. Over the years they became more interested in instrumental music. The instruments are a bagpipe, a violin, six- and seven-stringed harps (kannel) and a bowed harp (hiiu-rootsi kannel). All of them except the violin were made by Estonian folk music instrument makers. The members of the group learned to play from older folk musicians and from each other. They play traditional Estonian folk music and some foreign melodies.

Katrin Valk - bagpipe, 6- and 7-stringed harp. Kersti Salujõe - violin, bowed harp. Janika Viilma - bagpipe, 7-stringed harp, bowed harp

PARTICIPANTS OF THE CONCERT CLASSICAL MUSIC FROM INDIA

SERGEY ANCUPOV sarod (Riga) - the only sarod player in the former USSR area. His teacher - master Amjad Ali Khan’o.

LUDMILA ZHURKOVA tampura (Riga)

VITALIJUS LOGVINOVAS tabla (Vilnius)

THE GRUCELA FAMILY GROUP - POLAND

The group started in 1982. They perform folk music of “black highlanders” of Piwniczna countryside. The group is famous all over Poland, their music is often played on the radio. From 1986 to 2000 they were part of Dolina Popradu ensemble. They have won in many festivals and competitions, in 1999 played in Munich radio, in 1997 were awarded Oskar Koberg medal tor their merits to foklore.

Edward Grucela - 1st violin. Mieczyslaw Grucela (brother)- 2nd violin. Irena Grucela (daughter) - bass. Stanislaw Judka (brother-in-law) - clarinet. Kinga Izworska - bass.

TATSUYA OKABAYASHI - JAPAN

He was born in Nagoya, Japan. In 1998 he visited Mongolia and started studying Khôômi (overtone singing) and playing the morinkhuur (a national folk music instrument). Its name means “horse instrument". because the original morinkhuur was made from horse bone and hair.

AUDUN EKEN ANO NIELS TOVSRU - NORWAY

A duet of young people playing the accordion and violin. They perform traditional Norwegian music.

BAZAR BLÅ - SWEDEN

Well, first of all - “bla" is the Swedish word tor "blue". Bazar BIS consists of three musicians inspired by the radiant Swedish folk music. Using the amazing nyckelharpa, various bases and percussion instruments from all over the world, they approach the tradition in a very individual way. Their listeners are captured by original compositions full of improvisation and spontaneity.

Bazar Blå plays- as they have named it - Trans Global Trip folk. As the name suggests it is their own new folk music with influences from all over the world. In 1999 their debut album Nordic City was nominated for the Swedish Grammy Award as the best folk music record of the year.

It all started when nyckelharpa player Johan Hedin playing in the streets of Paris was discovered by a talent scout from EMI and invited to Abbey Road Studios in London to form a band with Milla Jovovich (singer, actor and model from Hollywood). Bass player Bjorn Meyer was recruited to the band, it appeared in a number of radio and TV shows and toured the US four times. In airports and hotel rooms, tour busses and dressing rooms Johan and Bjorn created a completely new repertoire for the nyckelharpa and electric bass.

Once back in Sweden they found a kind of percussionist that could not be found in America, Fredrik Gille, and Bazar Bla was born, in October 2000 their second album Triptolk was released.

This group is presented by Swedish concert organization Rikskonserter.

ANDREJS RANCANS & BALTINAVAS į MUZIKANTI - LATVIA

Andrejs Rancans was born in 1929 in eastern Latvian region of Ludza. Nautreni county, in the Buzdas homestead. He was the eldest in afamily of six children. From the age of 12 he helped with all the farm work on his parents' homestead. In 1959 he graduated from the Physics and Mathematics Faculty at the Daugavpils Pedagogical Institute and later worked as a teacher.

Andrejs Rancans taught himself to play the fiddle by watching and playing with other country musicians at various banquets and parties. What is more, he plays the mandolin, accordion, concertina, harmonica and sings.

Today Andrejs Rancans lives with his wife Veronika in Baltinava, the region of Balvi. He plays together with ethnographic groups from Baltinava and Upite, as well as with Riga based Grodi folklore group. He has played his fiddle in Lithuania, Finland, Poland, Germany, Denmark. Turkey, France, Portugal and Japan. Andrejs has eight fiddles at home, each of which has its own peculiar sound, and the older they are the better the sound.

MADSEN TRIO - DENMARK

Jens Madsen - accordion - has performed both as a soloist and in many groups from duets to big bands, since he was 18. He has played in France, Germany, Italy and Scandinavian countries at folk music festivals.

Verner Lund - double bas - in his youth was a symphonic orchestra player. He has performed with Jens Madsen in various bands for many years He has played with many well-known musicians in Africa, Germany and in Scandinavia.

Rene Nielsen - guitar - has played in different bands tor many years. His repertoire includes several kinds of music from skiffle, American folk music to jazz He also plays Nordic folk music and popular songs, He has performed in Greece, Germany. England and Scandinavia.

The musicians met three years ago at Skagen Visefestival and the Madsen Trio was bom. They started swinging from the first moment and have played logether with great success at several music events.

The musicians are ail highly experienced and the Madsen Trio perform different music styles ranging from French Musette, Argentinian Tango to American Jazz Standards and, of course, Scandinavian folk and popular songs.

SAS and M&M sponsored their appearance in this festival.

VYDRAGA - LITHUANIA

This is a group of instrumental folklore. It was founded in 1988 by Algirdas Klova, a composer and musician. In 1996 he reorganized the group into one consisting of five multi-instrumentalists who had played in the “old" group. They all are real enthusiasts of folklore music and learned playing their instruments from the authentic source, Lithuanian countryside musicians, while on folklore expeditions. The group presented their CD in the NATO Headquarters in Brussels, played in EXPO 2000 exhibition in Hanover, the Farue Islands, Latvia. Russia (Moscow), Germany. In Sweden Vydraga took part in Faioon and Skagen festivals.

Algirdas Klova - violin, lumzdelis. Marijus Šnaras - violin. Jūratė Klovienė - percussion, kanklės, singing. Vytautas Linkevičius - bass, bagpipe. Regimantas Žitkauskas - bandoneon, kanklės.

LIGAWKI DUO - POLAND

Teresa Maksimowicz and Pawel Franczuk are daughter and grandson of Antoni Lempicki, a famous ligawki maker and player, Oskar Kol berg prize winner (d. 1998). A.Lempicki made more than 500 ligawki for musicians in Poland and other countries of Europe. Both musicians have played the ligawki since their childhood. At the age of 11 (1976) Teresa Maksimowicz won the first prize in adult group in a regional competition. She has won in many shepherd musical instrument competitions.

At the age of 3 Pawel Franczuk won the prize of journalists and jury in All Poland Shepherd Musical Instrument Competition. He has won in many competitions.

The Kizystof Kluka Agricultural Museum in Ciechanowiec sponsored their appearance in this festival.

LI SANDANDONIJRE - ITALY

The cult of St. Anthony, venerated as a protector of the domestic animals, has always been alive in the pastoral world of the Abruzzi countryside. During the days preceding 17 January there is still today a tradition to sing in honour of St. Anthony Abbot. The singers "LI SANDANDONIJRE" go from house to house playing and singing the songs recalling the legendary episodes of the life of the saint. The presence of our group in people’s hoyses always represent a moment of festivity as the Sandandonijre add to the traditional songs a vast repertory of music and songs having their roots directly in the authentic countryside pastoral culture.

Photos

Recordings