Concert of FMC season's opening, Riga,
25 September 2003

      At autumn's Thursday's evening in the Folk music centre has opened already a third educational season.

Dace Pruse - a "star" of the concert

      The conductor of the concert Dace Pruse nicely and unchainedly talked both with spectators and with performers, aptly joked, and, in general, from conductor became a performer of the main role.

Psalteries' players

      By first performed third year's psalterists: two girls and one lad. First polka was played only by the girls - in two voices, with beautiful solos. Unfortunately, psalteries were not tuned together. The second and the third melodies played all the three "schoolchildren".

Singers sing together with the teacher

      Second were "schoolgirls" (came only two) of traditional singing. The first song, actually, sang the teacher - already mentioned Dace Pruse, and the schoolgirls only tried to help. It seems, the song was not rehearsed - the pupils did not know words. The second song started to sing one of the schoolgirls, and it has sounded beautifully and confidently.
      The third speciality - an accordion playing, was represented only by one girl, who learned it very well in one year only.
      Concert was varied by two ensembles. Auļi have played a similar program, as some days ago on the Hares' island, however, the impression was another: from a stage on a meadow their music sounded absolutely differently, rather than in a small hall. Actually, it was too loud, and maybe the group should think about other manner of playing or instrumental staff, if a performance passes in a small hall. Besides, sometimes it seemed, that the musicians "lose" each other and played not together.
      The first song of ensemble Visi vēji was pleasant, quiet, with accompaniment of psaltery and with various sound effects. The second song was too fast and nervous, it sounded like the performers tries to hunt down someone or to escape from someone, but do not understand, whom they want to hunt down and from whom they want to escape. The third song was a fast one too, but not so much; in one couplet they made an artificial lengthening of notes, thus lovely words ("Why you, flower, cry?") having transformed in aggressive ones.
      After the concert have begun dancings. There were a lot of musicians, and the sound was good. The number of dancers was optimal: enough of dancers and enough of free place.

      Article: Ansis Ataols Bērziņš, 28 September 2003
      Photos: Ansis Ataols Bērziņš